That is some amazing craftsmanship!
That is some amazing craftsmanship!
In reply to GaryC83 :
I had a number of cage design questions and ended up scheduling a Zoom call with the sanctioning body's chief technical inspector. I video walked him around the cage and asked specifically about the dimples/hole. He said they were fine. But thanks for calling that out. It's always best to be sure!
On a less happy note, the way those main hoop 'center' support bars land on the rear suspension tower cross bar isn't going to fly. All the tubes need to land on a plate, not on another tube. The OK news is that I'll need to enlarge the plate a bit and once that's done, I can salvage the two outermost tubes. There's enough material that I can redo the ends and should be good to go. The two inside tubes are destined to be used for something else.
So... a step backwards but also a lesson learned. Ah well, it's only time and money! 
Oh, and then one of the bars fell on my hand and, of course, the mitered end hit first. Physiology fans will know that when this sort of laceration happens, you can move your fingers and see your tendon move back and forth. That was fun. Off to to the ER! But back in the shop in the afternoon. What a day...
In reply to tygaboy :
Yikes. That sucks about getting hurt. I am super impressed that someone with your amazing expertise is also humble enough to listen to the suggestion about the mounting boxes and take the time to check it out and then take the watchers through. This is max boss level. Lots of respect. Thanks for taking us along for the build ride. Hope the hand heals fast.
NYN
So which do you think you're going to get, Index of Effluency or 1000 penalty laps?
In reply to GCrites80s :
I don't want to get ahead of myself or be a drama queen but let me just say: the wackiest parts of this build have yet to be mentioned. I wanted to get far enough along that I was certain I was going to go through with them. I think that happened over the past day or so. So, once the cage is fully welded, the next work that happens will essentially give it away. If the cage goes to schedule - and, knock wood, I avoid add'l injury (!), by the end of this coming week, you should have a pretty good idea of my end goal. We can talk penalty laps and awards at that point! 
In reply to New York Nick :
Hi NYN - Thanks for the kind words. I do my best to recognize that I don't know what I don't know and that someone else's perspective may just include something I've missed. That keeps me learning - always a good thing. I tend to post a lot of detail on my builds because that's what I like to see when I'm following someone else's. Pics are great but I'm often left wondering, "now why'd they do that? And why that way?" I expect you folks to chime in and offer opinion and suggestion. That's part of why I post!
Anyway, it's nice to hear when someone finds value in it. Thanks again, I appreciate it.
Cool build so far. Keep it coming. Sorry you got speared in the hand.
Today was addressing the issues with the main hoop rear supports. So, out comes the 'old'. Happily, things were only tacked, so this wasn't really too big a deal. The landing plates were then enlarged to accommodate all the tubes hitting the plate without any overlap. The weld joints were smoothed before fitting the tubes.
Then it was a fairly simple matter of trimming the ends of the main support bars to fit their new position on the plate. New tubes had to be fabbed for the inner support bars as the old ones were too short for their new position. Next, it's repeat everything on the other side. A good days work and things now meet the rules!
As America sang: "Will you meet me in the middle?" (could this be some sort of hint?) In the case of Racer Benz, the answer is "YES!"
View from the rear. And yes, the shock tower cross bar is yet to be added back in. But wait, did I remove the package tray and that other Benz sheet metal cross member? Why, yes. Yes I did!. Any guesses as to why? 
So... this mid rear build just became my new favorite thing.
Please say V12, Please say V12, Please say V12.
tygaboy said:View from the rear. And yes, the Shock tower cross bar is yet to be added back in. But wait, did I remove the package tray and that other Benz sheet metal cross member? Why, yes. Yes I did!. Any guesses as to why?
Make room for moar powah!
I was going to say transaxle, but the subframe on the floor hints at more. Maybe?
In reply to birdmayne :
Well, that didn't take long. I'll claim I give great hints! So yes, Racer Benz is going to be converted to mid (rear) engine. And as to your request? Sure, I'll say it: "V12".
But that's not what'll be going in this car. For a start, while essentially anything is possible, a V12 is too long to comfortably fit in this chassis' back seat area. Plus, that's a LOT of weight to deal with: the BMW and Merc v12 engines are both in the 700 - 750 lb range, then add a trans! (and I don't want to spend $40k+ on a custom LS-based V12.) A Viper engine is ~640 lbs. Still heavier and longer than I want. The ever obvious LS3? ~460 lbs. but it fits comfortably. What about an Audi 2.7 twin turbo? That's a tidy little package that can make some serious power. ~ 420 lbs. That'd fit with room to spare, too, but then I'd need to deal with all the inter cooler plumbing and the add'l heat management. What to do, what to do... I guess you'll just have to keep watching!
Needs an OM642 between the shock towers!
buzzboy said:Needs an OM642 between the shock towers!
Nothing needs one of those between the shock towers.
Not sure what transaxle works, but let's say GM LFX??? 300+hp with integrated exh. Manifold and internet reported 370lbs??
I just discovered this build thread, and now I'm fully invested in seeing the end product.
I vote Ecoboost V6 for the powerplant, but that has the same plumbing concerns as the Audi 2.7 TT
In reply to classicJackets (FS) :
Great minds - I was looking at the LFX. But I think I want something with a stronger aftermarket.
One of my problems is I get all excited about an idea and sorta jump in with both feet. The bad news is I sometimes end up with a bit of a white elephant. The good news is that I end up with more options! I'm going to call this one of the "good news" jumps. While it's not full transparency, I did go ahead and purchase one adaptor set up that enables an engine/trans package that really appeals to me. It's what's pictured. I wouldn't be surprised if some of you sharp eyed folks figure out what this initial option is, based on that adaptor set up. (There's one pretty good hint in the pic.) All that said, I'm still researching some of the more complex technical elements I'll face with this option. So, I reserve the right to abandon it and go in another direction.
The other good news is the planned chassis mods are designed to support any number of drive train combos so for a start, I don't have to spec the drive train in order to proceed. Then, once "V1" of the build is running, I'll pretty easily be able to swap in different engine/trans set ups, should I decide to do that. Does all of this really just slow down the build? Yep. But in the end, for me it's more about the journey than the destination.
The Audi fanboy in me would love to see a 2.7TT, but since that's been mostly ruled out, how about something Honda? It's hard to have a larger aftermarket than the K series, even if it is the boring/safe choice. The J series V6 is pretty nice too. Not sure about aftermarket support for those though.
Roof bracing complete. With this done, the cage is ready to be dropped for final welding of the places that won't be accessible otherwise. The main hoop and A-pillar bars will be braced temporarily. The remainder of the main hoop (diagonals, harness bar), door bars and other bracing will be added once things are back in place.
View from the back window.
Tried for as much head room as possible!
You'll need to log in to post.
