While I wait for my new strut tops to be made I've been cracking on with some more tubing. Getting there slowly...
While I wait for my new strut tops to be made I've been cracking on with some more tubing. Getting there slowly...
Just to update this...
While I'm waiting on my new turret tops to be finished, I trimmed down the rear box lengths (which aren't needed but are a reference point for level) so that I can put the rear end into rough position...
Currently got it sat at the height I estimate it to be. Need to get the engine and gearbox in once turret tops are done to then look at shaft angle. Definitely going to need some decent arch flairs! lol
Starting to look a bit more car like...
Oh and this turned up
More updates over the festive break!
this is going to be awesomegood work buddy
Thanks! Hopefully
So been doing a lot of head scratching and measuring over the last week to work out why a certain part wasn't quite working out as planned! Turns out my a pillars are not square with each other and thus my bulkhead is not square. Its not by a lot but enough I noticed it! Its not something I can rectify at this stage but it also isn't going to effect anything else. When I put the main parts of the cage into the car it was before I had the current plans so not as much care was taken :doh:
However! The box rails ARE square in the car/shell and line up square with the b pillars (so at least I put those in right! lol). All it meant was that I had to do a bit of working out and measuring to figure out where the turrets needed to be sat etc as I couldn't take measurements off of my dash bar as originally intended. This did slow me up over the xmas break but there has finally been progress today....
After my next session up there I can hopefully remove the strut jig and thus get the engine back in!
Got a bit more done on the turrets today.
Started by removing the jig as no longer needed...
Then started building it up...
Made the template for the top plate...
With the wing in place (edges on wing still need tidying)...
Tied it into the A-pillar...
Ran out of gas at this point so had to call it a day sadly. Think I'm going to add another support in here just add a touch more strength...
Thanks for looking.
This is an awesome piece of engineering and a brilliant project! Subscribed!
Other turret now all tacked up....
No more to do on the front end at this time so back in with the engine, luckily it looks like I measured clearances correctly for my frame design!...
Offering up the gearbox and working out the tunnel is next...
Then once thats in I can angle it up and start on getting the rear subframe attached to the car!
Was great to see the engine back in again. Makes it look more like a car again and gives you a little gee up after weeks on end of cutting, grinding & profiling of tubing!
Awesome project!!
Just seen it over on mig also, my old build was documented on there so occasionally have a look to see how others are getting on.
My old build on mig..
http://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/proje...%2A%2A-25.html
Took a couple of hours out this morning for a play as I have guests all weekend and working late most nights next week
Put the gearbox into place...
Its not bolted up yet just resting on the lugs and about 10mm off the block. It may not be in entirely square but close enough for what I was doing today.
Here you can see the clearance I have either side of the block, bearing in mind my sheet metal will be going on the outside edge of the box rail...
Next up was to try and get a feel for seat clearance and leg room. Where I anticipate the seat to be this is where my leg out stretched comes too. I'm about 6ft...
With a bent leg there should be room there for the floor mounted pedal box.
Seat height will be something like this as they will be about an inch or so off of the floor. Should be enough clearance for a helmet...
I can't get a true representation of how the seats sit at this stage because the box rails are in the way. But this gives me a feel for it. The seat will be around 4" lower and hopefully another 1-2" further back and moved closer to the door...
The winged seats make it a tighter fit but hopefully I can work with them as I do love those seats!
Had a quick squizz at the prop situation. I'm going to need to shorten it by around 8". Now do I chop it down to one shaft or shorten each section to keep it 2 piece? Thoughts please...
Cheeky barn door shot to finish on....
Originally Posted by mitchies14
Thank mitch! Remember that corsa, looked like a weapon!
Been a while since I updated so....
I took another look at the turret top set up and decided to slowly chop away at the a pillar to see what room I have to run a continuous bit of tube from the cage a pillar around the outside of the turret. It can work with only a slight kink needed as shown by the measure...
Next up I bolted on one of my wheels I had a tyre put on this week so I can get an idea of clearance for the inner tubs. The car has been designed so the bottom arms will run just under level. So with the wheel onl I jacked the wheel until it was at this point. The hubs I intend on running raise the spindle which has the effect of lowering the car 50mm without even touching the coilovers. So to replicate this I then tried to jack the wheel 50mm but only got to about 35-40mm before the std shocks bottomed out. But it gives me a rough idea...
As I moved the engine back 2" I still need to dial in some decent amount of castor so the wheel is going to go a fair bit further forward as yet, so that in mind I started to think about the inner tub design and my new outer tubing route. If you can imagine the bit of upright box is tube it will be something like so...
The upright tube I plan on being a one piece hoop that goes through the centre of the box rails, 90deg bend then straight across between the box then 90deg back up and through the other side. The bends and straight will be under the box, so an inverted hoop, and the tie/tension bar brackets will attach to this. The uprights either side that will come up through the box will meet up to the slam panel and be used to mount the rad, intercooler & oil coolers. As the force exerted on the lower cross member will be mostly forward motion under braking I intended on adding a diagonal from the upright down onto the tube coming from the bulkhead. Still with me? lol
So the new tube that will come around the outside of the turret top will bend down slightly and attach into the upright, probably at the same point the diagonal piece going to the bulkhead tube attaches. I will then run a piece of tubing (well actually 2!) to connect the new outer piece to triangulate into the bulkhead. Here's my half assed attempt at drawing it out...
Top drawing should hopefully be self explanatory and the bottom from a birds eye view shows the shaded areas where I will add sheet metal.
I would like to thank at this point all the people who gave constructive criticism on this area and got me to rethink the design. I gutted to loose the beauty of the full front wheel tubs but its function over form on this build. It needs to work!
So next was to take a look at getting a wing in place. So market out a preliminary cut along the existing swage line and set to it! *Remember the wheels has to come forward yet!*
I think I will end up cutting it back to where we pencil line is then adding a flair a similar shape to the e46 M3's design...
Its certainly going to take some creativeness to blend it all in nicely with the sills/skirts...
More progress at the weekend hopefully of which the plan is to get the rear end all lined up and square ready to be tagged into the cage. Oh and in other news, based upon the current gearbox and rear subframe position I will be able to run a completely flat floor from bulkhead back. The front subframe sits every so slightly below the floor line but only maybe an inch. Happy days!
Bit more today focusing on the rear end as I really want to get it tagged into the frame!
So using a spare subframe I put in the polybushes i'll be using and I had some 5mm thick plates made up. I put the plates into place and bolted down then put a temporary tack bar in place...
I then moved this over to my frame as I know its level and got the discs clamped down and temporary tack out the way...
Tack in the uprights then horizontal tubing making sure it was level. After tacking it ended up close enough to level for me!...
That could then be put into place on the rear end...
I could then get the rear end lined up level and with the use of the box rails I could get the whole thing true left to right, front to back and the diff angle matching that of the engine & box - i.e. for a straight, level prop! It would of been nice to then get it tagged into the cage but I've not enough tubing so will have to get some ordered.
In the meantime I made a clamp for use with my tube bender to help keep the pipe in the die and not rising and therefore kinking! Can't wait to test it out...
First off. AWESOME! My 2 favourite cars combined. Which front end are you going for, mk1 or mk2?
What about the rally wide arch kit for the 2 door hatch. Te full kit would give you mk2 gsi style front bumper and a pointless rear bumper for this project.
http://www.acrcomposites.co.uk/produ...h-body-kit.htm
Thank you
I have a mk1 front end and sr front bumper to go. That kit certainly looks interesting however the front wings don't mount up high enough for the height I'll be running. Certainly something to bear in mind tho, cheers! The arch design is quite literally one of the last things on the list. I'll be cutting enough out to get rolling clearance then the car will go off to have geometry set up. Once back I will make the arches all round to fit the wheel position.
So progress this weekend on the rear half of the cage. Need to build in the rear strut tops next. I'll let the pics do the talking...
Feeling motivated I got in a few more hours tonight as I had a free evening!
Tonights topic was turret tops! Talking about the rears first, as you probably noticed in my pics in the previous post the std s14 shocks will sit very high, too high! I need them around 5" lower. Quick chat with Driftworks today and they confirmed that the earlier s13 shocks are 110mm shorter and they can happily do me a set of the s13 coilovers but with s14 top mounts. Perfect! Here's a shot of where they'll be for comparison....
I then did a lot of staring at the rear end and believe I now have a plan of attack on how to tie in the rear shocks but need to get some more tubing first!
So that brings us on to the front turret tops. In a recent visit to the good chaps James & Ash at Relentless Performance where I picked up some more tubing they were also kind enough to bend me some pipe to 110deg which my bender can't do! This will be used to remake the turrets, I'll let the pics do the talking from here...
I won't lie, it was a pig to do with so much cut, tweak, check, tweak, check, cut, tweak, you get the idea. Its only tacked in but already much stronger than the other side and doesn't move at all. Need to make the plate for the top to tag it into the actual turret next.
Thats all for now, thanks for looking.
Not a great deal of time free for the car this weekend but did get a few hours in this morning, so now they're not required I chopped out the box rails from within the cabin. This meant I can try my seats for fitment. Its going to be tight around the tunnel but I always knew that. With the seats right back where I want them the seat wings are also a tight fit but look doable. If not, then normal, un-winged seats certainly will. Gear lever seems in a good position too. The seats will be fixed position and floor mounted pedal box adjustable. Putting together the long steering column will be interesting and steering wheel will have to be quick release to aid getting in and out!
Picking up some more tubing this week the next weekend will hopefully see the upper half of the rear cage largely completed.
Can't wait to get this rolling now!
Took a trip down to Relentless Performance yesterday to collect some more tubing and had a good thrash out of ideas with Ash on rear cage/chassis design. This is the decided direction....
Top Down
Underside
Ash quite rightly pointed out that with the seat so far back I needed to extend the rear protection zone.
The triangular parts will be the rear turret tops.
One of the consequences of the design was building a nice enclosed area above the diff for the fuel tank to go!
EDIT: I have just noticed one error made and that is that the 2 two tubes that come together on the main hoop each side actually meet higher up with the horizontal. Doesn't effect the principle design however.
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