Few more questions on my quest to own a seven.
First one is something ive always thought about, and its prompted this post.
quote:
Originally posted by iankCars that are used regularly in all weathers or kept outside will deteriorate quite quickly. A car that's kept in a dry garage and only taken out on sunny Sundays and the occasional trackday will last almost indefinitely.
You are thinking too deeply about this!
If you want a car, build one out of steel and use blind rivets on the aluminium panels. Paint the whole thing.
Steel, simply because it has some flex.
Stainless is very hard and apart from drilling issues, will flex and crack.
Aluminium is worse than stainless for cracking.
Unless you have an bottomless wallet, stick to the steel version and invest your money in a decent garage!
Galv can twist even a land rover chassis so isn't really suitable for thin tube chassis IMO.
Also be careful of powdercoat - it's great until water gets underneath and then it will allow the chassis to rust quickly, it then falls off in
sheets.
Waxoyl is probably the best protection for the chassis (inject through the rivet holes before pulling them in).
I've chosen POR-15 undercoat and I'm going to be putting on some nice ex-nato paint to protect that. But painting a spaceframe is a
complete PITA.
Mild steel chasis is the proven way to go for this type of car for ease of construction and fatigue strength amongst other reasons.
If you're worried about corrosion...
1. Paint the chasis properly ensuring the best possible key to the bare metal.
2. Use blind rivets and PU sealant/adhesive to attached aluminium and GRP panels - nothing should chaf if it's secured properly.
3. Apply WaxOyl to the inside of all the tubes when you drill for rivets.
4. Apply some underbody sealer to any exposed areas underneath the car.
5. Keep it clean.
That's about the best you can do IMHO.
It's only cost's £128 in materials for a new chassis, just build a new one??
Dont make a stainless chassis unless you know what you are doing..
It will become brittle on welds, crack and kill you...
My chassis is stainless and its a pain in the backside drilling holes in it....
don't worry about it - nothing lasts forever.
Agreed, just don't worry about it.
You be bored of it and sell it, or want to re-chassis it or something before it gets any where near rusting away.
Although I've not driven it all last year, mine has done 2000miles, mostly in the very wet Nov' 2006 cos my tin top was off the road.
Nothing has rusted that I can tell!
Cheers,
James
P.S. As a test, leave a piece if 1.6mm steel outside in the rain.... see how long it takes before it's structurally unsound....
I think the motto is, Enjoy building it enjoy wearing it out!!!
Waxoil is friend.
I think I'd be more worried about it getting robbed at Uni?
Right ok.
I wouldnt say ive been thinking too hard about it, just really probing the ground, and trying to find out the general consensous/thoughts.
Im planning to buy a second hand car, so wouldnt as such have any control over how it was done, paint used, quality of preperation, method of pannel
attachment, etc.
As i say, im just trying to get the feel of of it.
- In terms of it geting nicked at uni, it'll be fine...
- No, serously, we have secure (6ft solid gate and wall) offraod parking for 2-3cars. That was a requirment of the house, :p
Daniel
But yeah, the current train of thought is that i could get a 750mc spec locost.
- Obviously that imposes a number of limitations, such as engine (1.3 xcrossflow), brakes, tyres even, no lsd, 6point rollcage, etc.
- Which certainly rules out having a bec, and anything other than a locost. And i would be interested in people thoughts.
However maybe its not such a bad thing. Keep the engine managable, keep me inside a rollcage, and on what i beleave are fairly progressive tyres.
And you seam to be able to buy a feasable car for around my current planned budget of £4k ish. And give me a serous bit of playtime for weekends, a
very track able car, and the possabilty of racing relativly cheaply in the future if i wanted to, sharing a number of weekends with my cousins saxmax
events.
I also quite like the more rustic/classic look is thats the right way of putting it.
- The mega clean lines of the mnr pannels and inboard shocks is very appealing, as is the idea of a bec.
- But its realistical out of buget i think, as are the roundier plasticly looking westfields, and the tigars with the odd looking (to my mind)
bonnet.
Alternativly i dont know. Robin hood 2b anyone?
I dont know! As i say, im just knocking (lots) of ideas round in my (fairly small) head, and trying to see how the thing might work out.
Cheers. Daniel.
Hence the reason for an industry of people manufacturing new chassis for Lotus 6,7,9.11.
All kidding aside, there was a method used in the aircraft industry of old when fusalage's were made out of steel and covered in fabric or
aluminum.
Upon completion of the framework linseed oil was blown into the interior of the tubes by means of a system much like the auto oiler for air tools.
To assist in this holes were drilled to connect all of the blocked passages then later closed with rivets.
JUST make sure you are finished welding when you do this, or you will have constructed an incendury device.
A Robin Hood 2b would be a good choice because of the weather gear thats available and you can get a very tidy car for 4K
Hey Daniel, Im at Loughborough Uni and my home is Cheshire (Chester) and I have a 750mc spec road-going Locost (1.3 xflow) so we've got a lot in
common! The locost is at home (Chester) but Id be up for taking you for a spin, showing you round it etc over easter or something. Where abouts in
Cheshire are you? Are you doing automotive engineering?
Drop me an email mate: colin4696@hotmail.com
Feel free to flame me, but I don't mean this in a mean spirited way at all, so I apologise if that's how it comes across.
Anyway, to the point.
WTF happened to decent spelling with you young whippersnappers ?
Seriously, does it not have an effect on your marks any more ?
I know it certainly did when I were a lad.
Right flame away, I'm sure I deserve it.
John F - regular typos a feature
quote:Ah, wow, yeah.
Originally posted by xxx
Hey Daniel, Im at Loughborough Uni and my home is Cheshire (Chester) and I have a 750mc spec road-going Locost (1.3 xflow) so we've got a lot in common! The locost is at home (Chester) but Id be up for taking you for a spin, showing you round it etc over easter or something. Where abouts in Cheshire are you? Are you doing automotive engineering?
Drop me an email mate: colin4696@hotmail.com
quote:
Originally posted by zilspeed
Feel free to flame me, but I don't mean this in a mean spirited way at all, so I apologise if that's how it comes across.
Anyway, to the point.
WTF happened to decent spelling with you young whippersnappers ?
Seriously, does it not have an effect on your marks any more ?
I know it certainly did when I were a lad.
Right flame away, I'm sure I deserve it.
John F - regular typos a feature
If corrosion is a worry for you, then you could also finish (all brackets fitted, all holes drilled) your chassis and get it galvanised. As for the
different metals rubbing together (eg ally and steel), I'm sure you could buy some thin rubber to line the panels with before fitting.
Or get it all gold plated
ATB
Simon
Im proberbly worrying about nothing i guess.
Anyway, i went over to worxs (steves) on sunday and we had another good talk about cars. And he took me out for a spin up the road and back, with
promise of a 'proper' drive when its a bit warmer.
- Ties in with the origanal as well, because hes car had been outside in all weathers for a year now, and is frankly fine for it. Although of cause
im there are less well finished cars out there that would fair less well!
He was also pointing out the diffrence between well setup, well thought out car. And one that looks bascaly the same, thats not half the car the other
is.
- All the little things like upgraded brakes/disks/shocks and having all the suspention geometry set up right.
- Might not look like a massive amount, and might not add a massive amount to the price even. But makes the diffrence between a good car and a bad
car
Daniel
you could have my car for 4k, stainless monocoque chassis
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b72/paulmckernon/kitcar/07rebuild/Image010.jpg