New Race Car Project

[vvcmetro]

Well picked up the shell for the new race car at the weekend - good solid shell. The plan is to fully space frame it, which will involve cutting the doors in half and welding the bottom half back into the shell. Tubular trailing arms and front wishbones and no subframes.

[jnoiles]

What series are you thinking of putting it in?

[vvcmetro]

What series are you thinking of putting it in?

None in particular, we run our own and compete in sports v saloon races as well.

[vvcmetro]

Fuel tank removed last night and braces welded in to the door aperture, to reinforce it between me cutting out the sills and welding back in the bottom half of a door skin. You can see where I have drawn in marker, what I am going to remove from the door area.



I'm planning on using this exhaust manifold, so I can route the exhaust over the gearbox and down the lhs chassis box section.

[vvcmetro]

Today I cut the bottom part of the right door shut out and welded in the half door skin back into the shell. This is to put some strength back when I cut out the floor and sills. Once I had the door skin in place, I folded the excess left over from the cut of the door shut and welded it to the door skin. It's just stitch welded at the mo, will do a better job once if have the floor/sill cut out.
To get the A pillar extension plate to the right size, I refitted the original door.

[vvcmetro]

[vvcmetro]

No pictures today, but got the other door skin welded into the shell today. Also removed wet sump and fitted the dry sump pan, removed exhaust system/radiator/battery etc from the engine bay. Car is back on its wheels, ready for me to cut the floor and sills out.

[vvcmetro]

Another 5.5 hours spent in the workshop today. Bit pissed off because my box section hasn't turned up yet, but I've managed to get the floor cut out. Just need to get it trimmed the the correct size. Also managed to nick the hydragas pipe that I was trying hard not to do .

[vvcmetro]

So the car is now sat on the floor, the car is now ready for me to start the frame construction. The floor level of the car will be where the ground is, which will put it at the height of the undertray on the current car. Heater matrix, blower, pedal box, servo and inlet manifold were also removed yesterday.

[vvcmetro]

Started making the space frame today . The box is 1400mm x1410mm, I've pulled the rear, in front the rear arches out to bring it out to the same width as the front.

[vvcmetro]

Lifted the front of the car up, with an engine hoist to get the frame out. Then sat it on axle stands and finished the outside of the tub off. All tacked together, will have to wait now for the next batch of box section to turn up. I have found out where the gear selector shaft lies on the pg1 box and it is a good way over to the left, so that is where I will put the 'tunnel'. The only thing the tunnel will be for is the gear linkage/stick, I plan to run the exhaust down the l/h side box.

[vvcmetro]

Tonight, I finished of the core of the space frame. I still have the bracing with 20mm box section to put in and the 3mm plate for the 4 corner for the roll cage to be welded onto. I will also be putting gussets in all the corners as well.



Here is how I get all the tubes the same length.

[vvcmetro]

Well here's tonight's work. Cut up the 20mm tubing for the bracing and stuck it in place, I haven't tacked it yet. I still have some X braces to make that sit inside the 'sill' boxes, joining the inner and outer sections and providing rigidity there.

[vvcmetro]

Finished of tacking all the bracing in, although I will have to put some additional pieces in later. Welded in additional tube to sit the 3mm steel plate that the cage will be welded to, and tacked the 3mm plate on. Put the frame back into the car, got to make up some bracket to bolt the shell to the frame and make up the front section for the suspension. Also sat a seat in, to try for position.

[andrewg1323]

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