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Classic racer style body for Haynes chassis
imagineer - 9/4/13 at 08:42 PM

I'd love to create a classic racer body for my haynes chassis, along the lines of a Ferrari 860 Monza.

Has anyone tried to create a 50's race car body for the haynes/locost chassis in the past?

The Miglia kit - based on a Triumph Herald/Vitesse donor is heading in the right direction.

Where would I start?

rdodger - 9/4/13 at 08:53 PM

The new MEV would be a good place to start

http://www.replicar.net/

imagineer - 9/4/13 at 09:07 PM

That looks fantastic!

rdodger - 9/4/13 at 09:11 PM

This would fit



Looks better in white!

Talon Motorsport - 9/4/13 at 09:14 PM

There are a few different ways of making body work but all of them mean the car has to stay in the same place while your doing it.
First you need to decide where it will attach to the chassis and how much clearance around the arches you need to allow for full suspension travel, I did 14 months of industrial model making and you'd be surprised how many people forget that car wheels move in X,Y and Z. You will need to have your engine and seats fitted to make sure your bonnet clears the top of it and that you can see over it all when your in the driving seat.

Option 1. Use big blocks of polystyrene or polyurethane (the later can be laminated over with polystyrene GRP) and carve it free form to rough out a shape. quick and fun but not guaranteed to be equal from one side to the other. This greatly depends on your eye for shape and skills as a craftsman.

Option 2. Cut profile shapes in paper to make one side of the profile then filp to make the exact minor for the other side then transfer to some thing like sheets of mdf or ply. You make up cross sections every 12" or so along the length and across the cars shape this I belive is called 'box fill'? You then fill the voids with polyurethane foam which you sand to the correct shape that the timber profiles provide. GRP over the top and sand,fill,sand,fill,sand you get the idea untill it's 100% perfect.

Option 3. Pay some one to do it for you and pay any where between £10,000-30,000 depending on who does it and the equipment they use.

The very best of luck to you....

[Edited on 9/4/13 by Talon Motorsport]

JC - 9/4/13 at 09:35 PM

OK, dumb question. Once you have covered your foam in fibre glass, is it a case of loads of filler to smooth it out to a usable finish, or is there a good way of producing a decent one off finish?

I was reading only this morning about using Epoxy and a peel film to get a good finish - does this work??

Thanks!

JC

ceebmoj - 9/4/13 at 09:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by JC
OK, dumb question. Once you have covered your foam in fibre glass, is it a case of loads of filler to smooth it out to a usable finish, or is there a good way of producing a decent one off finish?

I was reading only this morning about using Epoxy and a peel film to get a good finish - does this work??

Thanks!

JC


have you seen

great body work thread

JC - 9/4/13 at 10:33 PM

Yes, I saw that, and bow humbly at the skill and patience! WAYYYY out of my league!! (And I want to avoid making a mould if I can!)


[Edited on 9/4/13 by JC]

GonzoRacer - 10/4/13 at 12:20 AM

You can carve the shape you want out of foam. Use templates to get the left/right or front/back halves symmetrical. Envelope it with fiberglass on all surfaces and it will be surprisingly strong. It's not that hard, just time consuming. I used 6 oz cloth for the main layups and a final layup or two with a 2.5 oz (IIRC) very fine cloth. That last was mostly to provide a softer surface for sanding. There's some filling to do, but if you fill low spots in between layups, it's easier to sand down the filler material and then lay more 'glass over it.

There's a thread on the US Locost site that might be helpful: http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8113

And this site is good for beginning instructions: http://rqriley.com/frp-foam.htm

Regards-
JDK

[Edited on 10/4/13 by GonzoRacer]

Slimy38 - 10/4/13 at 07:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by imagineer
I'd love to create a classic racer body for my haynes chassis, along the lines of a Ferrari 860 Monza.

Has anyone tried to create a 50's race car body for the haynes/locost chassis in the past?

The Miglia kit - based on a Triumph Herald/Vitesse donor is heading in the right direction.

Where would I start?


If you like the Miglia kit, it might be worth considering how much modification would be required for it to fit the Haynes. Get some measurements on the kit and see if you could get away with cutting the body in half or quarters and either reducing or expanding to fit. Adding a few inches to an existing body will be much easier than trying to create one from scratch.

I considered putting together a one-off, but the materials would have cost several hundred minimum, the amount of labour would be truly epic, and to be honest my sculpting skills would leave me with something that would never look right. However, a visit to Stoneleigh showed a large number of car manufacturers who produce shells that could quite easily be modified to fit.

JC - 12/4/13 at 06:37 AM

Gonzo, thanks for the links, just what I needed.

Does anyone know where in the UK I can source the blue/pink foam - thinking high street rather than specialist fibreglass suppliers?

Slimy38 - 12/4/13 at 07:00 AM

quote:
Originally posted by JC
Gonzo, thanks for the links, just what I needed.

Does anyone know where in the UK I can source the blue/pink foam - thinking high street rather than specialist fibreglass suppliers?


I'd suggest Ebay as the best option. Hobbycraft sell it, as do Dunelm Mill, but for the quantities you need it both will work out very expensive.

Fred W B - 12/4/13 at 11:14 AM

What you want is polyurethane foam (which is resistant to resin), as used for insulation in various industries. High street may be difficult, but you can try:

Builders merchants.
Firms that build / repair refrigeration equipment / cold rooms.
Firms that build / repair truck bodies.
etc

If they can't supply they might be able to give you a lead. If they ask what density you require, get the heaviest they offer. I used 32 kg/m2, heavier would be better.

Cheers

Fred W B

[Edited on 12/4/13 by Fred W B]

[Edited on 12/4/13 by Fred W B]

GonzoRacer - 12/4/13 at 12:31 PM

quote:
Originally posted by JC
Gonzo, thanks for the links, just what I needed.

Does anyone know where in the UK I can source the blue/pink foam - thinking high street rather than specialist fibreglass suppliers?


You are quite welcome, Sir. Glad to help.

In the US, you can buy foam in 4ft X 8ft X 1/2 inch sheets designed for building insulation relatively cheaply. (Approx 12 USD) Do you have "Home Improvement" type stores in your part of the UK like our "Home Depot" and/or "Lowe's"? I found them to be a lot cheaper than specialty suppliers.

As to the resin, since I used cheap foam, I went with epoxy resin. (Poly resin will melt foam right before your eyes. Ruins your creation in minutes. Ask me how I know...) Epoxy resins cost more, but they have advantages: Easier to mix. Less odor/fumes. Better adhesion to surfaces. I bought mine from a local marine supply store, West Marine. Again, like the home improvement stores, I'm sure there's an equivalent retailer in the UK, but I don't know the name.

Foam Sheet: http://www.lowes.com/pd_41503-46086-RPP-12-S8+%284X8%29_4294858106__?productId=3362406&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3F Ns%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

Epoxy Resin: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SiteSearchView?PopularCat=No&Ne=69&beginIndex=0&langId=-1&storeId=11151&page=C ategoryDisplayLevel1&N=377+710+2050220+4294966881&catalogId=10001&icid=HD_Maint_epoxy_resin&dstats=35%3a4294966881&omniTag=Brand%3 aWEST+SYSTEM&viewTaskName=SiteSearchView

I'm not advertising for these stores, just citing examples of the "stuff" I used.

If I can help along the way, please let me know, glad to share info, experience, and examples of stupidity....
Regards-
JDK