This has probly been ased before but how long has it taken you to make the compleat chassis

Phil,

I started my chassis on 6th July and had it mostly complete by the 8th. Then I had to wait for Jim Duldley book so I could make the IRS mods. I had a week off work to get on with it, which helped.

Since then, I changed from CVH to RV8 (steering column needed rerouting) and more engine mounts needed fabbing (new verb!).

I started doing an ally side panel last week which looked crap, so decided I'll make in f/glass. O/side panel fitted last night - perfect. Well chuffed.

I reckon I'm now about 70% of the way there - now need to spend money on lights/looms/rad/fibreglass (for bonnet and scuttle) and the obligatory wheels/tyres.

Should have cost in region of £2500 when I'm done.

Hope this of some help.

ATB

Simon

making the chassis is one of the faster parts of the build.

Its all the smaller details that take up the time.

I recon the chassis is less than 5% of the work. But then I did everything the hard way.

atb

Steve

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Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
I recon the chassis is less than 5% of the work. But then I did everything the hard way.

atb

Steve

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If by 'doing the chassis u mean suspension, engine and steering mounts, steering column mounts, and any other 'welded' bits, then it does make up a good portion of the build. The basic frame does come together very quickly tho'.

I welded up the first one with a friend welding, and myself cutting and fitting. We did it in a couple days.
Thats with no suspention parts.
Then when I got all the engine and trans parts I decided to rebuild it bigger.
I've just got it completed and it took me, working alone, About 2 weeks to complete.

I would cut some pieces right after work.
The loud stuff, then go in and eat dinner then come out after dinner and do the welding. that and part of a day on Saturday. So I wasn't working real fast but moving along every day.

It is one of the fastes parts of the build unless you have to make a bunch of changes for your parts.
I'm using an engine no one else is using, I think, and some things had to be worked out.

But don't sweat it and have fun.
Texaslocost.homestead.com

quote:

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Originally posted by Jasper
If by 'doing the chassis u mean suspension, engine and steering mounts, steering column mounts, and any other 'welded' bits, then it does make up a good portion of the build. The basic frame does come together very quickly tho'.

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quote:

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Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
James......you dont still actually read the book do you

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I can put a bare chassis together in a morning. Working for about 2 1/2 hours every evening, and all day Saturdays and Sundays, the suspension can take a further two days to make, and the finished car usually rolls out about six to seven months later.
Progress appears to drop off drastically after the chassis is built.

it depends on what you call a chassis and from what point you start.

If its the minimal chassis held up in the book, and its all from pre cut tubes, and you begin at 6 am and end at 12 noon, I wouldnt bet against it or buy tickets.

atb

Steve

I bet anneka rice coulda done it.

And changing rooms would have staple gunned it together out of mdf in less than an hour.



atb

steve

And "Scrapyard challenge" (aka "Junkyard wars" in the US) would have convenietly had a pre-welded one hidden for the temas to find.....

er...temas = teams....

So if the chassis can be built i weekend what takes most of the time?

I cut my chassis parts with a chop saw and tacked it up in a weekend. A bit more determination could have seen it done in a day. It took me a day and a half to make the brackets for the suspension. The actual final welding took more time because I had to keep looking to see if I'd missed any bits. If you call the chassis finished when it's rolling with a floor and steering attached then 3 to 4 months is a reasonable time if you work on it regularly.

yours, Pete.

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Originally posted by I love speed :-P
So if the chassis can be built i weekend what takes most of the time?

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Oh Steve, that is soooo true....

Just think carefully when you make parts...many are better bought while you save your efforts for stuff that can't......:d

pedals and fuel caps spring to mind.....

If you are building your first chassis for your first car it will take many, many hours, days and even weeks. I must have spent a couple of nights marking out the base board and then checking it. You buy your steel in 20+ feet lengths and its awkward - vice too near wall, don't want to waste too much - what bits will I cut from each length? Laugh if you like but anyone who's done it will agree. You soon realise that the dimensions in the book are wrong, so you abandon cutting all the bits and do them one at a time. You then think, "are they really wrong, or is it me?" Lets check everything again!

When I had got the chassis finished (having painted it, decided I didn't like the finish so painted it again, still didn't like it so had it sandblasted........) - and having read that I was half way there, thought great! "Con-man" Champion had tricked me again, as I reckon in all seriousness you are about 20% finished.

From start to finish my car took 30 months but I made pretty well everything except the fibreglass bits - and it still cost over 3 grand.

What I do know is that if I built another, it would be cheaper, certainly better and would take less than half the time. If you are building from scratch, do not underestimate the amount of hours you sit/stand there looking at it, thinking but not actually doing anything!

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Originally posted by Alan B
Oh Steve, that is soooo true....

Just think carefully when you make parts...many are better bought while you save your efforts for stuff that can't......:d

pedals and fuel caps spring to mind.....

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It took me ages just to even cut the tubes!

Originally I used a hacksaw, then mounted the grinder in a Screwfix jig. It still took a full day to finish the cutting. (See http://www.locost.uk7.net/jpg_steelcut2.htm) It was probably more of "measure it 6 times and cut it twice" rather than "measure it twice and cut it once".

I quite enjoy the "I built it from scratch" ethos, but wish I'd spent the cash on an MK chassis - however I would then have been looking for another excuse not to be on the road this year! Current target next summer!

i can understand the bit about the chassis - saw it last year ot stoneleigh and its so much nicer than I could ever do.

But that would have broken the rules a bit and wouldnt have suited the style of my car.


atb

steve

I set up a table with an abrasive chop saw and a 12" bench disk sander to do all the fine fitting. I got the bench sander from a discount place that sells Chinese tools. $99 One of the best buys I made. That really speeds up all the fitting. when I layed out my new floor rails including all the lower trans tunnel tubes it took only 2 hours to cut and fit it all.then another 2 to tack it all together. But then I'd already done it once so I knew what I was doing.

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Originally posted by MarkD
It took me ages just to even cut the tubes!

Originally I used a hacksaw, then mounted the grinder in a Screwfix jig. It still took a full day to finish the cutting. (See http://www.locost.uk7.net/jpg_steelcut2.htm) It was probably more of "measure it 6 times and cut it twice" rather than "measure it twice and cut it once".

I quite enjoy the "I built it from scratch" ethos, but wish I'd spent the cash on an MK chassis - however I would then have been looking for another excuse not to be on the road this year! Current target next summer!

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Judging by the varied responses, time obviously varies greatly depending on the amount proper equipment and the capabilities/fabrication experience of the builder. I also find that a semi-clean workspace keeps me more motivated to work than a pigstye.

Personally, for a homebuilder with no previous car building experience, I think a deadline is not a good thing to set - BUT - if you can just do a little bit of work on the car every day, even if just for 20 minutes, then the project won't languish. Some days I spend 14 hours in the garage (much to the chagrin of my wife and kids) and other days I can only manage to clean the work table and organize the tools.

Most of the build time is spent just standing and looking at the contraption anyways

Graber