Open Source Project?

[Calorus]

Gentlemen - I'm embarking upon a plan to waste an horrendous quantity of money by building a spaceframed non-kit car.

Can any one of you noble, learned chaps offer any insight as to where I might find a complete set of build plans for literally anything.

I'm about to start stock piling, and I've got a fairly exhaustive list of what I'm sourcing and where - but, for my own sanity I want to create rough build plans to give myself some sort of a project plan with logical deadlines and milestones.

Any help greatly appreciated!

[Steve_D]

I think I've found just what you need


Not being very helpful am I?

I'm sure someone like Andygtt will be along shortly to tell you how much commitment (pun intended) you are going to need to pull this off.

Best of luck

Steve

[LS7427ci]

How many HP's do you want to run?? how fast do you want to go?? what do you want it to look like roughly?????

[Calorus]

LS7427ci said:

How many HP's do you want to run?? how fast do you want to go?? what do you want it to look like roughly?????

1) Enough to annoy people in real cars...
2) Fast enough to stop having fun...
3) A bit like a GTM Libra, in some ways - only bigger...

Hmm. Unwise, but a laugh, for sure!

I've vague concepts flitting around in my mind. But I want to have a little bit of hand holding from a guide around something that actually works.

[Steve_D]

Until Andy gets here have a look at his site if you have not seen it before.

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/andycanam/home.html

Steve

[Calorus]

Thanks for that - and thanks, Andy, too -
I feel thoroghly daunted, though barely disuaded!

Andy - I have a ream of questions to ask you, but I'll be polite and wait until you appear!

[Joe T]

Calorus said:

Gentlemen - I'm embarking upon a plan to waste an horrendous quantity of money by building a spaceframed non-kit car.

Can any one of you noble, learned chaps offer any insight as to where I might find a complete set of build plans for literally anything.

I'm about to start stock piling, and I've got a fairly exhaustive list of what I'm sourcing and where - but, for my own sanity I want to create rough build plans to give myself some sort of a project plan with logical deadlines and milestones.

Any help greatly appreciated!

The Costin and Phipps Book has quite a few different designs explained and detailed in it , one here listed on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Racing-Sports-Car-Chassis-De...


I appreciate its quite old now but a might give you some ideas,

[Sam_68]

Calorus said:

...where I might find a complete set of build plans for literally anything.

I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly but if you're asking for a full set of technical drawings for a car, and you're not bothered what sort of car, then try McSorley.net for a 'Locost' Seven-type spaceframe. Also, try asking around on the Locost Builder's Group.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Locost design (it has some well documented flaws) but it's a starting point, at least. Treat any advice from the Locost forum with caution too, though - there are some very knowledgeable and competent guys on there, but as with every internet forum, there's a lot of mis-informed bks, too, so you have to be careful to sort the wheat from the chaff.

[Foolish Dave]

Joe T said:

Calorus said:

Gentlemen - I'm embarking upon a plan to waste an horrendous quantity of money by building a spaceframed non-kit car.

Can any one of you noble, learned chaps offer any insight as to where I might find a complete set of build plans for literally anything.

I'm about to start stock piling, and I've got a fairly exhaustive list of what I'm sourcing and where - but, for my own sanity I want to create rough build plans to give myself some sort of a project plan with logical deadlines and milestones.

Any help greatly appreciated!

The Costin and Phipps Book has quite a few different designs explained and detailed in it , one here listed on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Racing-Sports-Car-Chassis-De...


I appreciate its quite old now but a might give you some ideas,

Damn, I ended up paying about 40 quid for my copy a couple of years ago - I just couldn't find one in the UK!

There is also Mr Chris Gibbs' (IRRC) (also a PHer) book Build your own sports car (again IIRC) published by Haynes, which is an update of the chassis design, full jig drawings, full investigation into the workings of the bits... very consise... I'll look for a link....
And here it is

[andygtt]

Steve_D said:

Until Andy gets here have a look at his site if you have not seen it before.

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/andycanam/home.html

Steve

[andygtt]

Sam_68 said:

- there are some very knowledgeable and competent guys on there, but as with every internet forum, there's a lot of mis-informed bks, too, so you have to be careful to sort the wheat from the chaff.

agree completely with that, so dont listen to a word I say.

as for building a car from scratch I say go for it... its easy peasy and shouldn't take a few days especially if your are making the body from scratch.


seriously though, its a massive amount of work and I sort of fell into it due to being turned over on a kit I bought... I'd not recomend it unless you were REALLY dedicated and insane.

I'd recomend you find a kit that fits your requirements and build that as it will take years less time and cost less as well.

Happy to advise were I can though.

[Calorus]

andygtt said:

Sam_68 said:

- there are some very knowledgeable and competent guys on there, but as with every internet forum, there's a lot of mis-informed bks, too, so you have to be careful to sort the wheat from the chaff.

agree completely with that, so dont listen to a word I say.

as for building a car from scratch I say go for it... its easy peasy and shouldn't take a few days especially if your are making the body from scratch.


seriously though, its a massive amount of work and I sort of fell into it due to being turned over on a kit I bought... I'd not recomend it unless you were REALLY dedicated and insane.

I'd recomend you find a kit that fits your requirements and build that as it will take years less time and cost less as well.

Happy to advise were I can though.

Well I'm insane for sure. I'm pretty set on it, too.

My plan as it stands is to build it as a spaceframe but with the concept of SVA'ing it half way through. but to be honest I'm a realist and the bit that's really frightening me is undoubtedly the GRP. You didn't go into too much detail on your (fantastically informative) little site, other than the back how did you fix the foam before moulding?

Also - this was one that I want to ask whilst it's on my mind - do you pass a vacuum feed back to the nose servo, or do you use a diesel style vacuum pump?

[andygtt]

I guess I am going to blow my cover now, but I am actually going about my buck in a completely unconventional and wrong way.
Basically mine is made up of whatever I find nearest to hand in or around the garage.... most of it to be fair is fibreglass backed with foam on top and then either fibreglass and filler, or simply filler on top of the foam.

I do have a page on my site about the construction of the rear end were I used a few techniques to make the complex compound curves my rear end has.... for this I made a former which I bonded foan onto and then covered in fibreglass and finished in filler... it actually ended up very strong and light and is one of the best ways of making the buck as the rest of it is very heavy and fragile.

I'd not recomend you follow my method as clay or formers/foam would be far quicker.... but it works for me and I am actually sculpturing the shape as I go, and I am extremlly fussy.

As for servos, I am not yet decided. I had planned to not fit any at all like my Ultima had, However my latest aquisition (Noble M12) has proved to me that the way forward is definatelly servo assisted as it is significantly better.

Love to hear more about your project and what kind of spec you plan.

[V8OWNER]

andygtt said:

As for servos, I am not yet decided. I had planned to not fit any at all like my Ultima had, However my latest aquisition (Noble M12) has proved to me that the way forward is definatelly servo assisted as it is significantly better.

Surely the necessity for servos/servo size is wholly dependant on the weight of the car? If I was driving a lorry I'm pretty sure id need servos, but i dont think a motorbike needs one?
- im just curious as to why you say 'servo assisted as it is significantly better'?

[andygtt]

feel.

Having driven Ultima's with AP's all round and the Noble with the same AP's all round the Nobles brakes are no more effective but 'feel' massivelly nicer and are just as easy to judge.

It shown me that I am definatelly having servo assitance of some sort on the GTT.