By:
• Ky Chamna

• November 10, 2024 , 8:00 PM

SIEM REAP - Vong Chan Angkea is a house builder in Siem Reap who takes the idea of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” seriously.

With his practical knowledge in brick laying, wielding and home electrical appliances, Angkea, known as Kea, turns scrap metal and other broken objects into useful equipment. Now, he has made a car.

Kea, 26, married, started construction work a decade ago. His colleagues often admire his creativity to improvise equipment with limited tools. He often says he learns by doing things and observing other people.

Before his latest design, Kea made a number of improvised motorbikes and motorised tricycles, useful in transporting his construction materials.

Specialised parts such as engines, steering racks or wheel rims are impossible to produce by one man living in a small village but he uses his ingenuity to put these parts together.

Cambodian Kea, not Korean KIA

Inspired by a car he saw on the internet, Kea decided to make his own version. Spending about 90 days, Kea invested about $800 on second-hand parts and basic construction materials such as sheets of metal and steel box sections. The rest are broken car parts that were more or less thrown away.

He started by choosing an engine that is strong enough yet light and compact enough to fit into the small engine bay. He decided on a 125cc Honda MSX engine with a manual clutch.

“It is quite fuel efficient and it is air-cooled making it easier for me to build and maintain without having to attach a radiator and a coolant pump”, Kea said as he opened the lockless hood adorned with a logo of a chiselled wood in the shape of Cambodia engraved with the word “Khmer” in the native language.

For the fuel tank, he uses an extinguisher bottle holding about five liters with a motorbike fuel cap wielded on. The fuel is fed into a carburettor attached to the engine that used to run with a fuel injection system. But why?

“Carbs are simpler. Fuel injection requires me to connect it into a more complicated system to run”, Kea said.

Using a motorbike engine did come with its own drawback that the gearbox has no reverse. Kea drilled a small opening in the engine and attached a reversed gear system from a motorised rickshaw. The reversed gear shift fork is near the driver’s right hand next to the gear shift fork.

Sequential shifting in the name of the game here although drivers need to hit the clutch before shifting. One forward for the first gear, one backward for neutral followed by second, third and fourth.

For the wheels, he chose the ones from a 2010 Toyota Prius which cost him around $120. To lighten things up, non-power steering is used with a rack and pinion from a small car. Kea even had to reduce the length of the tie-rods to keep the the vehicle narrow. A simple suspension system is used.

Considered as a mini pick-up vehicle, with a small bed rearward, Kea’s car is rear wheel drive which means a drive shaft is connected from the engine up front to a small differential at the back and a reduction gear in the middle of the chassis for better torque in muddy conditions and heavy load.

How about the brakes? To reduce weight and complexity, Kea decided to wield a motorbike brake disk and calliper directly on to the drive shaft. It may not provide sufficient braking but it helps.

The frame is made from a steel box section cut and wielded by Kea with the body made from iron sheet shaped to house parts such as custom-made headlights using aftermarket LEDs and reflectors from broken solar-powered street lamps as well as acrylic sheets from other broken sources. In total, Kea used around four square metres of iron sheet to produce the body.

While the roof is made from waterproof rubbers, the speedometer is taken from a motorbike. Although defunct, it nevertheless gives drivers some aesthetic looks. Even though rudimentary, Kea did not forget to give it a proper turn signal. Custom made rubber seats, solar-powered lamps turned side view mirrors, and a steering wheel without horn, Kea’s car can traverse the local terrain with ease.

“As a recreational activity, I made this car for use in my small village only,” he said.

The vehicle weighs around 300 kilograms and could reach a maximum safe speed of around 40 kilometres an hour on a level road. With a full tank, Kea is confident that it could drive for 50 kilometres.

Kea said he will continue to improve the design and continue coming up with ideas.