In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Unless it's on a tube chassis none of this will be useful...
In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Unless it's on a tube chassis none of this will be useful...
Javelin said:In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Unless it's on a tube chassis none of this will be useful...
Unless Girthquake is interested because he wants to put the Javelin on a tube chassis.
I know it would be a pointless project but a steel Somerset body would be killer. 
In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :
That does look pretty killer.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Nascar was considering a road course series with smaller cars. Bobby Allison ended up entering this one in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Somewhere I have a pic of an Olds Calais testing at the Meadowlands.
In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :
Very cool. JG, did you see this?
Yeah and from what I've found out even the IMSA/Trans-Am Somersets had a lot of metal in them. I guess for a while they had to use stock roofs and door skins, and a lot of them used steel rear quarters, too. Or at least part of the quarters that the flares were then attached to.
By the way, that Leighton Reese Grand Prix on the previous page is pretty gnarly, too.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Ever get the numbers off of that T-10?
Javelin said:In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Ever get the numbers off of that T-10?
No, but it's got the Richmond diamonds on it. Had a couple other projects get in the way, but I should be able to roll it back out this weekend.
JG Pasterjak said:Yeah and from what I've found out even the IMSA/Trans-Am Somersets had a lot of metal in them. I guess for a while they had to use stock roofs and door skins, and a lot of them used steel rear quarters, too. Or at least part of the quarters that the flares were then attached to.
By the way, that Leighton Reese Grand Prix on the previous page is pretty gnarly, too.
Interesting factoid from my memory a steel roof was required by Trans Am rules back in the 80’s but there was no requirement that it match the rest of the bodywork hence the Atcher Bros Dodge Daytona’s had a Camaro roof.
If I had to do it over again (or maybe when I have to do it over again) I would use a steel skin. I paid around $5k for the fiberglass gen1 camaro body....and it is really light.
But...I think I would trade a little lightness in for knowing I could fix or replace a panel quicker. I would mount it the same as my fiberglass...it would just be a little more robust.
In reply to jh36 :
Other than Japanese GP motorcycle fairings I've found most fiberglass to be built to a price.
JG Pasterjak said:Yeah and from what I've found out even the IMSA/Trans-Am Somersets had a lot of metal in them. I guess for a while they had to use stock roofs and door skins, and a lot of them used steel rear quarters, too. Or at least part of the quarters that the flares were then attached to.
By the way, that Leighton Reese Grand Prix on the previous page is pretty gnarly, too.
Afterwards he built his own chassis but still a Grand Prix
Wally, you missed the smart. 
In reply to David S. Wallens :
JG seems more of a Rolls guy
jh36 said:If I had to do it over again (or maybe when I have to do it over again) I would use a steel skin. I paid around $5k for the fiberglass gen1 camaro body....and it is really light.
But...I think I would trade a little lightness in for knowing I could fix or replace a panel quicker. I would mount it the same as my fiberglass...it would just be a little more robust.
For less than that you can make molds off a pattern and then do hand lay ups in carbon fiber.
Carbon fiber will take a lot more impact than fiberglass and if you have the molds it's not much work to make another part.
Most fiberglass is chopper gun because it's so much faster than hand layups. But chopper gun fiberglass is heavy and weak. Not as heavy as steel but definitely not as strong.
Next comes fiberglass Matt. Lighter and stronger than chopper gun but about 20% more work.
Then comes fiberglass cloth. Still lighter than Matt and definitely stronger. only about 10% more work
The lightest and strongest is carbon fiber. Prepeg and an autoclave is the lightest but also massively more expensive. For DIY on a budget you can buy carbon fiber cloth and use a squeegee to rid yourself of most of the excess resin. It takes a little judgement to know when the resin has properly penetrated the carbon cloth and then squeegee the excess resin off.
By careful shopping you may be able to buy expired prepeg carbon Fiber. That will be about 1/2 the price of carbon fiber cloth and only a little more than fiberglass cloth.
If the rules say no carbon fiber you can do it in Kevlar which will be stronger then steel and only about the weight of fiberglass cloth.
To gain rigidity put a thin layer of foam between layers. The foam weighs next to nothing but adds depth to the panel which makes it much more rigid.
One major trick racers do is feel the edge that overlap the mold. Once the fiberglass or whatever starts to feel leathery use a new blade on a utility knife and carve off the excess. While the strip you carve off is a little sticky at least you don't have fibetglass dust flying around getting you itchy.
If you get messy or itchy doing fiberglass work you aren't doing it right. Always layout the pieces before hand Do all of your fiberglass cutting with a new pair of really sharp scissors. I use Fiskers. For Carbon Fiber you need new sharp pinking shears. The carefully lay out each layer offset so it's easy to pickup. Lay out the resin and catalyst plus measuring cups in an organized fashion and do a dry run to ensure you have everything set up. Don't skip that step.
You can suit up with protective gear or just wear clothes you can throw away. I sometimes use those plastic grocery bags over shoes I want to keep. But be careful if the floor is slippery the plastic will become impossible. Duct tape works for me.
Wally (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
JG seems more of a Rolls guy
You know what's funny: I could put a soap bar Sportsman body on it with the LS1 and if I put a Rolls grille sticker on the front I'd have to run E Modified for SCCA Solo. Or, I could just change the front decal to something GM RWD and run C Prepared.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Put a JEEP grille on it and get kicked out.
JG Pasterjak said:Wally (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
JG seems more of a Rolls guy
You know what's funny: I could put a soap bar Sportsman body on it with the LS1 and if I put a Rolls grille sticker on the front I'd have to run E Modified for SCCA Solo. Or, I could just change the front decal to something GM RWD and run C Prepared.
"It's a Monza Spyder, see there's 4 square headlight stickers"
In reply to Appleseed :
I just paid 2k for ASA chassis ASA9415. It is a roller with no engine/trans. Everything is tight but old and dirty. Winters QC rear, shocks are junk, steering rack is there but junk. Left biased front end, will need to have a new front cross member, all new suspension and new spindles and new or completely rebuilt steering rack. Not sure on the brake parts, they are wilwood super light calipers. Rotors are super rusty. Lot of $$ to spend to be track ready and that is just the chassis. I will be scrounging for a while.
I think for what I got it was a fair price. More usable parts and less stuff to change the more it is worth. Seen a few better chassis go for 5k to 8k. Thought I could do better buying cheaper but adding up all the parts maybe I should have bought something a lot more complete and ready to go. I am at least lucky I can do everything myself and not have to pay some one.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
RE: I think a good "circle track 101" guide would be useful to readers as well. ASA vs perimeter chassis?
ASA chassis is a perimeter chassis.
Plenty of good ideas for bodies in these two vids. Plenty of good ol 70's and 80's cheesiness in the vids too!
^All I can say about that song is that it must be weird to work at a recording studio. You think it's going to be rockers all day but that's not true at all.
frenchyd said: ...Next comes fiberglass Matt.
I think I knew him, a lightweight at parties, smelled funny, and was always itching himself...
Or was that mat? :P
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