I didn't have enough encourage to buy a HD Fatbob, or enough money to buy an Ariel Atom, so I had to improvice something my own. I have done a 1952 vintage split and a sleeper 1959, so this should be something different. Here in Finland to get a road legal vehicle is not that simple and the original car must be there still at least 51% + lot of rules and regulations by our Trafic Safety Office. I didn't give up, but did some CAD Solidworks pland and negotiated with an officer some months - and my -74 1303S started to be, as I want to call it a KART.
First there was an idea:
Then some grinder:
Then some rough rip off:
Then some new parts:
More parts:
And after some pipe bending and welding, the chassis started to look like car:
Colour will be Audi Nardo Grey with some yellow details
Next year the end of May is my deadline for this project. So keeps me busy
Woah - I almost missed this thread. Awesome work so far - please post more pictures! With the amount of work you've done, it wouldn't have been much of a stretch to make this a mid-engine...or would that be a deal-breaker for street legal modification?
Some updates:
It is time for paintwork. I took the original gearbox to be cleaned, and after some hours, it was looking a bit better. I didn't have possibility to use any blaster, so some brush work. Let's see if that polished box will remain like that bling bling - or maybe some coating.
I found some unique bits to be as tail lights.
Bottom is ready to take some under and topcoat
And to final decicion for the all over colour is RAL7012 Basalt Grey. No hue to brown, green, blue or anything, just the strong grey:
Since I am playing with the Kaffer/Truss bar I copied you picture and put it in my collection of different truss bar styles. Where did you get yours or did you make it? On each end of the bar, where it ties into the shock bolt, what is that open/unused "wing" on it for.
I have copied it from this CSP torque bar. My -59 with 2332 + updated chassis is fitted with the original one, but for this I wanted to do it myself. My friend laser cutted those 8 mm brackets and I used drill ja grinder to make other parts.
Those free ones are for rear protect guards aroung engine
Ah, I see now. I like the design of what you bought much better as compared to the unit I bought. The loading is move around a bit to give a more balanced, shared load but still not what I would like to see.
empi truss bzar.jpg
Your spreader bar design puts the spreader bar opposing the diagonal bars to the frame horns (again, which I like), while mine puts the whole mess directly on the bolt via an off-center angled mount to a tube but, in the end, they both end up still being able to put a lot of deflection loads not only on the long shock bolt but the shock mount eye on the torsion casting. Another good reason for adding a double up on that tiny end casting on the torsion tube to the pan.
Lee
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Hi Lee!
This KART project will have only coil overs behind with that MBT uniball system. That's why I decided to make a welded steel structure to be like a part of the tube body. Because of the first registration and inspection, KART will have a very mild engine at the beginning. But for the future plans with strokers or screamers, I wanted to build this KART to handle more power and torque.
BTW, watching the tube body, I expected the balance point to be around front seat, but it is actually on the position of streering wheel. Of course rear end will get more weight from gearbox and engine, but front end will get an original fueltank and battery as well. So maybe the total front/back balance will improve a bit
H20SB - Fenders will be fitted to suspension, like Ariel Atom wings or Caterham front wings (wings, because of Brits ;-D)
ChadH - It was first my plan to make a mid-engine vehicle, but I have to keep the original superbeetle pan for the registration to be street legal. It would have been a terrible paper work to convenience the local Road Trafic Safety Office engineers to give a permit for mid-engine. Even this KART was hard enough because of the front McPherson suspension. It is not allowed anymore here in Finland to change the whole body, if it is without a separate chassis, like VW beetle. And that's why the front end will look like the fat duck.
Finnish tax system for vehicles is also restricting a lot. I have to proof the inspection engineer that over 50 precent of the original car is still there. Rotten or broken sheetmetals are possible to replace with new parts and brakes as well, but engine block, gearbox, chassis tunnel, fueltank, etc must be counted to give the final total of 51% without tax surprises. There are not so many as stupid builders like me to take this kind of challenges...
I have copied it from this CSP torque bar. My -59 with 2332 + updated chassis is fitted with the original one, but for this I wanted to do it myself. My friend laser cutted those 8 mm brackets and I used drill ja grinder to make other parts.
Those free ones are for rear protect guards aroung engine
Looking at it again, this time with better eyes I guess and I now see what I missed, it was for the rear tubes to mount to.
I still like the design but for my buggy problems the potential loads would be still on the shock bolts.
Are you guys allowed to use copper tube for brake lines or am I seeing something that isn't there?
Great work, good design in what you are doing and allowed to do. I wish I had your skills.
Hello Lee!
Indeed, copper brake lines are accepted and common here with these low mile hobby vehicles. Yes, most of us, we know that for long run it will be a risk of broken pipe.
BTW, to get that -59 with CSP brakes with 1303 dual circuit master cylinder approved, I had to make cross type pipelines. Front left/rear right + front right/rear left. And it works equal! That's why there are two pipes for rear brakes. KART will get copper plated steel lines and normal system. Now I have a Kerscher modified dual circuit master cylinder for these CSP wented/grooved brakes.
