Yes Banks has built V-8 cars for customers too. I've looked at their chassis designs before. The 62 looks like a Europa with the side scoop. But I'm prety much modifying everything from the doors back. Once I get the frame to a roller I'll be checking what I may need to do to keep the new 15" wheels inside the body. The Europa used 13" & not nearly as wide.
My Lotus build
- Thread starter Mike S.
- Start date
Well I now have a rolling chassis. Even though I don't have them in at this point. The engine & trans mounts are in too. I rolled it into the back yard to try the body on it next. To see what will need to be done with the larger 15" wheels & wider tires. They have brought up the ride heighth though too. But that may work to my advantage. Head height has always been a problem. So I'm planning on dropping the floor a couple of inches.
With the new much wider tires up front. I'm wondering about the stock steering rack & pinion steering. With a small steering wheel how hard might it be to steer? More friction due to larger contact patch of the tires. Any suggestions as to a power unit? Needs to be front steer. I bought a unit but didn't think to check & sure enough it's a rear steer LOL Oh well that's what you get when you don't think of these things LOL
Mike,
Those are some pretty big tires.. I'm wondering what that chassis is going to do should you ever put any serious side-loading on it with a hard corner.. The Europa was a very light car with a very small engine in it. The body/tub was actually part of the chassis as I recall.. Are you going to run any sort of reinforcements from front to rear? Maybe out toward the sills?
Those are some pretty big tires.. I'm wondering what that chassis is going to do should you ever put any serious side-loading on it with a hard corner.. The Europa was a very light car with a very small engine in it. The body/tub was actually part of the chassis as I recall.. Are you going to run any sort of reinforcements from front to rear? Maybe out toward the sills?
Just wondering if it might pay to add some adjust ability to the 4 link bars. You may need to dial out squat, wheelhop etc and there is nowhere to go with it. Easy enough to stack a few more location pockets on the chassis at this stage. I know the examples below are poor and drag related but some of it does apply here.
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/File:4_link_suspension_parts.jpg
Tuning 4 Link Rear Suspensions for the Drag Strip
Bob
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/File:4_link_suspension_parts.jpg
Tuning 4 Link Rear Suspensions for the Drag Strip
Bob
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Thanks for the comments guys I was beginning to think no one was looking. First let me say this is going to be a street/show only car.
Randy the body/tub is only fiberglass & sits down over the "backbone". It adds nothing to the tortional or other ridgidity of the frame. However yes I am thinking of building side beams in the sills. More for the fact I'm not really thrilled that there is NO side protection at all.
Robert yes if I was going to race the car. I'd probably be more concerned with adjustments for anti dive/squat with the drag links. I have several books on design including Len Terry's & others concerning race car design. I have a very good friend who has been building/racing/maintaining & restoring race cars for many years. He's my mentor & machinist on my projects. So it's only a semi seat of the pants project LOL
Randy the body/tub is only fiberglass & sits down over the "backbone". It adds nothing to the tortional or other ridgidity of the frame. However yes I am thinking of building side beams in the sills. More for the fact I'm not really thrilled that there is NO side protection at all.
Robert yes if I was going to race the car. I'd probably be more concerned with adjustments for anti dive/squat with the drag links. I have several books on design including Len Terry's & others concerning race car design. I have a very good friend who has been building/racing/maintaining & restoring race cars for many years. He's my mentor & machinist on my projects. So it's only a semi seat of the pants project LOL
I like it as well, the only thing I would like to see is lower profile on the tyres, as you said the original car was on 13s and now your on 15s with what looks to be quite a high profile tyre. You are doing major work to the rear body clip anyway so do some big ass flares and fatten that girl up!! keep up the good work Mike there is plenty of us watching and enjoying your build. Cheers Leon
Thanks for the encouragement guys. It is much appreciated. The rears are 50 series so about as low a profile as you can get in regular street tires. I got the body set down on the chassis today. Had to do some major cutting in the wheel arch areas. The area between the side scoop & arch is good. Comes out to the edge of the tires & clears the front of the tires. Just the top & rear needed cutting. The top however is going to need some widening to keep those tires inside the body & widening of the rear too. Going to need to raise the area over the tires to give some travel clearance. She'll be fat & sassy LOL. One thing though I didn't realise the body hung down lower that the bottom of the chassis as much as it does. So I probably won't need to drop the floor. But it's all just fiberglass & I can do just about anything I want. With a bit of foam & some glass I'll get her looking pretty serrious I think.
So it begins: I set the body on the rolling chassis. Got the wheel arches cut out to clear the tires. Now the mods come. I begin with gluing pieces of 1" & 2" foam sheet (insulation board from Home Depot) to the existing body. Get it shaped pretty close to what I want & glass over it. I'll be making a mold from this, so I'll have a nice clean piece once I'm done. So all the foam & bondo won't really matter because it all gets cut off & thrown away just a plug.
Thanks Jack funny I should read this right now. I just came in from taking the trash out & was looking at a box of DW mud I have sitting out there. I was thinking about just what you're talking about LOL I've heard of using it or plaster of paris years ago for making mold plugs. But I've never really tried it. Maybe this go round I'll give it a try. It is rather pourous but a coat of fg resin would seal that or a poli based primer.
Mike, the dry time requires very thin coats of the mud. That's the only downside is it's a lot slower. Poli based high build primer works pretty good on it.
Yes I could see the drying time as a draw back. You'd use the taping compound & not the topping compound as it has a glue in it. I might also look into the micro spheres that some others have used as a cheaper alternative to bondo type fillers too. I get my fg supplies through Chrystaliner (boat builder supply)& I'll ask them about it.
Micro spheres is a good alternative. You'll need to thicken the poly resin
with it after the resin is activated. Much easier sanding than plain resin coat. You will find by trial, the consistency that works best for you.
The process of getting the body over the wheels continues. I've got the rear left side fender looking prety good I think. I started on the left front this afternoon. Glueing on 2" & 1" foam blockes then I'll sand & shape. The other side is still to be done at all. A long ways yet to get the body shape I want. For thouse who don't know what a stock Lotus Europa looks like first pic. is one I got from the internet.
Making progress on the fenders/wheel arches. From the raw foam blocks glued on it now looks more finished. Including a roll over the arch. I think they make a more "facyory" look than just cut openings. I know most/many race cars just have cut openings. But the roll does reinforce the edge too.
The fuel cell came the other day. It's only a 10 gal. But that's about all that will fit in the location up front I want. I may get another 4gal to put in the rear & disguise as an oil tank.
Rear is comming haven't done the roll on it yet. Getting the driver's side done first then move to the other side. There's a lot of bondo in them but they'll get cut off & a mold made for the finished parts. Been working on the door hinges too & think I've about got it figgured out (or I hope so LOL)
So what do you think? Comments are welcomed.
The fuel cell came the other day. It's only a 10 gal. But that's about all that will fit in the location up front I want. I may get another 4gal to put in the rear & disguise as an oil tank.
Rear is comming haven't done the roll on it yet. Getting the driver's side done first then move to the other side. There's a lot of bondo in them but they'll get cut off & a mold made for the finished parts. Been working on the door hinges too & think I've about got it figgured out (or I hope so LOL)
So what do you think? Comments are welcomed.
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