Front uprights ordered but a bit bored

Yes finally spent my money on the front uprights of my choice and the relevant bits apart for the steering rack. Can't complain as I have not spent a penny since Christmas week which is good.

But as always a bit bored so acquired an old motorway sign and found this drawing of a seat on the internet.

The only issue was I could not upload the dimensions for some reason so had to 'gestimate'. As the bottom front of the seat couldn't  be wider than 400mm I worked from there using the ratio of  x 3.3 from the drawing and the result is not too bad at all. All I need is a friendly Aluminium welder to finish the seams off.  

Will cut the 5 point harness holes after the seat has been welded.

I can honestly say it was hard work banging and sweating trying to bend the Aluminium sheet but it was well worth it, this is why I enjoy my hobby and if you have no interest in pottering in a garage, sorry you will never know the feeling and satisfaction of creating something mechanical ..............

Still bored with grinding..

Yes the welding is still not up to scratch but the grinding is getting less and less so slowly getting tidier. Got the cockpit done ( tack welded only ) and decided to sit in the car. 

If you know me I'm not the tallest person in the world but a bit rotund and yes it was tight. After a night's sleep and giving the pillow a good talking to, I decided to chance and just widen the seating area by bending a kick in the top bar at shoulder height and yes it had made a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also got the front end finished and welded which will support the nosecone and some sort of a spoiler.

 

No choice now but to purchase a set of front uprights so I can complete the basic front end. Good news the financial adviser has give the green light as she knows it will keep me quiet for anther few months.

Not going to think about the rear end so threw a temporary brace in to hold the chassis in place.

Looks like a single seater car now.

Yes got bored with the grinding down of my fantastic welding from yesterday so decided to have a go at the rollover hoop. Got the pipe bender out and went for it with a reasonable result even if I do say so myself.

Starting to look like a car now. 🙂

Not following the CAD drawing to the actual size as some of the measurements do not make sense but it looks quite similar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As mentioned yesterday I will need to spend some money now to move forward with the build with only a few evenings of welding and grinding to finish the current steel assembly. 

Either I purchase a set of uprights and steeting rack or the rear differential assembly, either way its not going to be cheap.

 

Part time welder...

Yes the front end has been tack welded and clamped down with borrowed steelwork from work, don't worry it will be returned in good time. 

 

The welds are good but some are a bit messy so a lot of grinding and checking I have not missed anything.

Took the chassis off the table to have a good clean, the current build looks nothing on the floor at the moment and very light to pick up.

Time to spend some money again, will have to decide which uprights to purchase so I can start on the front wishbones.

 Been looking at Autograss uprights from  Berrisford which will suit the build weight and compatibility. mmmmmmmm

  Some help or ideas would be appreciated........

Front end

Getting a bit excited with time on my hand as the dear wife has started her new job with 12HRS shifts so plenty of time to dabble in the man cave.

 

The front end is coming together and looking good, a few minor changes to the CAD drawing which I am following.

 

 

 

 

Yes, got the pipe bender out and for my first attempt I will give myself an    8 / 10.

  Not the easiest tool in the world to use and had to play around with it, but done the job and well pleased.

 Still only tack welded but the front is coming together nicely, will get my magic jig on the table and weld what you can see, the current measurement are very good and symmetrical either side to the centre line, which is good. 

 

 

Hoping to get the front end welded in the next thew days.

 

Happy days.👍 

The grinding has begun.

As the floorpan is now in place and tack welded, turned over to check it fits the rudimentary jig and measurements on the table I can start the welding in earnest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grinding is not the most rewarding part of the build but being only armature self tough welder I can't take the chance that all the welds are good. On the other hand you know when a weld has taken hold so they will be left if they can.

 

The majority will have to be grinded down or the will protrude in the bodywork as the build progresses.

 

 

 I am now happy to complete the welding on the floorpan and cap the end of the square tubing. I can then start to construct the front end of the build which will hold the double wishbone suspension, steering rack and pedal box in place. Lets see how similar the actual chassis will look like.

 

Yet to decide on which uprights I am going to use but scouring the internet for ideas between the grinding.

Yes i have been spending money again, it will probably turn into a white elephant as I have no idea on tube bending but will give it a go. Again bought off the internet from Germany £ 14 cheaper than any shop in the UK, makes no sense to me but there we are. 

 

 

We have steel at last.

Good evening / Noswaith dda

At last the steel has arrived and I do have to say very good service. In my boredom over the last few evenings I decided to construct a leg for my Christmas gift off the wife

Yes I had to have a start and after sorting the steel out took the opportunity to use my chopsaw to good use.

 

  It was nice to get back into the building mode and having the time and tools to make life just a tad easier than it was 15 years ago. Got too late to tack weld so will leave it until the new year now, will have to get some more clamps though only £1.99 each so not too bad.

 

Also keeping an inventory of the build, tools and materials.

  May I wish all of you a Happy New Year, as I move along with the build I will try and keep up to date on the blog but as you well know time takes over. 

 

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.......

 

 

 

Happy Christmas, Nadolig Llawen

Just a quick post to wish everybody a happy Christmas, good news steel will be delivered on the 29th from The Metal Store, £55 cheaper than B+M Steel in Bangor. Sorry did try and buy locally.

Also bought a chopsaw and a metal cutting disk, waw what a machine gone are the days of using a hacksaw, getting too old.

 

Good evening / noswaith dda pawb

Getting a bit bored not having any steel to start the build and keep kicking the table so having to check the levels.

Therefore got a steel clothes line from a well known supermarket for £1, two M10 raw bolts from my stock and now the table is solid and will not move. 

 

 

Hopefully will get a chance this week to frequent B+M Steel in Bangor.

Good evening / sut mae'r hwyl.

Another good day at work and back to the single seater mode. Got the below quote on line for the majority of the steel I would require. Will take a copy to B+M steel, Bangor (Stockwell) to see if the price makes some sense. Not a very good picture but it will give you an idea.

 

 

Good evening all / Noswaith dda

First of all let me introduce myself. A proud Welshman, 49 and happily married with two children which by now are adults themselves. I have always been interested in cars and a bit of speed even since I was old enough to ride a bike. 

I have just started planning my second self build car which will hopefully be a single seater mid engine bike powered monster.

Now older and wiser I have been toying with the idea of building a single seater car for hill climbs and sprint days. Scouring the Internet I came across this picture which took my eye. 

My first build started 15 years ago in which I followed a book by Ron Champion.

  It took around three years to build at a budget but the car made it on to the public roads.

The car was built on a budget with the donor Sierra only costing £30, by now a Ford Sierra is worth a few pounds more. Since then I have been restoring a few Golf GTIs and then VW Transporter conversions.

I joined the grabcad community and was able to download a chassis design which I could measure and get an idea for what I was going to build. Technology has come a long way in 15 years which will make my life a lot easier in collating information for the build.

The website allows you to measure the chassis but a bit of common sense is required here and its going to be a slow road to a rolling chassis.

The first task is to build a table, on my previous build it was a wooden table so I will opt for the same here.

With the table in place and using the drop test method to get it level, the floorpan of the chassis is marked up and all I now need is steel.

  The next step is to order the steel, an unknown when it comes to the gauge. Yes I can measure the outside diameter of the steel tubing and box section but unsure of the thickness. The information on the web is vast but starting to get an idea. 

As I am building a sprint car and looking for a strong, safe, rigid chassis not so much racing impact strength as I need to keep an eye on the weight so to get the most out the powertrain. I am looking to use the engine out of a SUZUKI GSXR 750 or something similar.

The build will have double wishbone suspension front and rear with a chain driven differential not sure as to which uprights and hubs to use yet. Again weight is the issue here and without spending an absolute fortune, its going to be a challenge.........