The Fingertight Racing Sidecar Project

[Grumph]

Seamless tube - other than hydraulic tube - is not that common in NZ. Hydraulic tube is also a tad expensive here...

i use ERW mild steel in appropriate diameters and conservative gauges for my solo frames. gauges range from 2mm to 1.6mm wall.
there is a DOM option available in mild steel too - but it doesn't have much ductility and is known to be prone to splitting. Ray Breingan who builds classic frames uses it but test bends each stick - tossing out any that fail. I can't afford that luxury so just use seamed tube.
When in doubt with ERW just go up in diameter - the weight penalty is very small and it pays off in stiffness.

[Pumba]

Cheers Grumph, was hoping some with some experience on that one. I was only guessing based on what I was reading and talking to some work mates with hot rod experience.

[Grumph]

[QUOTE=Pumba;1130723120]Cheers Grumph, was hoping some with some experience on that one. I was only guessing based on what I was reading and talking to some work mates with hot rod experience

Apples and Oranges....they're working in diameters and gauges we never use on bikes. Yes, big, thick wall seamless is about - but you'd only use it if you built a trailer for the chair.....

[jibberwobble]

Gotta admit after looking around my chassis most of it is seamed. The bits I've made are seamless in the imortant areas and whatever I can find for everything else. I only had to buy a few metres and yes it was expensive

[Grumph]

Gotta admit after looking around my chassis most of it is seamed. The bits I've made are seamless in the imortant areas and whatever I can find for everything else. I only had to buy a few metres and yes it was expensive

There are one or two areas I'd use something better too....dechromed fork stanchions for the legs on leading link forks comes to mind.

[Pumba]

Been having a harder than I have in the past at some of those rigs built in the UK and I am liking what I am seeing. I have concluded that kart wheels and hub are certainly the better option, if for no other reason than it limits the amount of custom fabrication.

Although I still like the idea of suspension I have concluded that it probably is not required.

Lots of thinking going on here. Now all I need is for numbers to come in on the weekend as I see Lotto is at a mere $23million. Yep, think I should be able to build something adequate with that.

[koba]

Been having a harder than I have in the past at some of those rigs built in the UK and I am liking what I am seeing. I have concluded that kart wheels and hub are certainly the better option, if for no other reason than it limits the amount of custom fabrication.

Although I still like the idea of suspension I have concluded that it probably is not required.

Lots of thinking going on here. Now all I need is for numbers to come in on the weekend as I see Lotto is at a mere $23million. Yep, think I should be able to build something adequate with that.

Look closely at a kart frame, I'm pretty sure it's designed to flex in the right places, could try and incorporate that idea but I have no idea how.

Yet.

[Drew]

Look closely at a kart frame, I'm pretty sure it's designed to flex in the right places, could try and incorporate that idea but I have no idea how.

Yet.

Dunno if they're allowed suspension, but I imagine the whole point of not having it in the beginning would have had something to do with weight. If tyres could be made to effectively deal with surface imperfections, F1 cars wouldn't have shocks.

Not so much of an issue, when dealing with an outfit like Pumba's.

[wildman]

Some early seventies American karts had a crude form of suspension and i have seen it tried on a couple of Superkart frames but i don't think it really helped. Some modern karts have torsion blades which run across the front and rear of the chassis and can be set at different angles to alter chassis stiffness Or you could buy my sidecar rolling chassis which already has suspension.

[Gazzza]

Hi Warren, so are you saying you are going to sell your rig?

[wildman]

Hi Warren, so are you saying you are going to sell your rig?

Hi Gazzza, yeah thought about it and probably better to sell it than let it sit around for rest of year. Will look at building one similar to my first one i had years ago when i get back from South Sudan next year. Will give you a ring sometime over weekend.

[Pumba]

Its ok Warren. Your rig is a work of art, but would rather build me own before buying another. After doing that lap on yours it would require a few changes for me to be comfortable on.

[wildman]

Its ok Warren. Your rig is a work of art, but would rather build me own before buying another. After doing that lap on yours it would require a few changes for me to be comfortable on.

Haha that's okay, i've worked out what was going on with front end on mine. So are you going to rebuild your old one for now or concentrate on a new one?

[Pumba]

Haha that's okay, i've worked out what was going on with front end on mine. So are you going to rebuild your old one for now or concentrate on a new one?

Going to fix up my current one. Frankly the money is not there to race at the moment. Would really love to build one from scratch but not sure what the time frame on that would be.

[Gazzza]

Hey Warren, can see the logic in that, if some one buys the frame can wrangle an engine in we could have one more for the new season... There must be some one out there who would like the only hub centre steering bucket chair. I have also decided to finish off the frame I started and sell it as a rolling frame, good to go for some one who wants to put an engine in, I'll make it with plenty of room to mount any sort of motor. Will pull out what I have done so far this coming weekend and see what needs to be done to get it to a stage I can sell it on.