I have posted an update to my site. just click on the www button below.

Looks very, very good indeed. Try to keep it updated, and I'll make sure I'll check it often!
You already have a nice selection of parts. How much did you pay for the Quaife transmission thingy?

Thanks for the complements. I will try and update the site whenever there is something interesting to see.

I am not too sure of the current price for the quaife axle. I think it was around 2000 pounds when I bought mine. I got it from http://www.powertecracing.com/

Damn I wish I had half the money/rescources/knowledge you do. Just out of curiousity, what do you do for a living?

I like the building table by the way, I considered building a modular one similar to yours (probably with rather smaller tubing though, yours must weigh a ton) but in the end decided to keep it very simple and quick. I've got half of a double garage given over to it, and once I've finished with it, I'll probably hoist it into the roof. I used 18mm MDF for the surface, and bolted right angle sections to it to retain the tubes and passed sections of studding through to retain tubes to hold the chassis down, if you get my meaning, I've got pics of it if you want. The most satisfying thing was after all the time taken making up the jig, once I'd fully welded my chassis, I could take it out of the jig flip it over and it fitted perfectly the other way. Once I'd finished with the jig I simply removed the clamps, and flipped the board over complete with right angle sections. So, should I ever want to build another, I just need to flip it back and away I go !

kingr

[Edited on 7/2/03 by kingr]

I work in the IT industry and have been involved in a number of start up companies. When I moved to Canada I spent about four years of my life working 14 hour days 7 days a week. I am only now getting time to enjoy myself.

I have had a workshop for a long time and started out by buying used equipment and fixing it up. Over the years I have managed to trade my way up to a nice setup. Before the car building bug hit me I was mainly interested in model engineering.

Making jigs etc is a good investment in time. A very knowledgeable engineer friend who taught me a lot about machine shop practise had a very good saying. "Very experienced machinists always find ways to deskill a job". Making accurate parts with jigs is often easy. Where as without them it takes real skill.

My frame isn't as heavy as it looks as the box section is pretty thin wall. I can pick it up by myself. However, it is nice and stiff and shouldn't flex too much. If I was just going to use it to build the chassis on I would go smaller on the tubing. However I want a setup table that can hold the weight of a 2500 lbs car without flexing too much.

Great, I'm in the right industry then .

What height is your table going to be? Mine is quite high (1m) because I find it comfortable welding at that height since it doesn't require you to be bent over the whole time, but I'll take the chassis off the table and build on the floor once it's done. Obviously building an entire car on a table and then getting it off could be a little tricky, how are you going to get around that?

What aspect of model engineering where you into? I used to fly model helicopters, but had to take a sebatical from it due to the large costs involved and because I had to take a pay cut to get my first job in IT (unbelievable that I get paid less now as an IT person than I did as a barman, but that's how it is, hopefully not for too long though). I suspected you might have done some sort of modelling when I saw your balsa chassis mock-up.

Anyway, I promised a picture of my feeble attempt at a model standard chassis, so here it is complete with twin bike engine installation . There's still more to be done, but why spend time making models when I can spend that time building a real one? I expect it will get finished on a day when the garage is particularly cold, dark and uninviting. Incidentaly, although you can't really see it the front engine is bearing witness to what happens when you run out of power 3/4 through a loop and the heli ploughs into the ground on one skid. Some fins broke off the top, and despite the assurances of my club mates, subsequently caused the engine to heat unequally, ovalising the cylinder liner and scoring it, the piston and the piston ring. One £100+ engine consigned to the bin, or use as a paper weight/trinket as it currently is.

Just for some fun facts and figures the front engine revs to 20000rpm, runs on methanol and nitromethane and produces approx 225 BHP/litre naturally aspiring!!

Kingr


Rescued attachment chassis model small.jpg

My table is only about 12" above the ground. I plan on building some ramps so I can use it as a setup surface later on. I also didn't want to make it too high so I can reach the top of the car when making the bodywork plugs.

The sort of model engineering I am interested is mainly making replica working steam engines (like the following picture) and tools.



I also fly remote control helicopters, although not as much as I used to. They are definately the hardest test of hand eye coordination I have found. Driving a race car is much easier.

The model looks good you should finish it.