I really hope that someone can help me, I'm once again looking at starting a build, but I'm on a really tight budget. I love the Velocity
from Luego due to it's modern style and aggressiveness, but cannot afford some of their prices. Is there any way that I can build an IRS chassis
by combining the plans from the BYOSC book and the Tiger Avon book and then buy as many subsequent parts from Luego as possible including bodywork??
The reason for going this route is that I already own a welder and most of the tools required, so building a chassis would be a great challenge and
extremely cheap. I've read that Velocity bodywork is interchangable with book built locosts and from what I understand the Velocity only differs
from the book plans in being IRS using a std. width Sierra rear end. Is this the case?? I hope you can help 'cos I really want to get started
really soon...
Is there any particular reason why you want IRS? De dion is a much easier option, and the difference in handling will be minimal... IMO.
De dion still lets you use sierra back end, so you can fit an LSD if you want to. The mods to the chassis for this are very limited.
The problems with IRS are wide and varied, as several people will tell you. All sorts of calculations and complex angle changes under
acceleration/braking leading to less grip/worse handling. Only if you get it wrong though...
David 
quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
The problems with IRS are wide and varied, as several people will tell you. All sorts of calculations and complex angle changes under acceleration/braking leading to less grip/worse handling. Only if you get it wrong though...
And going with the Avon rear suspension is a very good start to getting it wrong
read
And going with the Avon rear deception is a very good start to getting it wrong
Are they really that bad?? It's quite worrying that people buy and drive these cars. My problem is that I'm just so bl**dy skint at the
moment, and I just want to get started!
The Velocity is the best of the bunch in my opinion, it looks great - especially the one built by Kevin
Seal for Which Kit? It looked fantastic! I want one...just really really cheaply.
For a scratch build de dion is a better option --- minimum change from the book and and is easier to set up than IRS.
Also don't fall into the trap of think building the chassis will be extremely cheap, steel prices are going through the roof and other cost
come into the equation so the saving won't be anything like as much as you might expect. even if you already have a mig.
I know that prices escalate but it's the difference between shelling out £500 odd or buying a stack of tubing and then factoring in the
additional costs as you go.
I HATE BEING SKINT!!
I WANT A VELOCITY
Stew,
Calm down dude, and join the skint club. I'm a student. I want to get on with building, but I'm away at uni, and have no money anyway.
Looks like when I start building I will be building a kit, rather than from scratch, simply because I would like the car pretty much on the road asap
after I finish uni. While I am away I cant see it being possible to get very far with a scratch build, since I also have a full time summer job!
Its unlikely I will have car on the road within 3 years....
Last year prices for steel were around £80, i think thats now gone up to more like £120-130. (Just for the tubing i think). You will still need
ali/steel sheet for flooring etc (which aint cheap), etc etc.
Its up to you which way you go really. You will save money welding your own chassis, but not very much by the time you have bought everything you need
to build.
David
can I just make the point that if you have a private drive or somewhere to store your donor car you can get a surprising about of the steel sheet for the body work from the donor car. I'm using the roof of my donor for the body work under the cabin in my build
The points made above are all valid but as someone going down the route as Stew is considering these are mine:
If you build your own chassis you will save a considerable amount, (I would guess £300-400), and for a relatively small amount you can actually get
started.
Yes get both books ,download the McSorley plans and read about the basics of IRS, (I found Alan Stanniforth's book good for this).
Get to know what services are available locally, I've found a ship builders who was happy to let me have CDS offcuts and a farming machinery
manufacturer who will bend tube, profile plate, guillotine and bend sheet for a very reasonable price.
Resist the temptation to just graft a Tiger rear end onto a book front even if it seems the easiest option at the time, (I wish I had done this
)
Get hold of a CAD program and learn to use it.
Be prepared for the build to take considerably longer than a live axle or DeDion, (bit of a bonus for me, gives me longer to save for those expensive
essentials).
I've enjoyed every bit of my build so far,(which is what it's all about as far as I'm concerned) and I reckon the sense of acheivement
if I ever finish it will be something else. Whatever method you choose I wish you well.
Mick
Stew,
My personal opinion would be that if all you're making is the chassis and at the end it'll basically be a Luego (ie. you're buying
everything else from Luego) then you won't save enough to be worth it.
Purely in terms of time versus money you'd be better off getting a part-time job at McDonalds and buying the chassis!
Sorry to be brutally frank!
James
But if you start to factor in 8 wishbones 2 uprights and a scuttle it all begins to make a bit more sense.
Mick
Maybe... but he did say chassis in his initial post.
Even with those bits I suspect (and this depends how experienced you are at fabricating this sort of thing) you could earn a grand with weekend work
quicker than you could build them. I know I could!
But don't get me wrong, as a general principle I would (and have!) chosen to build my own but Stew said he wants to start ASAP and doesn't
have much cash so I was being frank.
Cheers all!
James
My cost a while back for all the steel RHS for the chassis structure was 70 pounds the cost since then has doubled.
A couple of weeks back I needed some 25x25x2mm, 22m dia for wishbomes and also some 3mm plate for engine mounts --- total cost 48 pounds. I
estimate material cost for a bare chassis fitted with seat belts mounts and floor is about 250 pounds -- add to that the cost of welding gas
(renting an industrial size bottle is essential) and sundries and 350 is nearer the mark.
Remember also at the end of he day when you entually sell it a car with a chassis supplied by MK, GTS, Lugeo or MNR is going to be a lot
easier to shift --- if you need convinced just look at the weld quality on an MK chassis.
[Edited on 21/1/05 by britishtrident]
i must of been lucky bought my steel just before christmas all tubing came to £68.00 Collected from the local steel stock holders, better though once talking to yardman about pending project he went to great lenghts to advise me of there cut off pile/scrap, which if short they will allow me to scavenge as long as i supply a bag of doughnuts!!!!!!
I find it humorous the comments about the high cost of steel. That was about the cheapest part of my entire project! If you think steel is expensive there could be many other surprises coming.
if it is 300-400....
i think you should look it another way?
if you like the luego wy not use the januarie sales offer
and buy the chasis you will get a good welded chasis and in less time you have something,
welding a chasis in your garage is a hell of a job, think of the tube cutting, bending while welding etc..it looks easy but it isn't i guess..
TKS
quote:
Originally posted by tks
welding a chasis in your garage is a hell of a job, think of the tube cutting, bending while welding etc..it looks easy but it isn't i guess..
TKS
Building the chassis is the one part of the deal that I am both looking forward too and dreading.
now if only I could get this friggin 78 Z out of the way to start with
All the comments in favour of buying a ready built chassis are spot on. I love fabricating and have all the gear to do it. And I do fabricate
EVERYTHING for my autograsser(s) but the prices are so cut-throat in the locost market that it just makes sense to do as James suggests and save up
and buy...............sorry!!
I just know I wouldn't like to be in the locost supplier market!
Mate im in the same boat. I started to build my chassis and got half way through then pulled it apart. If you want to do it quick then go for a ready built one. Thats what i decided to do. Im getting the leugo locost as i want a car on the road and im skint. I love fecking about with things but the hassle of cutting the angles etc is a bastid!!!!