Howdy all have any of you had your steel floor laser cut? Was thinking it would save a load of time to supply a autocad file of the floor plan and get
the 2mm sheet metal cut out so all i need to do is weld it. Was planning on going from the center of each rail or should i aim more towards the edge
of the rail.
Anyhow if anyone here knows of a good place to go to or works in a laser cutting place can you let me know?
Thanks
I always panel just short of the tubes outer corner radius, not the tube centre.
This give you more room to rivet and apply any adhesive.
You will have to do a search but, there will be a laser cutting firm around you somewhere,
Why not use aluminium sheet and cut it yourself? It's perfectly strong enough and loads lighter, just put steel stips across where the seat will be bolted to.
2mm steel will be very heavy and welding it in place will risk distortion to your chassis. Most choose to bond and rivet and Aluminium floor, typically in 1.5-2.0mm material. I used 1.5mm on my Indy and it was more than stiff enough once fully bonded and rivetted in place. Alumium is also much easier to work with, using a jigsaw, air or hand nibbers or ordinary aviation hand shears.
As above, the only sensible reason to use steel (IMHO) is if you are racing your car in 750MC Locosts where the rules state that you need a steel floor. Even then I'd cut it, paint/coat it and then bond and rivet rather than weld.
Do it in 16g and don't get hung up on fancy stuff like laser cutting and drawing in cad. I put my chassis on the metal sheet and drew round it with a marker pen then cut it out with a nibbler. It took less than an hour and I've done a couple like that. Slitting discs in an angle grinder do the job just as well and I go to the outside edge of the rail and weld outside and inside with alternating tacks.
Anything up to around 3mm mild steel will cut quickly and cleanly with a jigsaw - shouldn't take more than 20 mins to cut out a floor.
quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
Do it in 16g and don't get hung up on fancy stuff like laser cutting and drawing in cad. I put my chassis on the metal sheet and drew round it with a marker pen then cut it out with a nibbler. It took less than an hour and I've done a couple like that. Slitting discs in an angle grinder do the job just as well and I go to the outside edge of the rail and weld outside and inside with alternating tacks.
Well idealy i would want a welded floor to give extra strength. With the power and probable chassis flex i would think the ally floor and rivits would
eventualy come lose.
Also with ally floors you put them on after the chassis is painted and that requires having more finished and i would like to get the floor on before
i do anything else as the pedal box will be floor mounted ect.
I believe there is little flex that is addressed by over strengthening the floor plate. Yer mostly adding weight.
Also, IMO, Floor mounted pedals besides being a pre war design solution, puts the master cyl/hydraulics as low if not lower than the calipers. Not
the best solution.
I went for alu floor,but if i wanted steel i'd just cut it myself.only time i'd consider paying someone for laser/water cutting would be lots of complicated shapes like manifold plates,straight lines,are quick by any diy method,and you have to cock up big style not to be able to weld it!
quote:
Originally posted by Davegtst
Why not use aluminium sheet and cut it yourself? It's perfectly strong enough and loads lighter, just put steel stips across where the seat will be bolted to.
Noticed? that Caterham uses ali channels as underfloor mounting reinforcements in their ali floor.. for the seat tracks?
Just like in virtually All aircraft.
Clearly more 'strength' is just dead weight and in any event, inconsequential in a crash large enough to damage them.
Then seat tracks would be thevery last thing one would be concerned with.