Prof_Cook
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| posted on 5/1/22 at 07:43 PM |
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Challenging Project
This project is now reaching the stage of "the end of the beginning", so time to start posting...
Progress to date:
Garage cleared of all non "Car" stuff.
Bought relevant books including (of course) Ron Champions Book, suspension design (etc, etc).
Downloaded IVA handbook and have spent many hours going over the demands of the regulations.
Downloaded publicly available photos of target car and similar cars that project car will be based on.
Donor vehicle (Mazda MX-5 Mk1 MOT failure due to rotten sills and associated structures) SORN'd
Donor vehicle dismantled using: Goggles, Strong Gloves, Old clothes, Steel capped boots, Metric Socket Set, 12 hacksaw blades, Cold Chisel and general
toolbox (screwdrivers, pliers etc). Many photos taken during dismantling, VIN plates and chassis stamping have been retained.
Wiring looms labelled and boxed with ECU.
Fuel tank and Donor bodywork cut into chunks and disposed of at local recycling centre (VIN plates kept).
Engine/Gearbox assembly placed on home made trolley for movement around garage.
Anything needed for new car has been labelled and stored in boxes, everything else has gone for recycling or in the bin.
Obtained build table wood and ply.
Rear sub-frame dismantled, lower rear wishbone to hub bolts were "frozen" solid so had to be cut/drilled out and hub mounting holes
cleaned.
Bought 24 metres of 25mm square/round 2mm wall mild steel tubes for basic chassis/frame.
Bought welder, welding helmet, welding gloves, angle grinder, files.
Planned stages over next 3 months:
1. Depower steering rack.
2. Dismantle front sub-frame, using engine mounting holes to construct jig for engine mounts onto frame.
3. Complete balsa wood (1/8 scale) model of new car space frame setting out major components and checking form, fit and clearances.
4. Bodywork to be modelled in card glued to balsa wood frame.
5. Optimise balsa wood model for maximum torsional stiffness at lowest number of elements.
6. Start construction by laying out and welding up initial frame components.
Known Challenges:
Remoting the gear lever change mechanism - various solutions exist but resources are limited.
Mounting radiator 90 degrees rotated, leaning back to clear nose height.
Retractable light units so can have "clean" lines when not on public road.
Constructing small fuel tank and associated fuel pipework.
Updates - will be provided as work proceeds.....
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 5/1/22 at 07:47 PM |
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Desired End Car
LinkedPicture
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 5/1/22 at 07:55 PM |
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Donor car components set out in garage
Donor components laid out prior to final dismantling for check measurements..
 
RemainsofMX-5donor
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Sanzomat
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| posted on 5/1/22 at 08:54 PM |
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Sound like a great project. I note from your listing you are Bristol based - I'm Yate. Would love to take a look from time to time as you make
progress...
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snapper
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| posted on 6/1/22 at 08:31 AM |
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Nice project, I love the proposed car style.
On your list you failed to add treatment for project OCD…
I eat to survive
I drink to forget
I breath to pi55 my ex wife off (and now my ex partner)
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russbost
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| posted on 6/1/22 at 09:10 AM |
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Lovely looking car. not dissimilar to the Mazda based Alfa lookalike kit that's available. Are you intending to keep as close as poss to the
original, ie single seat or "inflate" it a bit so you can get 2 side by side?
I no longer run Furore Products or Furore Cars Ltd, but would still highly recommend them for Acewell dashes, projector headlights, dominator
headlights, indicators, mirrors etc, best prices in the UK! Take a look at http://www.furoreproducts.co.uk/ or find more parts on Ebay, user names
furoreltd & furoreproducts, discounts available for LCB users.
Don't forget Stainless Steel Braided brake hoses, made to your exact requirements in any of around 16 colours.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/furoreproducts/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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roadrunner
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| posted on 6/1/22 at 09:48 AM |
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Looking like a great project. Love the look of the car.
Forum rules :- lots of updates and photos please 
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nick205
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| posted on 6/1/22 at 10:26 AM |
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Nice looking car!
I'm sure you're aware of the rules on open wheel cars, but if not then read up on them as there's limited places you can use such
cars.
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russbost
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| posted on 6/1/22 at 10:55 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by nick205
Nice looking car!
I'm sure you're aware of the rules on open wheel cars, but if not then read up on them as there's limited places you can use such
cars.
If it has mudguards on then it is no more "open wheel" than a 7 is
I no longer run Furore Products or Furore Cars Ltd, but would still highly recommend them for Acewell dashes, projector headlights, dominator
headlights, indicators, mirrors etc, best prices in the UK! Take a look at http://www.furoreproducts.co.uk/ or find more parts on Ebay, user names
furoreltd & furoreproducts, discounts available for LCB users.
Don't forget Stainless Steel Braided brake hoses, made to your exact requirements in any of around 16 colours.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/furoreproducts/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 6/1/22 at 08:10 PM |
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Update from "builder"
Putting "builder" but only thing being built at the moment is the balsa wood model!
Sanzomat : Cheers, good to hear from you, yes will let you know as project proceeds.
Snapper : Thanks for the feedback and good to hear from you.
Russbost : Many thanks for your interest. Aim is Single seater to maintain close to the proportions of the "original" but am filleting the
design in length and height around the engine bay to permit easier access to engine, aim is to finish balsa model this month. Problem with the
"alfa" based kit is that it is a kit and costs money and I am aiming to see what can be built at minimum cost. Donor car was
"free" as cost me £1,500 and then ran for 3 years before failing MOD. My ethos across the project is minimum cost, For example the build
table cost £10 for the screws and other fitments to be able to put together soon the seasoned 4in by 2in timbers that a builder kindly provided for
free from his skip. Another builders skip provided 4 sheets of 8ft by 4ft structural timber sheets for the table surface. The only resource I am not
limited in is time.
Nick205 : Many thanks for your warning. Aim is to build road legal as will not be driven on circuits. Looking to have "conformal" black
mudguard on black tyres so hopefully from a distance mudguards will not be overtly visible.
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nick205
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| posted on 7/1/22 at 11:41 AM |
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Noted - if mudguards are planned then that covers the issue.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 7/1/22 at 12:40 PM |
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I hope your going to fit a substantial roll bar as crashes in these vintage style machines are scary. They were mad in those days,
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 10/1/22 at 07:44 PM |
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Roll Bar
Hi Mr Whippy. Yes you are correct will need substantial roll over protection, more than just a 25mm 1.6mm thick tube roughly bent to shape round a
tree trunk. Problem I have is no tube bending equipment. Elsewhere on the "Net" some enterprising individual constructed a stainless steel
roll over from this type of tube and then bolted it to their car chassis:
Bike Stand
[Edited on 10/1/22 by Prof_Cook]
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Sanzomat
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| posted on 11/1/22 at 09:45 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Prof_Cook
Elsewhere on the "Net" some enterprising individual constructed a stainless steel roll over from this type of tube and then bolted it to
their car chassis:
Bike Stand
[Edited on 10/1/22 by Prof_Cook]
Unlikely to give you motorsport approval but with 48mm dia and 2.5mm wall thickness I suspect it would be strong enough for most road use as long as
it is well mounted and braced.
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 7/2/22 at 08:41 PM |
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Balsa Chassis
Monthly update - So I reworked paper design for chassis quite a few times, now moved to balsa model, see linked file:
 
Balsa Chassis 43m
Now when scaled up (1:8) this results in total of 43m of chassis tube (at 2.04kg/m for 3mm wall worst case = 87.7Kg chassis weight. Probably another
10m for wishbones and the "hoops" to carry the bodywork above the chassis rails. There still seems to be space (even for the stock MX-5
radiator) for the major donor components while allowing sufficient space for the driver, (but still to remote the gear change). Meanwhile clear space
in the garage had to be surrendered for a week to carry out a service on a "Mercedes" 6v electric little car left at the side of the road
for free - got it working after 1 day and now out of garage into garden. So have started laying out build table wood and sawing/drilling same ....
[Edited on 7/2/22 by Prof_Cook]
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 11/2/22 at 07:03 PM |
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Got a VIN
Received in post, so another "encouragement" to get the project done....now got to keep eyes open for a stamping set.
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gremlin1234
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| posted on 11/2/22 at 09:36 PM |
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when I first saw this, I thought, Moss Monaco...
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 27/2/22 at 07:38 PM |
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Stuff for the parts bin
Walk the dog each day for 2 miles locally. Amazing what you find lying in the road. Hopefully I have enabled someone to escape a puncture through
picking up stuff for my parts bin and my toolboxes. Of the stuff in the picture (found over 6 weeks), the top left corner goes to the parts bin, the
top right goes into my toolboxes while the stuff on the bottom piece of wood goes to metal recycling at the local tip.
 
Stuff_found_on_road_side
[Edited on 27/2/22 by Prof_Cook]
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Sanzomat
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| posted on 28/2/22 at 09:02 AM |
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Might get a few funny looks when you drop off those laughing gas cylinders - obviously the recreational substance of choice for your local youths
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 1/4/22 at 07:47 PM |
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Build Table
Build table completed, first steels cut, job this week is to mark up build table for all bottom rails and then keep cutting steels and clamping them
in position ready for welding. Will be offering up various components before welding rails to ensure everything fits.
 
Description
Need to go round the local skips and get some 1in square timber for the clamps.
[Edited on 1/4/22 by Prof_Cook]
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 1/4/22 at 08:41 PM |
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Cost to date - books and tools
Build own sportscar and race it £17.93
Power drill £24.79
Drill bits £10.00
Welding gloves £6.05
Hacksaw blades £9.80
Safety goggles £11.07
Files £10.99
6in square £10.75
Build Avon Sportscar book £17.19
Auto darkening welding helmet £22.99
Welding magnets £20.60
Cordless drill £26.58
Metal cutting discs £6.00
Angle grinder £33.95
Safety impact goggles £3.00
Arc welder £56.75
Total £288.44
Various other books given as Christmas presents.
[Edited on 1/4/22 by Prof_Cook]
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 1/4/22 at 08:44 PM |
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Cost to date - Car components
Balsa cement £3.49
Balsa wood for model £6.90
Build table screws and long drill bits £9.25
Steels £219.96
Welding electrodes £7.00
Total to date £246.60
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 4/4/22 at 11:29 AM |
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Finds
Cleared space from build table to photograph last 6 weeks finds out while walking the dog. Some sockets (17mm and 8mm) and long electrical screwdriver
and a few pence. Lots of rubbish for the metal recycling bins. Pity the gas cylinders arent worth anything. Now back to marking up build table and
cutting steel.
 
Findsfromroadside
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Prof_Cook
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| posted on 11/4/22 at 11:31 AM |
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Cycle wing blanks
Out walking the dog last night, found large PVC drum at roadside with sign saying "FREE". Cut it up this morning as just the right size for
cyclewing blanks. Slow time job for end of build will be to sort out metal stays to mount them onto the wheel spindles and hot wire cutting tool to
produce clean edges. Also will need painting black.
 
Cycle wings blanks
[Edited on 11/4/22 by Prof_Cook]
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Theshed
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| posted on 11/4/22 at 01:38 PM |
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A cunning plan indeed!
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