For those who asked...

Some pics of my curved tube mid-engined 3-seater.

Yes, it's a long way from finished.
Yes, curved tubes are structurally bad.
Yes, the workshop is untidy.
Yes, Preston North End will probably slip down the table after the brief stay on top.
Yes, I should have finished the Meerkat first.

Fire away...






New frame 1



New frame 2



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Looks interesting, I like the way the bottom rails run the length of the chassis and provide the bottom wishbone mounts.
How did you put the curve in the tubes and what are you doing for the body, fiberglass or ally panels, or Atom style?

Cheers

Alex

Are the two top front bars/tubes supposed to have dented ends?

Alex,

Thanks for the comments.

If you look at the thread (my shelved middy project) I have a picture of the tube roller I made..it's basically 3 wheels (rollers) and an old machine vice.

Bodywork will be absolutely minimal...done enough GRP for one lifetime already..LOL

Alan

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Originally posted by DIY Si
Are the two top front bars/tubes supposed to have dented ends?

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quote:

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Yes, the workshop is untidy.

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Looking good! Will that really seat 3 people?? Or is there still more to add??

Showing 3 seats...

[img][/img]

Curved chassis, Minnimal bodywork. It sounds familiar to an Ariel. Is this the inspiration?
I like the idea of 3 seats!

i like the front suspension mounts, tidy. The bar bending must've taken some effort to get the precise curve!

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Originally posted by GavBurns
Curved chassis, Minnimal bodywork. It sounds familiar to an Ariel. Is this the inspiration?
I like the idea of 3 seats!

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quote:

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Originally posted by JoelP
i like the front suspension mounts, tidy. The bar bending must've taken some effort to get the precise curve!

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Looks good Alan. Can i ask do you suffer from severe insomnia, there must be some explanation of how you manage to fit so much into 24hrs

quote:

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Originally posted by Alan B
If you look at the thread (my shelved middy project) I have a picture of the tube roller I made..it's basically 3 wheels (rollers) and an old machine vice.

Bodywork will be absolutely minimal...done enough GRP for one lifetime already..LOL

Alan

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That's gonna be really, really neat!

What will you be using for uprights? Custom?

I am in need of some large radius tube bending. Will you make plans available for your machine? Or be kind enough to impart the part numbers and general assembly info?

Thank you!

Steve,

Alan has posted a pic of his bending setup in the following topic... http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=56045 (about 2/3 of the way down). Just to give you some idea of what it entails.

Looks good.

But you're right about the messy workshop - I don't know how you manage to work in such untidy conditions

Alan,

Are those front suspension mounts just welded in between the tubes or does the tube go through the brackets?

Good feedback, good questions.

Some answers:

Tube roller construction:

One old or cheap machine vice
Two welded brackets that fasten to the vice in place of the jaws.
Three Rollers which are vee wheels straight from the McMaster Carr catalog (around $14 each IIRC)
One handle mounted on the single wheel.

Tube roller operation and notes:

Place the tube in rollers and tighten to a very slight grip...move tube to one end (you can't reach all of it so you must design a 6" (or so) straight length at each of your part or make it longer and trim the ends.

Then tighten up the vice a little and wind the tube with the handle (mangle style) to the other end...then tighten the vice a liitle and wind it back....and so until you have the radius you need.

I machined the wheel to try and match the actual tube radius this seems more important the more wall thickness to OD ratio of the tube you roll reduces. The result of vee only or bad matching on relatively thin tube is marking and distortion especially on the inside (logical I guess)....e.g. 1" x 16g rolled easily in vees with minimum distortion whereas the 1.5 x 16g benefitted from a matching radius.
Bottom line..radiussed wheels do a better job, but aren't always essential.

Uprights:

Yes, custom fabbed. using the bolt-in Chevy Cavallier hub unit all round.

Front suspension mounts:

Yes the tube goes right through them...so it's vital to remember to slip them on during assembly....Can't take credit for the idea though..it's an old TVR trick.

Insomnia:

Eh?..what?..ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Thanks for the tube roller details, bloody brilliant IMHO

Is the suspension geometry and design your own or does it have the traditional locost basis?
And last question (you will be wishing you hadn't asked ) do you have any intentions to produce these or sell plans or anything?

I look forward to watching your progress with it.

Cheers

Alex

Ah, p155 on those who want to knock you Alan!

An excellent effort, even if the suspension geometry is not what I would use.

The smart ones would have spotted, and be very envious of that Miller TIG machine in the background.

Cheers,
Syd.

Thanks for the info on the bender. I agree, it's simple beyond belief and brilliant in concept. It must have been done before! (Because nothing is original, ever)

Will the Meerkat body fit on that chassis? If not, what are the overall dimensions? Track, wheelbase?

Which Honda powerplant is that? Is it the hybrid?

quote:

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Originally posted by ecosse
Thanks for the tube roller details, bloody brilliant IMHO

Is the suspension geometry and design your own or does it have the traditional locost basis?
And last question (you will be wishing you hadn't asked ) do you have any intentions to produce these or sell plans or anything?

I look forward to watching your progress with it.

Cheers

Alex

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quote:

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Originally posted by Syd Bridge
Ah, p155 on those who want to knock you Alan!

An excellent effort, even if the suspension geometry is not what I would use.

The smart ones would have spotted, and be very envious of that Miller TIG machine in the background.

Cheers,
Syd.

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quote:

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Originally posted by sgraber
Thanks for the info on the bender. I agree, it's simple beyond belief and brilliant in concept. It must have been done before! (Because nothing is original, ever)

Will the Meerkat body fit on that chassis? If not, what are the overall dimensions? Track, wheelbase?

Which Honda powerplant is that? Is it the hybrid?

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