That is a good idea.

 

Rapid prototype is neat stuff. I use SolidWorks to build and review, and rapid prototype when needed to confirm fitment. If an expensive mold needs to be opened, it helps to know that the part will fit. Here are some recent examples:

 

Things like rapid prototyping and super smart phones are what I call "white swans." They are the sort of science fiction technological advances people don't build in to their models that can transform tomorrow.

Very cool to watch this develop.

 

that would be sick. but unless I can build this car for about 15k I doubt I will be able to do it anytime soon.

personally I think it would be cool to skin it with miata body parts so it looks stock, but is way lighter. not sure if this is realistic or even feasible but it would be a neat option.

 

That has been my plan all along.

 

well played.

 

The seat brackets will get a little fine tuning to be perfect, but I think they're production-worthy. Here's a couple shots of them on a Sparco.

The side panels were finally liberated from the molds! I'm not going to show them off until they're completely on the car. Until then, included is a tease of the exhaust cutout.

 

looks top notch. can't wait for full bodied glory pics

 

ok I might be a little slow, but are you reusing the stock floor pan? I assume so by looking at the seat mounts but after seeing the amount of work you've done it seems a little silly to use a stock part that many people cut out for clearance reasons.

 

Good question. NO to the stock floor pan, but YES to the stock seat mount position. Technically your stock seats can bolt right in.

The car will have a flat bottom aluminum skin from front to back, which coupled with splitters and diffusers should give some good down force. In the cockpit, a second set of aluminum panels will be placed from firewall to front seat brackets for safety. IMO, weight added for safety is not a bad thing.

 

Inner diameter of exhaust hole?

 

I think it's 4", but subject to change upon notice.

The side panels are finally at the car. I didn't have any cleco's today, so the body went together with blue painter's tape and squeeze clamps. The body is literally floating around the frame. It needs to be properly measured and connected. Tomorrow.

Overall, it was a PITA day as I was screwing with all this bodywork by myself. It's a two person job, minimum, to fit the bodywork properly.

First impressions;
--We made the conscious decision to build the body for wide tires, 8.5" at least, and the stock hoops look positively puny.
--There's a really good amount of wind protection in the cockpit. I think it will be possible to go for a Sunday drive without a helmet.
--There's still a lot to do. The tin work and proper inner panels for dirt and water still need to be addressed.

All of the final fitment of parts now (inner panels, mounting tabs, etceteras) will be used as templates, duplicated, and tested on the two other frames.

Tomorrow's my last day working on the car for a couple of weeks--vacation and the MotoGP at Laguna Seca await.

 

Looks great!

 

Here's a couple of funny shots. Take a look at the 1/5 scale model and the real car. It's been a long trek...

 

Ugh, why does it have to turn out so good? That just makes me want it more!

For the wheels, isn't that the hella-tucked look everyone's going for? I may not be grasping the concept...

 

need moar wheel spacerz

 

Needs 15x10 6UL's. If there were a street tire that works.

Except in the renderings there is no dish to the wheels, so I dunno. maybe that's the look Cordy is going for overall.

 

i dont care about dish. i just want it not to look like a 70s car, in repects to tiny sunken wheels in huge fenders.

 

Herrasunk!

 

Brain you want the rear wheel skirts too?



Although this definitely looks clean.