The Roofus Special

[Flipper]

So now that it starts to look like a car....what are you supposed to do?



Tear it all apart and work on the frame.



Did I mention that I was thinking about building this car as a unibody?  

All of the 1x1 will be boxed in with sheetmetal.

[Flipper]

My high tech tubing bender.

A big gear used as a radius and a stop welded to the side of the table.  Put the end of the tubing under the stop and push down on the tubing.

[Flipper]

Adding diagonals is a pain.  They have to be curved so that match the horizontal pieces.  Chassis should be plenty stout though.







Door swoop goes down to the frame / truss thingy.

[Flipper]

Has anybody here ever built a car from scratch with no real plans?  ....given yourself true artistic liberty?

I have a "list" of ideas and a huge library of influences of what makes a cool vintage racer, but nothing is down on paper.  I have also given myself permission to change it if it needs to be changed.


It went from this


to this in a matter of moments




I think it works.





Right now the rear suspension/frame layout is a blank canvas from the seats back.






The rear of the car will be built around the suspension.  

I have thought about a triangulated 4 link with the bottom bars on the outside of the body (attaching at the node just ahead of the quarter panel skin).  The uppers would be inside the body.

I have also considered hairpins attaching at the same general location.


What would you build if you were not constrained by a traditional frame/floor layout?

[PeterR]

The rear of the car will be built around the suspension.  

I have thought about a triangulated 4 link with the bottom bars on the outside of the body (attaching at the node just ahead of the quarter panel skin).  The uppers would be inside the body.

I have also considered hairpins attaching at the same general location.


What would you build if you were not constrained by a traditional frame/floor layout?

You could try this arrangement from a D type Jag

[jaybee]

That would make it a Satchell Link, correct?

The car looks great, what an amazingly creative project.  I love the antique racer vibe.  If I get you right you're going to cover inside and outside of the framework with sheet to make your unibody?  That should make it pretty strong.

[Flipper]

The rear of the car will be built around the suspension.  

I have thought about a triangulated 4 link with the bottom bars on the outside of the body (attaching at the node just ahead of the quarter panel skin).  The uppers would be inside the body.

I have also considered hairpins attaching at the same general location.


What would you build if you were not constrained by a traditional frame/floor layout?

You could try this arrangement from a D type Jag

Went looking for another picture and found this.  It looks like it is a "parallel 4 link" with 2 extra triangulated lower bars for locating side to side.  

Also, I didn't see springs.  Did the Jag have torsion bars?

[Flipper]

That would make it a Satchell Link, correct?

The car looks great, what an amazingly creative project.  I love the antique racer vibe.  If I get you right you're going to cover inside and outside of the framework with sheet to make your unibody?  That should make it pretty strong.

Yep, that is what the current plan is.  It should be pretty stout once everything is braced and boxed in..  

The sides are 14 inches tall and growing.

[unklian]

Will the skins be welded, or riveted, to the framework ?

[Flipper]

Will the skins be welded, or riveted, to the framework ?

I had planned on welding them.  ....but rivets would look cool.  

I have never riveted anything before and I am not sure my fabrication is to the point where I wont have to bondo.

[reborn55]

Interesting and very unique--makes a person sit back and think

[Flipper]

Interesting and very unique--makes a person sit back and think

It has definetly been fun.  It is fun to think outside the box.  .....and amazingly inexpensive to build so far.

[wayne petty]

rear suspension...    i just saw somewhere a triangle upper control arm  that the single point mounts to the top of the rear end... this arrangement might keep a lot of the rear suspension inside the rear body...

if the upper arm is properly triangulated... you might be able to run a single coil over to support the rear end of the car... all tucked inside the body...


with only lower control arms sticking out in the air...


maybe i will work on a picture...

[enjenjo]

On that Jag rear suspension, the plate type "control" arm next to the wheel is actually a torsion arm connected to a torsion bar that sets crosswise in the frame. This is exactly the same setup ( hint coming) VW used.

[wayne petty]

i am totally out of practice in digital drawing...

i don't know how this will work...   might just work... maybe not... just an idea...

of course.. using the torsion bars to support the rear of the car..  the upper control arm.. if needed would only need 3 points to keep the rear end centered.. not 4... which would be the supporting link...


second thought... this might make for a weird rear handling  .. as the roll center would be really high...

i can see it in my mind...  but i cannot figure out if it would be a good thing or bad thing...  

again.. this is just a thought...   just something to keep the rear suspension tucked inside the body... with only minimum suspension sticking out..  like a magician ...