Construction
Steel tubing for the car arrived in june 2007. The six main longerons were bent by a local ironwork shop after hours (Thank You). In late july, the basement racer mock-up's frame was re-built to support the steel longerons loosely rather than the forced springing that held the PVC mock-up tubing in shape. With the start of welding on this tubing, real construction began.
Cutting and Grinding
The real work of making a chassis:
Early Framing Fall 2007
Step one is to weld tabs and brackets to the longerons so they can be fastened in place. The pictures below show how the tubing is held.
These are some very unfortunate looking welds. Practice makes better if not perfect. Wood frames hold the tubing in place until welds take over for support. Next to no work happened during winter on the frame because the garage has no heat.
Welding Spring-Summer 2008
The wood support scaffolding for the car has been replaced by welded structure. The front end of the car is very straight and will be completed first. Once the front is reinforced to prevent warping or twisting, the mild twist to the back of the frame will be forcibly removed and welded joints made to hold the car permanently straight. Horizontal rectangular tubing running fore and aft in the nose will be used to support the brake and gas pedals. Clutch will be a hand control.
