New Race Car Project

[vvcmetro]

So is this just for trackdays or is there a metro race series somewhere?

going to run in the race championship, we run in the rafmsa.

[vvcmetro]

Welded brackets to the space frame and body, to allow them to be fastened together. Cut the subframe, to allow me to run tube up the inside of the subframe up to the space frame, so I can start building the front of the space frame. Sat the car on mdf, to keep everything flat and level. It will also allow me to make jigs for the suspension.

[vvcmetro]

Well started work on the front on the space frame today. Spent a lot of time making sure I had the space frame square and centred in the shell front and back. Biggest headache for me has been working out how to get the top suspension mount point right. Flash of inspiration this afternoon, use the plate that the spindle bolts to on the front side of top arm mount point. I have also welded in a temp brace to the two main parts for the front end, to this I have welded tube to support the top arm plate and some box section to the rear of the subframe. I am going to cut the subframe up, to remove it, but leave the part behind that the steering rack mounts to. I am then going to make a new mounting bracket for the steering rack, that will sit the rack further back by about 1/2" to 1".

[vvcmetro]

Productive weekend, yesterday glued blocks of wood to the mdf boards to allow consistent positioning of them in relation to the space frame and marking the position of the suspension components. I will be increasing the rear track by 1" each side, hence the position of the rear 'jig' for the stub axle being 1" from the shoulder at the inner part of the stub axle.

[vvcmetro]

Today, cut up and removed front subframe, repositioned the lower arms in the jig I made for them. Ran 12mm threaded bar through the bushes to mark the line mountings need to follow. Made a mock up of the lower arm, making it wider out of box section. This will make it easier to make my jig for final fabrication of the arms out of 1" CDS tube. Also set the new position of the steering rack mounting, I can get away with mounting it 1/2" further back and now affect the steering. This will allow me to mount the engine a bit further back.

[vvcmetro]

Tonight, got the first part of the lower suspension mounting points tacked in. After a lot of measuring to ensure they are both in the same place the job was done. Next task is to sort out the brackets.



Also welded the mini trailer stub axles into 30mm cds tube to start the new rear arms. Will have to loctite the nuts as well as split pin as they are both rh thread . They only come like that, they don't do them handed.

[vvcmetro]

3-3.5 hours later and I've got one B pillar boxed in. The idea is to tie the bodywork to the space frame here and the A pillar to add more rigidity. Will also probably tie the cage into the top seatbelt mount. Nearly time to remove the rear subframe and suspension and remove the rest of the body work no longer required.




Here you can get an idea how much of the inner body work will be removed, once I get to removing the wheel arch inners.

[vvcmetro]

Yesterday I got the lhs B pillar boxed, removed the rear subframe and started cutting away the inner body work I don't want. Couldn't believe how many layers of steel are in the boot surround.



Also made a jig to help me make the rear trailing arms, Once I've mocked it up out of box section, I will make a proper jig to make them out of cds tube.



Cut the arch off the lhs front wing, as I using the front arches to make the rear arches wider, as I'm increasing the rear track

[vvcmetro]

Got the new wider rear arches tack welded in place yesterday, after a rolled the lip, it helped reduce the radius by pulling it tighter. I had to cut some slots in the rolled lip to release it a bit. The bumper also fits a treat with the new arches.






Removed all the rear interior panelling tacked in place the frame that will hold the fuel cell and exhaust and the diffuser will be fastened to it. It also helps to stabilise the rear panel.

[vvcmetro]

Design for the rear arms

[vvcmetro]

Got the upper front suspension mounts fabricated up today. Bit of head banging when I found there was a difference of 5mm between one side and the other, must have knocked it when I was removing the subframe. Problem solved though, but had to do lots of measuring the make sure it was all square before I tacked together the offending side.



Checking to make sure I had it square before welding



Little bit of box section I welded up to make sure both sides sat in the same place.



Upper suspension mount tacked together, still got triangulation to do. Also incorporated the steering rack mounting into the upper suspension.

[vvcmetro]

Made a jig for both front upper suspension arms today and made my first suspension arm.





Tried it on the car, need to remove the disc to get the hub to sit on the bottom ball joint properly though.

[vvcmetro]

First rear suspension arm made and jig made from it, also made up a jig for the front lower wishbones. Just got to wait for some more CDS tube to make the other rear arm.

[vvcmetro]

After filling the van with all the stuff ready to go to the scrap yard,to be weighted in, I made the first lower wishbone up and tried them on the car. Now I only have another rear, front lower and front upper arm to make, waiting for some coilover brackets to arrive and then they should all be finished bar welding a narrower diameter tube into all of them.









Next task is to make the brackets for the lower front and the outer rear, which will be slotted to allow camber adjustment.

[Renrut]

Like the way you're cracking on with this - some serious amount of work being done here.

Is there a reason you've done the rear lower suspension arms like you have? I'd have though you'd go for a shape similar to the Haynes roadster lower rear arms (which is a shape used in loads of other cars too).