RX Steve

No such thing as what??? Did I miss something here????

Steve

YayeR

yeah, you missed the S in FD3S when you posted the thread. he was just picking on you.

ttpowerd

Sounds really cool. Can't wait for some pics!

Scrub

iTrader: (25)

how much does a carbon drive shaft run?? Im sure there kind of heavy.

jimlab

Steve, you might try McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) for the Ti stock. They have Grade 2 and Grade 5 Titanium rods in various diameters. 1 foot of 1" dia. Grade 5 rod is $89.21.

As for your carbon fiber... be aware that those who are producing "copies" of other vendor's parts are providing people with the carbon fiber look, but that their production process is probably the same as that for fiberglass (wet lay-up), so the weight is probably very similar also. For true lightweight carbon fiber components, you'll need to find someone who uses an autoclave to cure the components at high temperature and pressure, and uses "pre-preg" material.

Pre-preg carbon fiber is pre-impregnated with resin at a production facility, rolled onto spools, and then frozen to prevent it from curing. The resulting material has a precisely controlled resin volume (unlike wet lay-up, where fiber is layed into the mold and then resin is applied) and will be 20-30% stiffer and stronger than an equivalent thickness wet laminate. Panels made from pre-preg can be significantly thinner because of the increased strength, and are therefore lighter.

jimlab

There's some good information on carbon fiber driveshafts here...

http://www.acpt.com/driveshaft/index.html

jimlab

That's for sure.

In the upper left corner of the picture below, you can see the huge amount of wiring and parts that I eliminated from my engine bay harness alone. Compare the thickness of the remaining harness to a stock one, and you'll see where 20+ lbs. of my weight reduction came from.

jimlab

Close-up of the "scrap" pile...

banzaitoyota

Thats a lot of work there Jim!. Can I send you my TII harness for a rebuild/refurb?

yzf-r1

iTrader: (1)

must be nice to have money to burn on a negative return investment

some people are apparently not suffering in this economy....

yzf-r1

iTrader: (1)

hey Jim,

you must have a VERY understanding wife who is ok with you filling the house with old RX-7 wiring harnesses

jimlab

She has a room for her hobbies, and I have a room for mine. And the garage.

It was the crankshafts and cylinder heads sitting on the island in the kitchen that she eventually objected to, although she didn't yell at me for scrubbing the FD's rear subframe clean in the bathtub of her "Mickey" bathroom...

RX Steve

Jim,
Prepreg aint what it's cracked up to be. We have some resins that are Rom temp cure that work just as well or better than the prepreg. I have produced carbon parts before and know quite a lot about it. I have the ability and the facility to vacume bag every part. If done right it is just as efficiant as any carbon system can be. Mosler uses it on the MT-900 right next door to my wharehouse and they are very helpfull.
I will be using a couple of tricks these guys spent years learning. In return I have some for them as well. I have a system they say won't work and they want proof. So trading is working well.
The PPF seems to be well made with little excess weight. I think I have a solution for it too though.
The driveshaft is not a part I want to try myself. I will however be doing lots of other parts along the way. I am doing the titanium suspension parts as well.
I need lexan or something better if it is made. FAL was supposed to be doing a kit but all they did was the rear glass. If anyone can help here I would really apreciate it.
The car comes down (It's been stored in my loft) this week so that I can begin reassembly. I'll keep you all posted.

Steve

Jim Swantko

Anyone who thinks cars are investments are dilusional. It's a piece of machinery which loses value over time. Unless you've got a mint AC Cobra or 426 Hemi Superbird sitting in the garage... go have fun with it.

jimlab

My point was that a traditional wet layup process (no bagging, no autoclave) usually produces thicker and heavier parts, and it sounded like you were planning on buying all pre-made parts, so I was just trying to help you get the lightest parts possible.