axle mount

 I have been working on the axle mount today. Lots of cutting, drilling and welding. The mount, tying the axle to the car, will slide up and down the suspension pillar and also form the steering centre. Rather than caster, this car has trail - the centre of rotation is behind the centre of the axle. On Mick Broom's advice I have set this mount up in a way that will make the trail adjustable. That means having to make the nuts and bolts accessible.

There is a secondary element which I haven't finished yet, which pushes back against the axle so that there will be no slop if the axle's trail is extended further in front of the car, away from the mount. This element will also anchor into two little holes (M8) in the axle to prevent it rotating.

 

  

I wish this system would stop mucking about with my page arrangements! 

In the editor this page looks great. 

working out the buck

 

starting to get exciting

 

secure cockpit siding

 Finally secured my aluminium cockpit (not the rear engine boat, yet) bodywork with M5 hex dome headed set-screws. They look a lot like rivets but with larger heads which cast a better shadow and are stainless, so look great.

The zig-zag pattern and the distribution of domes is the same as on the original car, albeit scaled down and with abbreviation at the front of the car.

centre, drill and tap axles - jig

 Today I made a jig for centre drilling the ends of my axles, spent hours at it and "still" didn't get totally central holes, though at least they are in line with the shaft.

I haven't tapped them yet. I started but it was tricky.

Creating illusions

The original's nose (enclosing the engine) was very narrow. I have to create room in mine for my legs without making the horizontal timber running either side of my petrol tank look too wide and also need to avoid making my tank too large. So the top of the nose is very roughly the same as on the original, while the bottom is wider, meaning that my verticals have to narrow without sloping at all. At the front of the nose I use angle-iron rather than anything solid section, which meant that my feet fit down the end of the nose. The uprights holding the edge of the front of the skin have to accommodate cut-aways so that my legs are not pinched. That is what I have been working on this evening.

Dieting!

 The car feels way too heavy. Think I may remove the treadplate floor to begin with. I need to come up with a strengthener where you stand and replace the treadplate with ally or thin ply.