28 Days to Build a Race Car
02-02-08, 06:44 PM
#1
tries hard
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28 Days to Build a Race Car
It's Going to be OK!
OK so we've had a head start, but we've probably made up for it in set backs!
The plan is to build a race car (track day thrash machine) for our mate String's stag day. Generously donated by Tim White of RX Motors the white dream machine (elephant.... pony..... errrr) is in need of some tender loving care.
The race car will start life as a badly looked after heap. Some fool decided to "underseal" the floor pan, with what I don't know, but it seems to have destoyed most of the metal work in all the usual places. On discovering this, I made a descision as "Technical Director" (read - king of bullshit) to have the shell sand blasted by some locals in a farm yard.
So that's the head start and the set backs, but what about the 28 days I hear you cry?! Well, this Stag do is on the 12th of May and that's 14 weeks away, we manage to spend all day saturday in the workshop and about 3 evenings during the week, equating to 28 days. This has to go from sand blasted shell to race car in 14 weeks.
What are we up against? Let me see:
Built the workshop over Christmas, tooled, lit, water tight and fit for a build.
Ran out of Money.
Rescued the car from Tim's.
Found out it was a teabag (no wonder it was free).
Ran out of Money (2).
Found a 13b six port and gbox for next to nothing (it's still over 200 miles away!).
Windscreen is in a thousand pieces.
No interior.
No engine.
No cooling system.
No induction system.
No suspension.
No drive train.
No heater (it's winter in the UK!!!)
No exhaust
No wheels
No brakes
No roll cage
No wiring loom
No lights
No windows
No seats
No steering wheel
No pedals
Oh did I mention 28 days???
Staff:
Me
Technical Director
(RxMotors spanner monkey and tea boy)
John
Chief of Asthetics AND Head of "Lugging"
(Wilts Wholesale Grand Prix forklift driver and man able to stop time!)
Stu
Acquistitions and Bonds Trader
(Works in a scrap yard)
Phil
Workshop Manager
(we made him buy a house and build a workshop... works in IT (no ******* use it's on carbs!))
String
Head of Structural Engineering and Integrity
(THE STIG... Fabricator.. builds Caterhams and stuff!!!)
OK so we've had a head start, but we've probably made up for it in set backs!
The plan is to build a race car (track day thrash machine) for our mate String's stag day. Generously donated by Tim White of RX Motors the white dream machine (elephant.... pony..... errrr) is in need of some tender loving care.
The race car will start life as a badly looked after heap. Some fool decided to "underseal" the floor pan, with what I don't know, but it seems to have destoyed most of the metal work in all the usual places. On discovering this, I made a descision as "Technical Director" (read - king of bullshit) to have the shell sand blasted by some locals in a farm yard.
So that's the head start and the set backs, but what about the 28 days I hear you cry?! Well, this Stag do is on the 12th of May and that's 14 weeks away, we manage to spend all day saturday in the workshop and about 3 evenings during the week, equating to 28 days. This has to go from sand blasted shell to race car in 14 weeks.
What are we up against? Let me see:
Built the workshop over Christmas, tooled, lit, water tight and fit for a build.
Ran out of Money.
Rescued the car from Tim's.
Found out it was a teabag (no wonder it was free).
Ran out of Money (2).
Found a 13b six port and gbox for next to nothing (it's still over 200 miles away!).
Windscreen is in a thousand pieces.
No interior.
No engine.
No cooling system.
No induction system.
No suspension.
No drive train.
No heater (it's winter in the UK!!!)
No exhaust
No wheels
No brakes
No roll cage
No wiring loom
No lights
No windows
No seats
No steering wheel
No pedals
Oh did I mention 28 days???
Staff:
Me
Technical Director
(RxMotors spanner monkey and tea boy)
John
Chief of Asthetics AND Head of "Lugging"
(Wilts Wholesale Grand Prix forklift driver and man able to stop time!)
Stu
Acquistitions and Bonds Trader
(Works in a scrap yard)
Phil
Workshop Manager
(we made him buy a house and build a workshop... works in IT (no ******* use it's on carbs!))
String
Head of Structural Engineering and Integrity
(THE STIG... Fabricator.. builds Caterhams and stuff!!!)
02-02-08, 09:00 PM
#6
tries hard
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Cheers guys... I'm really looking forward to it. See how quickly I can fab a 3rd link and Panard rod, oh and about 30% of the floor pan, Ali fuel tank and re-dress all the front suspension/subframe. The rest should be parts.
02-02-08, 09:09 PM
#7
Right near Malloy
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Looks like some of the work is done for you already... Look:
That's half of building a track car, having a place to build it...
It's the part I need to do before I start building mine.
What's a teabag? In the US, it's a vulgar term, used to describe squatting and touching your ******* against someone who's laying down (usually asleep)... Kinda like dunking a tea bag into a cup of hot water.
So, you DO have an engine!
Lexan or Perspex!
Not needed on a race car.
Already out of the way in preparation of engine installation!
Stock parts already removed to make room for upgraded parts!
See: interior
Flame resistant racing suits get hot enough.
Aftermarket parts
See above, also may come with a donor car.
Wire up custom. Old wiring will just add weight.
Perhaps you can find an old car that's rusted out or wrecked and will not pass roadworthyness inspection. Buy it for cheap and cut it up for parts.
It's the part I need to do before I start building mine.
Ran out of Money.
Rescued the car from Tim's.
Found out it was a teabag (no wonder it was free).
Rescued the car from Tim's.
Found out it was a teabag (no wonder it was free).
Ran out of Money (2).
Found a 13b six port and gbox for next to nothing (it's still over 200 miles away!).
Found a 13b six port and gbox for next to nothing (it's still over 200 miles away!).
Windscreen is in a thousand pieces.
No interior.
No engine.
No cooling system.
No induction system.
No cooling system.
No induction system.
No suspension.
No drive train.
No drive train.
No heater (it's winter in the UK!!!)
Flame resistant racing suits get hot enough.
No exhaust
No wheels
No wheels
No brakes
No wiring loom
Perhaps you can find an old car that's rusted out or wrecked and will not pass roadworthyness inspection. Buy it for cheap and cut it up for parts.
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02-04-08, 10:56 AM
#13
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A tea bag is what us britts call a rusty old heap... it's like a teabag... full of holes.
Well car is down the farm for welding, while I crack on with painting the workshop floor and working out how I can get away with a forth bike without the missus noticing... nevermind on that lot... car will be back in a week must crack on old bean!
------------
Phil
Workshop Manager/Tea Boy
Well car is down the farm for welding, while I crack on with painting the workshop floor and working out how I can get away with a forth bike without the missus noticing... nevermind on that lot... car will be back in a week must crack on old bean!
------------
Phil
Workshop Manager/Tea Boy
02-04-08, 05:38 PM
#14
tries hard
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LOL at teabag... I hadn't thought of it quite like that, although I'm sure there's a similarity between finding your chasis leg is made mainly from body filler and finding out you've been teabagged!
started cutting the rusty bits out tonight, ready to start making up replacment panels. Some of them will just be simple sheet to replace complicated shapes and then reinfored with box section. Hopefully I keep my head screwed on and not make more work for myself later on. Trying to be aware of how water will run off the floorpan when it's raining and making the simplest shapes. I haven't got the time to do a restoration job, this has to be structural repair and practical.
Thanks for the words of support.
The spares should be the easy bit as I work at Europe's largest Rx7 breakers... just getting them out the door with my wages still in my pocket is the tricky bit!
started cutting the rusty bits out tonight, ready to start making up replacment panels. Some of them will just be simple sheet to replace complicated shapes and then reinfored with box section. Hopefully I keep my head screwed on and not make more work for myself later on. Trying to be aware of how water will run off the floorpan when it's raining and making the simplest shapes. I haven't got the time to do a restoration job, this has to be structural repair and practical.
Thanks for the words of support.
The spares should be the easy bit as I work at Europe's largest Rx7 breakers... just getting them out the door with my wages still in my pocket is the tricky bit!
02-08-08, 06:33 PM
#15
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After the sand blasting and the priming, the fun begins... looking forward to finishing the welding and I've only just started.
Got to do some welding tonight, the boys have been cutting and grinding while I was doing the clutch on a tractor... now that's hill-billy! 1 hole filled, 20 to go! Saturday should give me some time to get through a lot of the pannel work.
Got to do some welding tonight, the boys have been cutting and grinding while I was doing the clutch on a tractor... now that's hill-billy! 1 hole filled, 20 to go! Saturday should give me some time to get through a lot of the pannel work.
02-09-08, 01:30 PM
#16
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I was cheating on the first gen this morning with a younger, slimmer, more beautiful machine. That's another story.
bit more welding done today. need to prep the bits for powder coating so they are ready when the shell is finished. Can't decide if we should go full poly bush. Need to weld the bracket on the top of the diff for the thir link. Not sure if I should cut off the top arm links on the axle and chasis yet... they might come in handy for setting it all up.
bit more welding done today. need to prep the bits for powder coating so they are ready when the shell is finished. Can't decide if we should go full poly bush. Need to weld the bracket on the top of the diff for the thir link. Not sure if I should cut off the top arm links on the axle and chasis yet... they might come in handy for setting it all up.
02-20-08, 06:35 PM
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The deadline is the 12th of May. The clock is ticking... there just ain't that many Saturdays left. Managed to finish the chassis leg on the right last night and the chassis rail on the left tonight. Thanks to String for sorting out a beautifully folded piece to drop straight in. We've nearly worked our way through 1m square of new steel! Don't want to think about how many meters of welding wire!
Thanks for the words of support Teddy. Just keep your fingers crossed for me and the boys!
Thanks for the words of support Teddy. Just keep your fingers crossed for me and the boys!
02-28-08, 06:24 PM
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alright then, latest up date from down on the farm.
The right hand side of the shell is done and a fair amount of the inside is finished too. Thought I better put it back on it's side to finish the left and get some paint on the floor. These pics are of the car as we get closer to painting... I can't wait, I'm sick to death of welding!
String made some replacement lower controll arms that are half the weight and about twice as strong... he's my hero! Going to make the third link bar using an old FD tow arm. Will probably do the same for the panhard rod.
Really hope I can get the floor welded and in paint by the end of the weekend. It will be such a big step forward.
The right hand side of the shell is done and a fair amount of the inside is finished too. Thought I better put it back on it's side to finish the left and get some paint on the floor. These pics are of the car as we get closer to painting... I can't wait, I'm sick to death of welding!
String made some replacement lower controll arms that are half the weight and about twice as strong... he's my hero! Going to make the third link bar using an old FD tow arm. Will probably do the same for the panhard rod.
Really hope I can get the floor welded and in paint by the end of the weekend. It will be such a big step forward.
02-29-08, 02:25 AM
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thanks Carl, I really apreciate the kind words. Just got to keep thinking 4 steps infront and that way I'll have a load of stuff I can get on with if ever I run out of cutting discs or welding wire etc. I MUST ORDER PARTS!
