Haven’t done anything this week or last due to work 
Chassis is nearly done.
Things to do: Top harness mounts
Tank Mounts
Steering column mount
pan hard rod mount
rad mount
And I guess as is the locost way lots more 
Question. What is best for the floor, alloy 2mm or 1.6mm steel? And do I need to reinforce the area where the seats mount and the area you step on
when getting in and out?
Ally floor keeps the weight down, you will need to re-enforce the area where the seat will mount though, a couple of med sized strips across the
bottom normally does 
Jason
Nice Chassis. I like the roll over bars.
My personal preference for panels is aluminium.
[Edited on 10/3/06 by nitram38]
My own preference is for an ally floor, but I know someone who will give me some glavanised steel sheet (nice and thin, honest) for nowt - so
I'll be using steel 
Ali floor's considerably lighter than a steel one. Just rivet and bond it (with PU adhesive) on.
As Jason says, you will need a couple of strengthening strips of steel across where the seats mount. The rest will be fine though.
David
Roll bar is the only part that I havnt made. Its an MK X bar.
Pleased with the chassis on the whole. Would do a few things differant.
Sick of cutting/welding but already thinking about the next one and how I can make it better.
are you going to powder coat it ?
Nope going to paint this one.
Cant Keep up with your avatars Graeme Hows your build going m8
pic
If you have any intention of ever racing it you'll need to fit a steel floor.
Ally is not allowed by 750 club rules.
Just thought I'd mention it.
hi wasa, all built and nearly finished. . electrics and plumbing all in but having ecu probs. . . hopefully will sort out for sunday.
your welcome to have a look i'm building in low fulney in my uncles garage (bigger than mine) just up the road from you. theres a westie live
axel there to if you need to have a look at anything in real life.
[Edited on 10/3/06 by graememk]
cool would like that ,,,,
Steel floor has more penetration protection than ali - ever seen a brick / rock / branch on the road??????
Steel is easier to attach and is less likey to detatch (i have heard stories from some westfield owners whos floors have come away after years of use
(but they didn't glue them as well). Steel floor does become more structural and doesn't need re-inforcing.
I worked out 1.2mm steel is about as heavy as 2mm or 2.5mm ali, easier to attach, cheaper, and, oh sod the justification, its what i went for and i
used the sheet for other things like footwell bulkhead etc.
if 1.5mm ally turned out to be over 10kgs lighter than 1.5mm steel, id probably be tempted myself.
only for a bec racer though
[Edited on 10/3/06 by JoelP]
Cheers bkloco But a track day is the most it will see.
Its going to replace my bikes as a fast sunday afternoon blaster. Had to get rid of bike due to pier pressure. I would always have it flatout on a run
(Rf900)
Already planning a Bec.
Ali is 3 times lighter than steel. IIRC when I did some CAD modelling a 2mm ali floor was 6 or 7 kg lighter than a 1.6mm steel floor.
David
Have to agree with the penetration protection thing. You see too much crap on the roads to risk it burrowing through the floor at speed. If it gets
anywhere near you, you're toast. Even if it doesn't hit you, you'll probably cack yourself so hard it might hurt anyway!
Note to self, must type faster. Also, ally is generally 3 times lighter than the same size steel panel, but is roughly half the strength.
[Edited on 10/3/06 by DIY Si]
i did a spreadsheet of comparisons, i'll see if i can find it and post it up. Note i'm not an engineer so there are probably mistakes - but please keep the mentioning them down to a whisper .... remember this was my justification to myself (plus how easy it would be to fit (weld)
Don't worry, I'm welding in the roof of my donor as part of my floor. Probably. Depends how much a nice big sheet of 16 swg is.
here you go, steel vs ali spreadsheet.
my choice was 1.2mm steel as i felt it was better than 3mm ali (second choice)
FWIW, My Sylva Fury has a steel floor welded where the seat goes, a brace across infront of this and then an Ali floor bewteen this and the front of
the cockpit.
Think the later Fisher chassis do away with the steel plates and just use ali.
if you hit anything that will go through an ali floor of the thicknesses generally used then it is very likely that it will go through a steel floor. something penertrating the floor is effectively localised bending which the extra thickness of the ali will help reduce. also the work hardening of the ali should mean that although the floor is damaged and needs replacing the object wont actually go through it. (with either floor if it is a large enough object to possibly go through the floor its going to be a brown trouser moment.
I would go for a steel floor purely because it can be welded in place rather than pop riveted. Riveting the side panels is fine, but the floor has to support the weight of your legs and the rivets are in a bad location wrt corrosion, especialy if your 7 has to live outside.
HI
I want to use a carbonfloorpanels, made from 2 layers CF with 2 layers glasfiber in between...
Looks nice and weights practically nothing and much stronger than ally ay 2 mm thickness
[Edited on 13/3/06 by badding]
With this type of application CF is best a thin layer of glass fibres on exposed side to ressist penetration --- unlike kevlar cf isn't good with point impacts. Putting a thin layer of glass or kevlar on makes a big difference.
Wont be cf its a "locost"
I think I'll stick with my stainless floor.
If I run over a pheasant I don't want game pat'e in my lap.
Paul G
But then you're wasting a perfectly good pheasant. At least if it is in your lap you can take it home and get the missus to put it in a
pie!
But if it bounces off a nice smooth stainless underside I can stop and pick it up, undamaged.
And sooooo hygienic too.
Paul G
Ahh, a very good point indeed sir. And, havin gjust knocked it over, it should be minus a few feathers, thus saving her indoors time and effort!
plus there is no risk of breaking a tooth on lead pellets!
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
I would go for a steel floor purely because it can be welded in place rather than pop riveted. Riveting the side panels is fine, but the floor has to support the weight of your legs and the rivets are in a bad location wrt corrosion, especialy if your 7 has to live outside.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
I would go for a steel floor purely because it can be welded in place rather than pop riveted. Riveting the side panels is fine, but the floor has to support the weight of your legs and the rivets are in a bad location wrt corrosion, especialy if your 7 has to live outside.
11/12 years on and my fury floor is still there....
I was thinking on 2/2.5mm Aluminium Diamond Plate ... it is not slippery and a little Race look
but maybe 4x4 patern or eaven 1x1 I'll see what is bether looking
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
I would go for a steel floor purely because it can be welded in place rather than pop riveted. Riveting the side panels is fine, but the floor has to support the weight of your legs and the rivets are in a bad location wrt corrosion, especialy if your 7 has to live outside.
Nearly every westfield built has a thin ally floor that is rivetted in.
I don't see many where it has fallen out?
There have been cases of rivets fretting out over time with ally floors. A stiffer chassis will generate less problems in this area but a normal book
chassis is only just stiff enough.
I'd use a stitch welded steel floor in 18 gauge (1.2mm). Heavier, yes, but much more durable for road use.
Hi just my 2 pence worth but whilst repearing a number of the the racing locosts with steel floors that have been powder coated after the floor has
been stitch welded . what you find is that the coating dose not stop rain or damp getting inbetweenthe floor and chassis and on one certain car after
removing a section of floor to repair chasiss a large area of the lower flat section of the floor tubes where heavily corroded.
And just to stop confusion the only race series that requires a sleel floor is the locost race championship. Kitcars and rgb can both use ally
floors.
Oh and the 750mc have recomended that steel floors on the locosts might be beter rivited on for the reason above as they have no way of controlling
the weather so we might end up getting a wet race ocasionaly.
cheers matt
(edited)
ps in 20 years of working with westfields i have never seen an ally floor come detached or have somthing go though the floor to the cockpit area
cheer matt
[Edited on 22/3/06 by procomp]
Ali floor everytime...16swg with a bucket full of rivets and sikaflex for good measure.
yep that's what I have done. Floor is quite flexible but I can't see it coming off!!!