I have watched some of the posts over the last couple of days about the Robin Hood lightweight, a figure of fun it seems amongst several posters.
Many seem to enjoy discrediting RH, and seem to point out some flaws in its design.


I built mine (first privateer to do so and put it through SVA) and passed first time, so it will pass SVA!

Again, the appallingly bad build quality that a certain person imparted on the car caused issues with VOSA.

Maybe in 5 years time you will all be correct and it will fall apart, but then maybe it won't!!!

If it does, like all good engineers - I will get off my arse and fix it or upgrade it - surely that’s all part of the fun.

Maybe it isn't as 'good' as some other Locosts, but how many of you have driven a lightweight?

I enjoy it anyway!


Its all very easy to slate a car off - harder to give praise where deserved!

Rant over!


Cheers
Simon

[Edited on 21/5/07 by diyer]

Good for you, well done for building it & doing something different - I actually thought the idea was very good, tho' it seems to have been executed less well than it should have been.
So, can you answer some of the rumours - are the diff mountings really flimsy - have you beefed yours up, I believe this was an issue with SVA at one point? Is it lightweight? What weight was it at SVA. How do you find the drive & handling - is it any good?
As I've already said, congrats for the build anyway.

Not aimed at you russ, i was typing while you posted

Go have a look at the Lightweights on the Robin Hood owners club stands and then you can comment. The lightweights i have seen are very well put together and the lightweight owners that post on the Robin Hood site are true builders. There is nothing wrong with these cars if they are put together properly, the problem car and builder in question cast a huge black cloud over the inovative and unique lightweight. A fellow club member that i know well saw the offending lightweight in the Robin Hood factory after it was bought back, and it was not bonded, had rivets missing and generaly was not ready for SVA. Instead of the SVA people failing the car they were so appaled that they started to question many aspects of it and in light of there findings declaired all lightweighs as suspect.
The work that has been done by the Robin Hood owners club members to correct any areas that VOSA dislike is well documented and proves that this is a viable kit to build. I am just sorry that there are unlikelly to be any more produced and that the new lightweight 07 is just another squareframed Ron Chapman clone.

[Edited on 21/5/07 by snapper]

It's a Colin Chapman clone not Ron Chapman or "Ron Champion" as he is usually known I think the Lightweight was one of the better proportioned cars available and I am a fan of the exposed rivet look, we all know they're there why try to hide them?

Was the chassis ever tested for torsional strength etc? Would be interesting to see how it compares to the Locost. There was a university project that did some analysis of the 2B which showed it to have all the rigidity of a wet paper bag, hopefully the lightweight is better.

no it never was , they did have a big jig for testing something (a gimmick designed by richard stewart), but never got any results , how many of the manufacturers around can claim they have tested their chassis torsionally ?

ive had mine analysed by the cymtriks method .

GTS one has been FEA'd

sad really - torsionally testing a chassis really is a piece of cake, I reckon I could measure a bare chassis stiffness to an accuracy of a couple of percent in a couple of hours using big steel tubes, weights and a dial gauge.
It's not that it's hard or expensive, it's the will that's missing
Bob

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Originally posted by flak monkey
GTS one has been FEA'd

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Originally posted by bike_power

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Originally posted by flak monkey
GTS one has been FEA'd

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So they think they know what they have designed....not what they have actually built

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Correct. FEA is only a theoretical model and the result is subjective as it depends on the model type and the restraints and loads applied, as well as the modellers interpretation of the reult.

I wasnt saying it was better or worse than any body elses, just a statement of fact.

And I still wouldnt touch a L/W no matter what anyone told me. There was the opportunity to make something good and quite clever. But its a bodge, and not a very good one at that.

[Edited on 24/5/07 by flak monkey]

I wonder how many lightweight owners read this thread (on RHoCar) before buying?

http://community.rhocar.org/index.php?showtopic=5013&b=1&st=&p=&#entry

Where the designer (Richard Stewart) of the car is reported (by a number of different people) to have said the aluminium version is intended to be a track car and rebuilt every season.

It is (IMO) one of the most attractive 7's so it's a shame they never took the shape and combined it with a traditional spaceframe.

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Originally posted by flak monkey

And I still wouldnt touch a L/W no matter what anyone told me. There was the opportunity to make something good and quite clever. But its a bodge, and not a very good one at that.

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Originally posted by diyer
Thats rich coming from someone who is using a transit engine!

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Originally posted by diyer

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Originally posted by flak monkey

And I still wouldnt touch a L/W no matter what anyone told me. There was the opportunity to make something good and quite clever. But its a bodge, and not a very good one at that.

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Thats rich coming from someone who is using a transit engine!

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I am not going to get into an argument over anything. Its not worth it. I've said what I am going to and my reasons are well founded.

Colin Chapman (amongst others ) did quite well with a fire pump engine

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Originally posted by flak monkey
I am not going to get into an argument over anything. Its not worth it. I've said what I am going to and my reasons are well founded.

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Originally posted by Alan B
You are just no fun at all...

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Originally posted by flak monkey

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Originally posted by Alan B
You are just no fun at all...

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Sorry to spoil your entertainment Alan

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Originally posted by Volvorsport
how many of the manufacturers around can claim they have tested their chassis torsionally ?

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[quote how many of the manufacturers around can claim they have tested their chassis torsionally ?

Luego had a chassis tested at Cranfield institute .