...is having an auto-rickshaw-shaped box:
We are halfway through the second, and final, day of our pack-out from Hyderabad.
We are halfway through the second, and final, day of our pack-out from Hyderabad.
Showing posts with label auto rickshaws. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auto rickshaws. Show all posts
30 June 2013
The Auto-Rickshaw Bed in the News
Through a friend of a friend who works at a local newspaper in Hyderabad, the auto-rickshaw bed became big news. This week the article was published, including interviews with us and with Eimor Customs, the guys who built the bed for us: All for the smile... It was priceless!
If you ignore how they changed my quotes to be Indian English, the only thing they got wrong was noting Mike as a writer and editor, not me. Otherwise it's a fun and funny article about the project.
For more information and photos on how we turned an auto-rickshaw into a bed, see my posts with the auto-rickshaw tag.
13 May 2013
The Auto-Rickshaw Bed Grand Reveal!
It's all finished! About six months ago we first had the idea to turn an auto-rickshaw into a bed. And last night Muffin slept in her auto-rickshaw bed for the first time.
It arrived in two pieces on two autos:
The pieces were unloaded and carried up the stairs:
Some parts that were supposed to be bolted were in actuality still welded, so we were stuck here for about half an hour:
But eventually it was all in Muffin's room and ready to reassemble:
She moved in her blankets and stuffed animals:
And then she was ready for bed:
The guys did a great job on the restoration and painting. You can see all our photos of the process here (auto shopping and restoration) and here (moving it inside).
"I want a second auto," were the words that greeted me after nap time this afternoon. Sorry kiddo, we love it and it was a fun project, but only one auto per lifetime.
It arrived in two pieces on two autos:
The pieces were unloaded and carried up the stairs:
Some parts that were supposed to be bolted were in actuality still welded, so we were stuck here for about half an hour:
But eventually it was all in Muffin's room and ready to reassemble:
She moved in her blankets and stuffed animals:
And then she was ready for bed:
The guys did a great job on the restoration and painting. You can see all our photos of the process here (auto shopping and restoration) and here (moving it inside).
"I want a second auto," were the words that greeted me after nap time this afternoon. Sorry kiddo, we love it and it was a fun project, but only one auto per lifetime.
31 March 2013
How Do You Paint an Auto-Rickshaw?
"I want yellow paint and pink paint and blue paint and brown paint," is what Muffin says when asked how she wants her auto-rickshaw to be painted. We have to be a little more specific than that when we talk to the painters so this morning we took photos of some designs we like.
We're going with a classic yellow auto with a black roof. I like pink flowers under the windscreen:
We like the stripes on the back and sides:
I like the flowers on this "4-in-all" logo:
We like the "For Hire" font but we're thinking of having it say "Private" instead:
I like the bajaj logo and the stripes that came on our auto:
And we like this little light panel. We'll have toggle switches installed, some of which will control the headlamp and turn signals and some that will simply light up the buttons on the panel.
We have a lot to discuss with the painters. Most of the work is decals but we'd like to have the designs hand-painted on instead, for more permanence.
And of course, the obligatory shot of Muffin driving an auto. The drivers were so curious as to why we were taking so many photos. As thanks, we had to take some of them with Muffin.
Previous posts: Auto-rickshaws.
We're going with a classic yellow auto with a black roof. I like pink flowers under the windscreen:
We like the stripes on the back and sides:
We like the "For Hire" font but we're thinking of having it say "Private" instead:
I like the bajaj logo and the stripes that came on our auto:
And we like this little light panel. We'll have toggle switches installed, some of which will control the headlamp and turn signals and some that will simply light up the buttons on the panel.
We have a lot to discuss with the painters. Most of the work is decals but we'd like to have the designs hand-painted on instead, for more permanence.
And of course, the obligatory shot of Muffin driving an auto. The drivers were so curious as to why we were taking so many photos. As thanks, we had to take some of them with Muffin.
Previous posts: Auto-rickshaws.
17 March 2013
Progress on the Auto-Rickshaw Bed
The last time I wrote about our auto, it looked like this: We Bought an Auto-Rickshaw Today. A day or two after we bought it we brought Muffin over to see it. They'd moved it to the metal shop and taken the canopy off but hadn't done any other work to it. Muffin was in love:
Today we went back to the metal shop to check on the progress. They've taken out the seats and the engine and they've lengthened the body by about six inches to accommodate an American twin-size mattress. They've started patching and welding the rust spots.
We're impressed with the progress so far. Mike and the other guys discussed exactly where it needs to come apart into pieces so we can get it into the house. I started to have a sinking feeling that after all this work we won't get it up a flight of stairs and through the door. But Mike is confident it will be done. Having it come apart will also be extremely useful for packing it up and moving.
Now there is a lot of cleaning and rust repair to do before they paint it.
Today we went back to the metal shop to check on the progress. They've taken out the seats and the engine and they've lengthened the body by about six inches to accommodate an American twin-size mattress. They've started patching and welding the rust spots.
We're impressed with the progress so far. Mike and the other guys discussed exactly where it needs to come apart into pieces so we can get it into the house. I started to have a sinking feeling that after all this work we won't get it up a flight of stairs and through the door. But Mike is confident it will be done. Having it come apart will also be extremely useful for packing it up and moving.
Now there is a lot of cleaning and rust repair to do before they paint it.
02 March 2013
We Bought an Auto Rickshaw Today
The latest addition to our family.
I know it doesn't look like much, but Mike compares it Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. All it needs is a little love.
For the last few weeks we've been networking with various elements of Hyderabad's auto rickshaw and motorcycle world. (See my previous post about this.) We looked at quite a few; we made offers that were too low and rejected prices that were too high. When Mike mentioned the project to some friends of his who do custom motorcycle detailing, though, they got excited and jumped on the chance to do the work for us. They found us an auto for sale right around the corner from their shop and the seller accepted our offer -- a price that was the lowest of all those that had been on the table with other sellers. The bike detailers have a metal fabrication guy who happens to be an auto driver so they are confident they can get the project done.
We'll be removing the canvas top and ripping out the seats and engine. The rust spots will be replaced and we'll buy new wheels. It will get a whole new paint job. The front steering is still in great condition and we envision Muffin sitting on the mattress to "drive." We're going to wire the instrument panel with switches, lights, and a horn.
We can totally see it as a bed.
24 January 2013
First Part of the Auto Rickshaw Bed Project: Finding A Place That Might Actually Sell Us an Auto Rickshaw
As I told one of my friends, it's like a race car bed only it's an auto rickshaw.
We have an idea for making an auto rickshaw bed for Muffin. She loves riding in autos. She talks all the time about how she's going to drive one some day. We think it will be a fantastic souvenir of Hyderabad. When we get tired of it being a bed, we can turn it into a bench or some kind of artwork.
Mike's office was closed for the American holiday on Monday, but it was a regular working day for Hyderabad, so we kept Muffin home from school and started searching for an auto to buy. We just want the body, with no engine. Mike had a lead on an auto rickshaw mechanic's district where it was rumored there were salvaged autos to buy. He tracked down a phone number, our driver tracked down a general location, and we hopped in the car and took off.
It took us over an hour to get across town and find the hospital that was the landmark we were looking for. Then our driver had to stop and ask for directions. We were directed to an auto detailer's shop, where you get the decals and stuff that go on autos. So we stopped again and asked. We were directed to a retailer selling new autos. But someone loitering around there knew of a mechanic nearby who sold used ones. So we drove there.
That mechanic only had an auto pickup truck for sale but said he'd let us know if he had any "4-in-alls" (four-person passenger autos). He was working on a couple autos, and one had the engine out of it, so he let us take some photos for our research and planning. Just imagine taking out the front and back seats, and, according to the measurements, a twin mattress should fit perfectly.
One of the guys at the mechanic shop said he had a 4-in-all auto for sale at his house, so we got back in the car and he directed us through a warren of dirt roads until we came to a field with this in it:
He was asking way too much for it, and a lot of the parts we want to salvage are rusted or missing, but he let us take a few more photos. We are having trouble figuring out how to take the front and back apart and modify the chassis so getting some photos of the undercarriage will be useful.
This is what the underside of an auto looks like, in case you've ever wondered:
Somehow I went the whole day without taking a single photo of Muffin.
We're kind of stuck now. There must be some place else we can go to shop for autos but Mike needs to work his contacts for some more information. No one can understand why we really want one and the lack of understanding is a roadblock to getting the information.
We have an idea for making an auto rickshaw bed for Muffin. She loves riding in autos. She talks all the time about how she's going to drive one some day. We think it will be a fantastic souvenir of Hyderabad. When we get tired of it being a bed, we can turn it into a bench or some kind of artwork.
Mike's office was closed for the American holiday on Monday, but it was a regular working day for Hyderabad, so we kept Muffin home from school and started searching for an auto to buy. We just want the body, with no engine. Mike had a lead on an auto rickshaw mechanic's district where it was rumored there were salvaged autos to buy. He tracked down a phone number, our driver tracked down a general location, and we hopped in the car and took off.
It took us over an hour to get across town and find the hospital that was the landmark we were looking for. Then our driver had to stop and ask for directions. We were directed to an auto detailer's shop, where you get the decals and stuff that go on autos. So we stopped again and asked. We were directed to a retailer selling new autos. But someone loitering around there knew of a mechanic nearby who sold used ones. So we drove there.
That mechanic only had an auto pickup truck for sale but said he'd let us know if he had any "4-in-alls" (four-person passenger autos). He was working on a couple autos, and one had the engine out of it, so he let us take some photos for our research and planning. Just imagine taking out the front and back seats, and, according to the measurements, a twin mattress should fit perfectly.
This is what the underside of an auto looks like, in case you've ever wondered:
We're kind of stuck now. There must be some place else we can go to shop for autos but Mike needs to work his contacts for some more information. No one can understand why we really want one and the lack of understanding is a roadblock to getting the information.
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