380 replies to this topic

[koss]

Clarify please?

had you thought about getting a patch of the seat flocked?

Hi Aric

Flocking is done by means of coating something with glue then applying microscopic nylon fibres to it.
A bit like an action man's head type of finish.
I personally don't like it.

[Jammy]

What is a bladder cell? How is it different to any other fuel cell?

[Monte Busa]

Paraphrased from Fuel Safe's site:

Fuel bladders are designed to freely deform and absorb energy under impact. Fuel Safe's Pro Cell, the one I got, uses a double layer of proprietary fuel resistant coating over a backbone of super tough ballistic fabric.

I've seen pictures of these with teh can literally "exploded" and no fuel leaking out...

Cheers,

Aric

What is a bladder cell? How is it different to any other fuel cell?

[Monte Busa]

I know what flocking is, sorry, should have been more clear.

If I didn't I would have asked "what the flock is flocking?" (sorry, couldn't help it).

What I was asking clarification on was about getting a "patch on the seat" flocked.

I'm actually looking at a professional type of flocking as an option for my seat. Living close to Detroit gives access to some pretty cool stuff from the car manufacturer vendors sometimes - the stuff I found is spray on and supposedly "very" durable, as it's used on center consoles and arm rests. I'm going to pick up a sample in the next couple of weeks to do some of my own durability tests on.

Cheers,

Aric

Clarify please?

had you thought about getting a patch of the seat flocked?

Hi Aric

Flocking is done by means of coating something with glue then applying microscopic nylon fibres to it.
A bit like an action man's head type of finish.
I personally don't like it.

Edited by Monte Busa, 24 June 2007 - 09:25 PM.

[Monte Busa]

Worked on a little glass fibre lamination on my removable rear hatch after a beer or three this weekend and last. Have all the base material done and the major trimming. Now for some filling and final shaping. Now I'll have plenty of room to service the 'busa

 rear_hatch_removed.jpg   45.38K   96 downloads
 side_flange.jpg   46.43K   81 downloads
 top_flange.jpg   53.94K   86 downloads

In the piccy below you can see the bulkhead frame I fabricated a few weeks ago as well - I wanted a nice big window opening for visibility.

 bulkhead_frame.jpg   58.09K   90 downloads

And here's what it looks like all buttoned up, minus the Dzus fasteners that will be in place once it's finished.

 rear_hatch_attached.jpg   45.63K   89 downloads

Cheers

Aric

[Monte Busa]

Thanks to everyone who answered the poll. Don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet, but seems I have some popular options. here's the final tally:

"Pondering covering the fibergalss shells. The black paint as supplied isn't very good in wearing (already can see scrapes and scratches and the car's not even done yet!) and want something cool looking but durable. No padding, just covering. What'dya think??

[ 38 ] total respondents:

Alacantara (black) [ 19 ] [50.00%]
Non-skid pick-up truck bed lining (black, spray on type) [ 6 ] [15.79%]
The "stuff" (If I can figure out what it is) that Ariel uses on the Atom seats [ 10 ] [26.32%]
Other (please specify) [ 3 ] [7.89%]

...now how do yo ushut off the poll or add a new one, anyone???

Edited by Monte Busa, 26 June 2007 - 11:57 PM.

[Jammy]

Just to throw another idea into the pot. I'm going to make some covers up like these but in Alcantara.

[rumblebee]

Hello Monte
I'm new to the forum but like your build in progress.
I have a few questions of you have time.
Are you considering a reverse ? Electric or engine powered? If so, chain based or gear based?
Have you seen any data on the expected lateral G's the car with wide tires is expected to do?

Now that you have been building for several months, would you recommended building if one has fair welding machining ability or ...turn key car?

I love zcars Monte Carlo Hayabusa idea
I have a Hayabusa that I turboed and it is fast, but I'm older and don't want to splat !!! So instead .... build a fast 4 wheeler so I can slplat with 4 wheels .. LOL
Thanks for the time.

[Monte Busa]

I am using one of Z-Cars electric reverse setups you can see in various posts on this site (Check Ade's minus, pete's Pickup, Markrally73's first car, etc). it's a system based on an automotive starter motor that engages a toothed gear mounted around the diffy.

lateral Gs, hm, will depend on tires (road or slicks?), track surface type, etc, but somewhere north of 1G for mine as I'm doing a flat floor with a diffuser, a rear lip spoiler, and a front spliter. Very difficult question to answer though, but with a bit of aero downforce, you'll have way more than your bike can muster.

I bought the car as a kit as I wanted to have a hand in fabricating all the small details a stab at welding, and GRP work, and to add a custom touch or ten. Also, the turnkey's are basically double what you will pay for the kit, and I didn't have GBP30K+ just sitting around.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

Aric

Hello Monte
I'm new to the forum but like your build in progress.
I have a few questions of you have time.
Are you considering a reverse ? Electric or engine powered? If so, chain based or gear based?
Have you seen any data on the expected lateral G's the car with wide tires is expected to do?

Now that you have been building for several months, would you recommended building if one has fair welding machining ability or ...turn key car?

I love zcars Monte Carlo Hayabusa idea
I have a Hayabusa that I turboed and it is fast, but I'm older and don't want to splat !!! So instead .... build a fast 4 wheeler so I can slplat with 4 wheels .. LOL
Thanks for the time.

[Monte Busa]

Looks spiffy, but a bit too "paddy" 9as in cushion, not Hopkirk) for me....

Just to throw another idea into the pot. I'm going to make some covers up like these but in Alcantara.

[rumblebee]

Hello Monte again
Thanks four the info.
Other questions I have. 1) How hard was it to get the Kit into the States? The Fiberglass part would be the hardest part to ship it seems to me.
How much welding is expected in the kit? I'm not a professional welder, but I have a MIG and ARC welder I play with lots. Metal stuff is more my hobby than my profession.
Are the plans for construction easy to follow, and make since?

I've looked at lots of the 1200 pound range cars with 300-500 Hp engines (see list below)
Kirkham RUSH http://www.kirkhammo...stom/index.html
US Brammo motorsports Ariel Atom II http://www.arielatom.com
And next to my state ..Ultralite XR7 (Lotus Modified Clone) http://home.earthlin...lite/index.html

The zcars Monte Carlo is the lightest AND enclosed cockpit. It has the most potential for different motor combinations (even maybe a Heartley H1 V8).
Light car/horse power = adrenaline. A big hayabusa turboed motor and this light car puts the acceleration in the ball park acceleration of a stock hayabusa bike. FAST.
My eyes poped out when I saw the data on the supercharged VTEC Monte Carlo 0-60 in 2.5sec top speed 180 MPH.
All this brings me to a very important question, ..... are you building yours to drive on the streets or track , or both !!!
If I build it .... I want to drive it......every where.
Making it street legal is a major factor for me.
Have a good day!

[Monte Busa]

The kit was easy to get into the states (although quite expensive at appx $3500 US + usage tax applied by the State you are in), as engineless :car as an assemblage of parts" cars are their own Customs import category and are handled seemingly enough to not have much trouble as far as regulations, although you can't import wheels unless they have DOT embosses, Glass unless they have the same, as well as tires, and brake lines...so these have to be gotten seperately. Special care need to be made to make sure that you specify the car wil be registered for the road as well at time of importation - you can't spec the imprt as a race car and change your mind later.

The car was sent to me "dry assembled" in one big crate, so other than what I've done with it to modify it (my own dash, the paddleshift, the harness attachment method, the diagonal roll bar reinforcement, extra ally panelling, racing fuel cell, removable rear hatch, etc), the kit doesn't really need any instructions, which is good as Chris doesn't supply any, although he's always "only an e-mail or call away, which is good as you'll have some head scrathing moments. I didn't order every nut and bolt and fixing from Chris, so a bit of fab work is necessary, and the kit should not be viewed as a bolt together kit as a Westfield or Caterham would be, but that's some of the fun as far as I'm concerned.

As far as engines, I chose the hayabusa as the VTEC wasn't ready yet, and if I did it over again would probably stick with the Hayabusa for a number of reasons, among which are that a VTEC Monte Carlo will have a VERY tight cockpit for anyone above 5ft 10" or so. It's a very small car, much smaller than an Elise even at the end of the day, with 2" chopped off the height from the bottom of the doors as compared to a regular Mini. The whole thing is only going to be 42 to 43" tall when I'm done.

The hartley V8 is noce, but at $30K I'll stick with $2K to $3K "throwaway" Hayabusas thank you very much. Also keep in mind, a 235BHP Powertech hayabusa-engined Monte Carlo did 2.83sec to 60MPH, so my "measly" 185 or 190BHP should do 3.3 to 3.5sec to 60.

I will road register mine, but I am not aunder any delusions that it will be an every day driver, with 3.5 to 4" of ground clearance, a very tight cockpit, no A/C, etc and will be used mainly for autocross time trials and track days - it will be cool pulling up in the car you'll be racing and leaving in that same car vs. towing a race car though - assuming it doesn't break down

I considered an XR7 by the way and other than the fact that I wanted a closed roof and a Mini shaped vehicle, I might do one instead of the Monte perhaps, as you'll undoubtdedly get on the road for less than a Monte with the conversion rate of GBP to USD these days - I had as much in the kit (without all the extras), my hayabusa engine, and shipping once the car was in my garage as a full up XR7! Not trying to dissuade you in the slightest mind you, I'm happy with my choice, but be prepared for a bit of sticker shock when it comes to importing a car from abroad.

Cheers,

Aric

Hello Monte again
Thanks four the info.
Other questions I have. 1) How hard was it to get the Kit into the States? The Fiberglass part would be the hardest part to ship it seems to me.
How much welding is expected in the kit? I'm not a professional welder, but I have a MIG and ARC welder I play with lots. Metal stuff is more my hobby than my profession.
Are the plans for construction easy to follow, and make since?

I've looked at lots of the 1200 pound range cars with 300-500 Hp engines (see list below)
Kirkham RUSH http://www.kirkhammo...stom/index.html
US Brammo motorsports Ariel Atom II http://www.arielatom.com
And next to my state ..Ultralite XR7 (Lotus Modified Clone) http://home.earthlin...lite/index.html

The zcars Monte Carlo is the lightest AND enclosed cockpit. It has the most potential for different motor combinations (even maybe a Heartley H1 V8).
Light car/horse power = adrenaline. A big hayabusa turboed motor and this light car puts the acceleration in the ball park acceleration of a stock hayabusa bike. FAST.
My eyes poped out when I saw the data on the supercharged VTEC Monte Carlo 0-60 in 2.5sec top speed 180 MPH.
All this brings me to a very important question, ..... are you building yours to drive on the streets or track , or both !!!
If I build it .... I want to drive it......every where.
Making it street legal is a major factor for me.
Have a good day!

Edited by Monte Busa, 05 July 2007 - 03:44 AM.

[rumblebee]

[quote name='Monte Busa' date='Jul 5 2007, 12:39 AM' post='584127']
.....Not trying to dissuade you in the slightest mind you, I'm happy with my choice, but be prepared for a bit of sticker shock when it comes to importing a car from abroad.

Cheers,

Aric

Aric thanks for all the personal experience.
I will have to agree with you ... a car is a part of the driver and to individualize it (build it yourself) ...can not get much more individual than that.
I guess I'll start brushing up on my MIG welding or consider TIG for some aluminum pieces.
If I go the build -it-yourself rout, I will look into the Quaife PowerTec gear drive system or the gear box made for sand rails for a hayabusa http://sandbullet.com
Of corse I don't know the gear ratios but I'll find out.
Have a good day
Griffin

[Monte Busa]

I can also personally recommend another State-side Hayabusa engine / drivetrain guru, Mike Downs at Downs Engineering http://www.downsengineering.com/ - great guy and has huge experience with hayabusa engines, both normally aspirated and tubro charged, and can supply drive systems, fuel systems, dry sump and wet sump racing kits, oil pressure drive gears / relief valves, as well as build a bulletproof Hayabusa motor.

Cheers,

[rumblebee]

I can also personally recommend another State-side Hayabusa engine / drivetrain guru, Mike Downs at Downs Engineering http://www.downsengineering.com/ - great guy and has huge experience with hayabusa engines, both normally aspirated and tubro charged, and can supply drive systems, fuel systems, dry sump and wet sump racing kits, oil pressure drive gears / relief valves, as well as build a bulletproof Hayabusa motor.

Cheers,

Thanks for the Down's web site looks very good. I would prefer a racing background instead of a sand buggy background.
Just for fun... came accross this google video on a mini "stunt driving". Thought it was ..... demonstration of some of the capabilities of the mini/driver.
Have a Great day.