SHRIKE

last updated 1/30/2007

Progress on the Shrike's return to service

You can jump straight to the latest update... in which Mr. Norton wins a trophy!

Here is a running commentary on progress to date:

6/10/00: Bite the bullet: bought the crashed Bimmer as a salvaged bike for $4000. The bike is stripped, mounted on a dolly, and placed in position relative to the chassis. I’m currently pondering how much of the Bimmer to use. Leaving the bike chassis alone and retaining the 1+1 seating capacity of the Shrike, I get an overall length of nearly 14 feet, and a wheelbase of 105". These numbers are in increase of about 1 foot over Shrike I. I may elect to shorten that beautiful (expen$ive) cast aluminum BMW frame and relocate or replace the fuel tank, to save about 6". Much time is now being spent sittin’, thinkin’, sketchin’, and figgerin’…

The donor K-Series BMW

7/10/00: The layout is progressing. The bike is stripped down to what I will be using. I’ve dumped the ABS unit (about 20 pounds!), retained the fuel tank, rear fender and light group, and center stand. The bike is in place on the floor in it’s proper location relative to the chassis. I now have a (relatively) simple subframe designed to carry the rear suspension loads into the Shrike chassis. A Recaro racing seat has been selected. Pedals are next.

8/8/00: Layout nearing completion. The critical brackets connecting the chassis tubing to the Bimmer frame are being machined. Purchased the seat (Corbeau), steering wheel (Momo), pedals (Wilwood), belts (Simpson), instruments (VDO) and other bits. Present plan for the speedometer is to use a GPS, wired into the 12V system, with backlit display. No joke, they give an extremely accurate speed readout, and are much less costly than a VDO or S-W electronic unit with toothed wheel and sender. Space in the cockpit is really tight as well. The (35 year old!) Spit dampers (shocks) are getting tired, and will be replaced by Konis. I’m not happy yet with a rear bodywork concept, so I’m modifying the 1/8 scale model (built 14 years ago to work out the original chassis design) to the new wheelbase, and will use it to mock up the new rear panels. Body material will be Alucobond, as originally planned. I hate fiberglas! Still undecided is whether to use the Bimmer rear fender & lighting, or dump it. I’ll have to do the weight and balance numbers soon, to determine for sure whether I can leave the front wheel centerline as is or move them aft a bit. Must find a 500 lb capacity floor scale… Total cost so far for the rebuild is pushing $5000, which was what the original Shrike cost complete!

Pics and update from 2000...

Update for March, 2003

Chassis structure is complete. Front upper A-arms moved to lower pivot
position to increase ground clearance. Brakes, clutch, gearshift done,
though shift geometry is marginal. No parking brake yet other than a
line-lok on the rear brake line. Presently mounting BMW instrument cluster
intact, though it will be partially obstructed due to lack of space. Lost
fuel pump function when the wiring harness to the instrument cluster was
extended, still diagnosing that problem. No progress in several weeks due
to "other priorities" and possible long term side effects of seizure
medication, can't tell for sure. This is a frustrating period.

Update for March, 2004

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Here are a few more shots of the vehicle coming back together in the winter of '04/'05...

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1/25/05 Progress

It's been over a year since the last progress report. Amazing! Most of that time has been spent just driving, with very few real problems. Let's pick up the narrative:

Shrike has 6,000+ miles since the rebuild with the BMW K1200RS power. It is now being rebuilt after a complete frame-up paint and limited restoration. Progress on the rebuild has been slow, due in part to wife Ellie's new hobby, spinning mohair. Ellie's not one to dabble and we decided to add a pasture, a barn and four Angora goats to our avocado/waxflower/snake/bird/turtle/lizard/mouse businesses. She has always dreamed of living The Simple Life: off the grid, grow your own food, make your own clothes, the whole deal. I'm quickly learning that the "simple" life is damnably complicated! But "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Fortunately, she's worth it!

The high point (so far) in the goat venture was the drive to/from Portland OR (from Temecula CA) during the worst of the record winter storms, 2,200 miles in our 300,000 mile Previa, pulling a trailer with our six goat herd. 17 hours straight through. Snow down to 1,600 feet, rain up to here! What a trip! So, much of my time has been diverted lately.

I had hopes of doing a "real" restoration, replacing all fasteners with new stuff, redesigning the temporary expedients that happen in the heat of building. The reality is that I still find it very difficult to decide to actually do these things. Energy seems to bleed off as I look at a particular area that really ought to be cleaned up. The switch panels are a good example. Quick & dirty. Built rather than designed. Just something to hold the switches and idiot lights where I can see and use them. I've probably spent more time studying them, evaluating alternatives, than it would take to accomplish any of the alternatives, yet there they sit.

Here's part of the unending list of areas I'm not happy with, improvements that could be made, problems that should be solved:

• Dampers: the left (front) Koni damper is apparently worn out, after 8,000 easy miles. They are adjustable, and at full firm, it is much looser than the right one at full soft. Solution: buy 1 more, modify it (cut off top stud mount, weld on the spherical bearing boss). However, it would sure be nice to have the damping and ride height adjustable without having to remove them from the car. Two alternatives to achieve this: adjustable coil-over damper assembly (high $) with bearings at each end (will require redesign to accommodate increased length, new lower mount, new upper A-arms). Could use existing damper arrangement and make new adjustable upper A-arm assemblies.
• Front spindle assembly paint: should be completely disassembled and powder coated. I'll probably mask and spray can it.
• New front wheels: very limited selection of aftermarket wheels for this old ('67) Spitfire & early Lotus) bolt pattern, at about $400 each. Could blast and repaint current wheels.
• Instrument cluster visibility: should redesign structure supporting steering wheel bearings. Should have done so before paint. Oh well.
• Parking brake: should add one. Currently have a line-lock on rear brake line, not useable (gradually bleeds pressure off). Should add small cable-actuated caliper to rear rotor. The interior handle mount is already there.
• Anti-roll bar: should add. Way too much body roll. Probably unnecessary if higher-rate springs w3re used.
• Front fenders: Dibond fenders already made, need to design and fabricate brackets locating off front uprights, pattern after those used on Caterham.
• Passenger accommodation: need to add shoulder belts, some sort of cushion arrangement.
• Upholstery: need some.
• Rear tire contact patch: consider mods to allow use of automotive tire on rear. (Anyone know of a flat-section site to fit 5.5" wide (?) 17" motorcycle rim? I'm told car tires can't be fit to 'cycle rims, the bead design is different.) Easy (costly) solution: use Grinall Scorpion adapter, wheel and aftermarket exhaust system (estimated cost $1500+).
• Ground clearance: need more at front. Added spring spacers.

A note to those who might think this project is either very sophisticated and state of the art, or really hokey backyard junk: it is both, and neither. As you browse the 'net for interesting automotive projects, you'll find guys who really are pushing the state of the art, both technically and practically (see dpcars.com and Kimini.com), and you'll see examples of others just throwing something together minus the extra wheel and having fun with it. The sophistication of the Shrike lies not in the execution but in the concept.

The one existing vehicle is a proof of concept prototype, designed and built on a (relatively) small budget to evaluate the function and practicality of two unique (to my knowledge) concepts in 3W design. Those two concepts are central to the chassis design. They combine a secure racing seat and restraint system inside a structural roll cage with an overall wedge shape. The shape is designed to dissipate the kinetic energy of a vehicle to vehicle collision by means of deflection rather than deformation. This is discussed further in me SAE paper.

The roll cage and wedge chassis concepts happen to lend themselves to extremely simple and relatively inexpensive construction one at a time by individual builders with no tooling whatsoever. The body configuration follows the goal of simplicity by lending itself to the use of any number of materials.

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4/21/05

Just turned 8,000 miles since the return to the road. I finally (after 20-something years) corrected a steering geometry problem I've always been aware of but hadn't fixed yet. I relocated the inboard pivots of the steering tie-rods much closer to their theoretically optimum location. The difference is wonderful. It seems to have widened our narrow roads by about 2 feet, having practically eliminated the unwanted steering deviations/corrections encountered at each change in vertical deflection of either front wheel. Bump-steer/roll-steer is a thing of the past! The pucker-factor is down by at least half, raising the comfort/security levels accordingly. Still LOTS to do (it'll never be "finished"), and enjoying every mile and minute of it! Shrike and I are off to the Knott's show this weekend (Ass'n of Handcrafted Automobiles, largest grouping of kit cars and one-offs west of the Mississippi).

(Update on the Knott's show...)

Shrike and I won Second Place in Specialty Street class,  and a close second for Most Unique behind a modified Lamborghini kit car.  I didn't feel too bad, since that car also won Best in Show, Best Paint and Best Interior! 

The pilot boards the craft.

We now have over 12,000 miles with the BMW motor, and a total of 90,000+ on the chassis.  Roll-steer is still excessive but I've adapted.  Future plans include interior work, better sealing around the front wheel openings (running through standing water at speeds over about 3 mph results in drenched shoes!), rebuilding the steering wheel bearing support area to provide room and visibility for a better instrument panel, and eventually a new front suspension setup (probably Miata-based, with outboard coil-overs).  The beat goes on...

See ya next time!

6/7/2006 - Dave Norton and The Shrike win a first First at the Julian Classic Motoring Show

The Shrike was entered in the Julian Classic Motoring Show in October, an increasingly popular event held at the Menghini Winery in the mountains east of San Diego.  We took our first First Place trophy, in the Special Interest class, against some pretty formidable competition including friend Kurt's handcrafted mid-engine tube-frame autocross race car with a carbon- fiber Mini body.  See www.kimini.com.  Next event is the Father's Day Car Show at Murrieta.  No trophy there last year.  Most, in fact nearly all, of the time, the Shrike is not the droid the judges are looking for.  On the rare occasion when it is, it's quite gratifying indeed!

25 September, 2006:

Lots has happened since my last update, nearly all of it good!  Shrike and I have had a busy summer, a couple more car shows (no trophies, but much enjoyment) and several Show’n’Shine events.  Most notable is a milestone passed last week:

Shrike has now covered over 100,000 miles!!!

In that time (starting 23 years ago, with about 15 years out for a good long rest), there has only been one occasion when I was stopped completely and had to trailer it home (due to a blown engine, the Yamaha Maxim 650, with 85,000 hard miles on it).

Other glitches (of varying seriousness) include:

• Loose bolt fell out of lower A-arm pivot, collapsing the right suspension.  Fortunately, this happened braking for a stop sign, at about 20 mph.  The result was some serious application of lockwire and Loctite:

  Rigged a temporary fix, limped home.

• Bent front A-arm (from sliding into a curb, limped home and fixed it).
• Flat tire (1), a front.  I found the car quite stable at 60 with no air!  I drove 40 miles that way.
• Loose lug nuts on the rear wheel.  Not funny, not fun.
• Overheated, forced to stop to cool down (early on, before relocating the radiators and re-engineering the ducting).
• Shift linkage came from together (3 times, always the same bolt breaking.  Now being re-engineered).
• Out of gas (1).
• Blown fusible link (twice: once in the middle of an intersection, with a handy pedestrian right there to push me aside, the other about 100 feet from my destination after a 60 mile drive).  On both occasions I fixed the problem with my on-board oh-shit-kit.
• Broken welds in the steering shaft support (twice, with the setup hanging together just long enough to get me to the nearest weld shop).
• Stop to button up loose floor panels (twice).
• Cop-Stop: for ticket (ZERO!), for attempted ticket (twice, with the frustrated officers leaving in disgust at not being able to find anything illegal), to check registration (4), just out of curiosity (6).

Pretty fair record, I’d say.  I have never looped it, though I have found myself at pretty much crossed purposes to my intended route of travel.  With that looong wheelbase, the rear end walks up alongside at a fairly leisurely pace, giving ample time for old guys with slow reflexes (me) to catch it before the rear wheel wins the contest to see which end leaves the road first.  I’m running out the last bit of rubber on the latest rear tire.  A trip to San Diego tomorrow should bring up the chords. 

23 September, 2006:

 Temecula Fall Car Show and Old Town Cruise: This event threatened to be a re-run of the Spring Rod Run, marking the end of the Rainy Season (such as it is here in SoCal) with freezing rain and hail.  The Friday night Old Town Cruise was a bit drippy, but the Saturday Show was bright and dry.  No trophy, again.  We had a lot of interest from spectators but none, alas, from judges.  This town is geared towards classic ‘Rods, and mine sure ain’t one of those.

27 September, 2006:

63^rd birthday!  Celebrated with a spirited romp through the early morning mists on De Luz Road, the best motorcycling & sports car road south of the Ortega Highway.  Life is Good!

One item puzzling me at the moment is the clutch.  It’s slipping fairly badly again, after about 11,000 miles since the first clutch swap.  The pedal feels as though the clutch pressure plate may be hitting a stop of some kind prior to full engagement.  While it is true that I’m asking much more of the clutch here than in the bike (perhaps 1/3 higher mass to get rolling from a stop), 11,000 miles between clutches seems extreme.

Ellie and I are discussing retirement these days, a year or two off.  We’ll most likely head North, perhaps out of our beloved California, with its 362 days per year of motorcycling weather.  I’m gradually coming to the realization that I’m in the same developmental rut now that I was in 1965: having too much fun driving to justify taking if off the road long enough to fix what needs to be fixed (bump steer, leaky pan and valve cover gaskets, clutch) let alone make the additions and improvements I’d like.  The thought of living in a locale that has real actual no-shit winters is daunting, knowing the Shrike would have to sit in the penalty box during the snowy times.  What is dawning on me, finally, is the tremendous advantage that would provide: time to design, fix, add, improve.  Each spring I’d have a “new” machine, one better than the one that entered the garage the previous winter.  I’m beginning to like that idea!

1 October, 2006:

Entered the British Car Show in Fallbrook yesterday.  The only thing actually truly British on the car is the front suspension uprights and brakes, but I can’t help thinking Colin Chapman would be pleased at seeing yet another application for those wonderful Triumph pieces he used so often on the early Lotuses.  No trophy, of course.  I was beat out in the “Other” Class by a 1941 Scout Car used in the second World War.  Good Show, eh wot?

29 October, 2006:

Borrego Springs car show: a small show, but a tie for First in Class, Special Interest (tied with a nice Corvette Grand Sport kit car.  Friend Kurt’s Kimini scored it’s first First, beating out the others in Foreign class.

12 November, 2006:

Ellie rode shotgun behind me for the longest two-up trip, about a 100 miler to Julian for brunch, a quiet little tourist town in the mountains east of San Diego.  One of the others in the group (the De Luz Toy Club) asked if she was uncomfortable stuffred in back there.  She replied “Well, I’m not Uncomfortable, I just can’t feel anything from the waist down.”  What a trooper.

17-18 November, 2006:

Wrapping up a busy Summer, I bit the bullet and ran the Shrike at a Track Day event at the Streets course at Willow Springs.  Friend Kurt’s Kimini made its track debut as well.  Short story: we both had a fine day, no major problems, just confirmation of known weaknesses.  Kimini needs more power and sticky tires, Shrike needs work on cooling, braking, body roll, spring and shock stiffness, more rear rubber, and a few other tidbits, and Kurt and I could benefit from more track time. 

One incident bolstered my confidence in my reflexes and underscored the up-side of having a long wheelbase and high polar moment.  I had been noticing slight coolant loss after long runs, and had arranged a secondary coolant overflow tank.  After six or so hot laps the engine began venting coolant into the overflow.  The vent line had gotten pinched, causing the rubber cap to pop off the overflow tank sloshing coolant overboard.  At just the wrong moment.  Coming off the front straight at a tick over 100, braking hard for a left-hand sweeper (we were running the course CCW).  This made for a bad case of the greasies at the tail end.  What followed was what would be called in motorcycle parlance a “tank slapper”, with the arse end trying to beat me through the turn, first from one side then the other.  The resulting slides were quite slo-mo, with plenty of time to catch them without severe over-correction.  No spin, just a very wobbly-looking line through the sweeper.  Here are some nice shots of the day taken by photog buddy Max Nealon:

Max managed to catch the schlippin und schlidin in this sequence.  Note the shiny-wet rear tire in the first shot.  The full-resolution images clearly show a shower of water cascading onto the ground and rear tire:

Kurt graciously offered to scare the crap out of me in the Kimini.  It is definitely an E-Ticket ride!  But, shoot, I can scare my own self in the Shrike without having to go nearly so fast!

G’s!

This shot shows the need to limit body roll.  I had always planned to add an anti-sway bar but hadn’t felt a clear need to.  Until now!

The Shrike had the slowest times in the Intermediate Group (1:41), but not by much!  The competition was mostly WRX-SIs and EVOs, with Loti, ‘Vettes, hotted up Civics and Turbo Beetles, MINIs, MR-2s, GTIs, Miatas and a few others.

They had me in the turns but couldn’t pass me on the straights. 

There’s a lot of potential for improving on-track performance.

All in all, we had a ball!

The next day was another early one, off to Palm Springs for a car show and auction there.  Odd tastes there, it seems.  Best of Show went to a PT Cruiser with an on-board waterfall.  Best sports car was a ‘60s vintage Mercedes 190 convertible, and Peoples Choice was a mildly customized pink ’53 Cadillac.  But then, who am I to talk?  There were a lot more interesting cars on the block at the Auction than in the Show, including a Jag XJ220.  Needless to say, no trophy for the Shrike.

23 November, Thanksgiving Day 2006:

Still laughin’ and scratchin’, Praise the Lord!  Or, as seen years ago on an elderly custom Merc: Praise the Lowered!

So, with the Summer gone, no more Events scheduled for the year, I’ll see what I can get done prior to the Knott’s Kit Car Show early next Spring.  For those who’d enjoy more photos from Willow, see Max’ excellent site at: http://ssocmcc.net/gallery/streets.  For more on Kurt’s marvel, the Kimini, see: www.kimini.com.

A treat for the end of January:

"Shrike took First Place in 3W class at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA"

Dave Norton, builder and driver of the Shrike, can be emailed here.

You can get your own information package from Dave Norton.

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