I really love this project.. although, reading thru the 2000 challenge rules. Will this car be eligible since it is a tube chassis and will have significant body alterations? I really hope they changed that rule.
I really love this project.. although, reading thru the 2000 challenge rules. Will this car be eligible since it is a tube chassis and will have significant body alterations? I really hope they changed that rule.
In reply to OneSickGNX :
Nearly All of the OEM bodywork will be present. The main body structure will remain basically identifiable/unmodified as a 360 sedan. It will have functional doors, trunk, hood all from the 360.
The level of modification to the main body shell is similar to the Little Ball of Hate 360 Van that has ran for a few years. The big difference is the intended Aero mods and the way the fenders are going to be modified. The fenders will actually be made taller then stock. However the fenders are really just large box flares. Again the entirety of the cut metal will still be there. IN fact the only part of the stock "body" that will be missing is the bottom 6" of the door.
It's admittedly a bit of a gamble. The car doesn't precisely meet the letter of the rule, which implies that the only way to do a Tube frame is what F-Dat was, an unmodified OEM body on a tube frame. I am betting on the car being interesting enough that it will be allowed to compete.
I'm also taking this post from David on page 3 of this thread as permission.
But we will see.
In reply to nocones :
If the vehicle uses a tubular frame, then modification of production exterior bodywork is only allowed provided the end result is substantially similar in general appearance to the original vehicle. Sweet box flares are specifically allowed.
I think the key is, what does "substantially similar" mean to the judges. To me, it means that if I look at your custom LMP car, and my brain says, "Hey, that's a Subaru 360 turned into an LMP car", then it's substantially similar to the production vehicle because it's recognizable. Personally I hope it's allowed, because it's really cool.
Spent 1 hr last night finishing the seat template.
Next step weld in the frame.
I honestly am not sure of the purpose or spirit of that rule. I suppose it is to be intended as a safety precaution or to prevent unfair advantage by allowing a tube chassis car with full aero to compete. Although let's be honest, if you are building a full tube chassis and are only retaining the skin of a car, safety is entirely on the builder.
I wonder if it could be possible to create sub class or unlimited class for custom chassis and body cars. Also allowing a slightly larger budget of $2500 and budget free safety gear including cages, scatter shields, diapers, suppression systems, or any other safety items one could want. The budget free safety because let's face it this is a dangerous sport and also as evident by the Nelson clan and many others, challenge cars can be wicked fast. The extra budget would also open a door for more challenge cars to return for subsequent events.
Sorry for the thread hijack...
It has been over a week with no new pictures to look at. Has anyone checked in on the mad scientist?
Sorry, it's been a bit of a strange one, and I've been struggling to get motivation to go do stuff lately.
I finally got up some gumption and went out to the garage last night. Cut and bent the passenger seat bottom pan. This is out of .063 thick aluminum (16"x21", $7.88).
I will get back out there more frequently. I just fell into a little hole with everything going on in the world I boarded the sad bus and rode it for a few weeks. I think tonight I'm going to focus on cleaning the garage. It has became a mess again and that always makes the motivation worse.
You are giving me ideas.
Currently on the Birkin, part of the redo on the interior and cage was to allow for passengers *small ones....* to ride along. The old drivers seat that came with the car, won't fit. The passenger side of the car is an inch narrower. This means I can cut the seat in half and reweld it, or just build another one.
I like the seat layout and thats giving me ideas as to how to do this better. I think I need to get some more cardboard to work this out....
Glad to hear that I'm giving some inspiration.
Last night I spent another Hour in the garage. Actually only about 1/2 hour on the 360, the other 1/2 hour cleaning.
Cut and bent the seat back out of .032 aluminum (15.25"x29", $4.41) an was able to clamp it in and sit in the seat in it's final position/angles. The 1/2 plywood was close but was a bit off because of how I made it for ease of assembly. Overall I'm happy with the seating position. Next step is the angled steel that will make the joints and then the seat sides.
Looking great!
Finished the shoulder supports. These took a while but turned out nice I think. They will get covered in padded fabric.
Never miss shop sweeping day.
Sorta like "never skip leg day". I was thinking about it yesterday while I was sweeping my shop. I couldn't believe how good it was for my general mood and project ambition.
If you want to do a big build effort for something coming up, I'll come down and lend a hand for the day!
I'll let you know when I'm going to be doing a thrash of some kind.
And then there were 2. Last night I got the drivers seat bottom and back cut and bent. +1 hr, +$12.29
More seat progress.
I bent and installed the drivers support rails. These rails will be where the panels get riveted. I also bent up the panels that will be the top edge of the seats where they rivet directly to the chassis. I still need to adjust the angles on the support rails to corespond to the side panels of the seat (And then duplicate everything on the passenger side).
Additionally I need to add a piece of 1/2" tube that runs down the middle fo the seat for additional support. Oh and fabricate headrests. Hopefully I am only a few evenings away from being done with the seats so I can move on to the rear subframe.
+3 hours, +$?.?? (Need to add up all the sheetsteel used for the rails and sides.)
I love the integration of the seats into the chassis. Looks like they'll be pretty comfortable too!
In reply to nocones :
How about bead rolling the seat back instead of adding an extra support bar? You know for lightness.
X, vv, H, I, //, \\ or some such pattern.
In reply to BarryNorman :
I will have to think about a bead. The aluminum I am using is quite thin. Also, I don't own a bead roller but I may take a scrap of aluminum and punch a V into it to see how stiff it is. If it would appear sufficient I may have to order a bead roller.
I also got the driver seat sides cut, formed, and temporarily installed.
I am very pleased with how it turned out. It is very comfortable, I fit well, and there are no pressure points. Some of the gaps are a little large but I am planning on installing some kind of upholstery so I'm not as concerned.
+2 hrs (132 total), +$6.72 for the sheet aluminum for the seat sides. Now I just have to repeat the process on the passenger side (all of the pieces are cut so I expect it to take about 1 evening) and build the head rests then it's time to move on to the rear subframe.
In reply to nocones :
Maybe press V or an X made from angle iron into each panel. I think that you wouldn't feel the depressions. Where as you might FEEL a support bar. (especially down the middle)
Videos are WAY behind the actual build at this point. I just put up the one on the front chassis.
Got the passenger seat as done as the drivers last night. I really am pleased with how this turned out. Final trimming will occur when the seats are really installed. I have a few loose ends to finalize and I will probably fabricate the headrests before I move on but nearly done with the seats.
+2 hrs (134 total), +$6.72 for the sheet aluminum for the seat sides.
I started on the headrest frame. I think the area of the notches is a bit large so I will likely cut them down about an inch. I also am leaning towards tapering them a bit towards the top. But overall I think the look will be what I want.
Steel used, 22" 3/4 + 42" 1/2 +$3.07, +1hr
Man, that looks great! i love it!
its hard to get a sense of scale because the car is so small, it looked like your shoulder supports were head supports till you added in the headrest.
how close will your helmet be to that rear downbar?
In reply to nocones :
You should start a race seat company with that level of quality. Bonus points if you name it "Alumigami".
This is nuts and awesome.
Those seats look comfy!
What is the upholstery plan? In my head I'm seeing cheap anti-fatigue mats or yoga mats cut up and adhered to stuff like some sort of homebrew discount Tillett:
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