Monday, March 09, 2015 - 05:51 pm, by: Aaron Casey(Blownminiturbo)
I'm with Andrew. Aslong as they align enough to close and stay closed and dont flap around I'll be happy with a set and as mentioned if money is needed more materials let me know in 2 weeks I can put a sizeable deposit down man.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Monday, March 09, 2015 - 06:10 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Aaron - It might just be a case of stumping up for 24kg of resin like Andrew did. I have used 2/3 to 3/4 of that resin already. I will crunch the numbers tonight and figure out just what went into the doors for Andrew. (I have crap scribbled all over a whiteboard, and will decipher the rest from the pics).
This job is killing me though, I am working the next four weeks straight again. Andrew's doors might spend a month curing in the moulds.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Monday, March 09, 2015 - 06:32 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
SO a quick set of calculations...and each pair of doors uses 11kg of resin! No wonder I am chewing through it. Given that infusion gives the best resin to fabric ratio and has one of the lowest wastage of any of the home layup methods it makes you wonder where 5.5kg of resin goes when it makes a 4kg door?
Other shocking facts: each door I made this weekend cost me $915 in resources. I think I estimated closer to $700 when people first asked me last year.
Monday, March 09, 2015 - 07:47 pm, by: Tai Johnsen(Privatejohnsen)
Yeah, I guess if you arent using all of it before it goes off that would be sad times.. I guess I am lucky having it at work to borrow occasionally, they turn over enough to justify it I guess.
I didn't think about the mould holding up at elevated temps, good point. Mine have just been simple flat sheets.
Love the doors, such good work for an impressive result.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 08:08 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I have basically finished Andrew's carbon/kevlar doors. I test fitted them on the race car today. There are some clearance issues around the front guards. My problem is that there are basically no stock panels on the car now, so I don't know what is in the stock position and what isn't, LOL. Andrew will need to do the final fitment himself.
The prototype doors went on easy too. They actually look OK, even the munted one. I will make myself a better door for the drivers side, but the passenger one will do for me.
I also made a key for the ignition switch. No more starting with the screwdriver.
Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 08:31 pm, by: Andrew McKellar(Toymax)
Looks awesome Ben, excellent job as usual. I have always had problem with doors rubbing on front guards on mine. It'll wear through the fibreglass eventually...
What weight did they end up coming in at when assembled?
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Monday, April 06, 2015 - 10:27 am, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I should point out that all those pics are of the prototype doors. Yours are much glossier on the outside, and have a very bright yellow Kevlar interior. I have figured out either the spray adhesive or the PVA mould release is causing the porous surface most of my parts seem to have. The doors I made for you are using straight mould release wax, hence the nice glossy finish. The downside is there is the potential for 'bridging'.
They came in at approximately 4.2 - 4.3kg once assembled.
This morning I started working on a door handle for the passenger door. I think I have come up with a design that works. It only weighs 35grams too!
Last night I had a go at repairing the broken bonnet. Whilst it looks a little gnarly, it is very strong, being reinforced with several layers of Kevlar and carbon fibre.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Wednesday, April 08, 2015 - 08:25 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I purchased a sheet of 3mm UV stabilised Lexan today. It should be large enough to make six door windows. I cut one out and tested it for fitment.
All was good until I weighed the window...1.2kg dammit!
I have been looking through the Cams manual for a reference to the minimum allowable thickness of polycarbonate windows/windscreens. I cant find it. I was sure there used to be a regulation regarding it, and it was 3mm for all windows except the front windscreen that used to be significantly thicker.
What would be the minimum thickness if there were no rules? 1.2kg is bull
Wednesday, April 08, 2015 - 10:33 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Hahaha. I just spent 20 minutes doing the calculations for polycarbonate weights. (Length x Width x Thickness x 1.2 = weight of polycarbonate sheet). I came up with the same answers.
Open windows are bad for aerodynamics. Worse than carrying the extra grams a full window would have over a partially open one.
I wonder if that is where I read the 3mm thickness then - back when I was considering making mine a sports sedan.
The doors are now going to end up closer to 5.5kg. My current fibreglass ones are only a bit over 10kg. I still need to add the external door handles to that, so it may as well be 6kg. I'll be shattered if I only save a kilo or two out of all this work...
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Saturday, April 11, 2015 - 07:04 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I have decided to throw the two 'prototype' carbon doors onto the race car and take it for a run. Yes, even the munted one is going on the car. My shoulder feels pretty good, although I am still nowhere near as strong as I was a year ago before I tore it up. I am going to run on the 2 year old Toyo R888s as there is no point buying new rubber. It is going to take me a while to get my head back into the car, assuming the shoulder gives me no problem.
I spent the day putting a curve into the Lexan windows and fitting them to the doors. For the life of me I can not find my heat gun, and the wife's hair drier just did not have the juice needed. I ended up using ratchet straps and old cardboard tubes to put a curve in the windows. Worked OK, but would have been heaps faster and better if I found that heat gun.
I then used Sikaflex 221 to bond the lexan window into the carbon door.
I decided to sticker the door up while I was waiting for the adhesive to go off.
All went well. Very happy with the results. Total weight for this door is 5.8kg with lexan and handles. This is the door with no reinforcement, so it may end up being a bit flimsy. The other door will be about 6 - 6.1kg and a lot stiffer.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 07:17 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Made up a drivers side interior door latch today. I decided to make the lever out of aluminium seeing as it is going to get a lot more use than the passenger side one... and because I wanted to do something different.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Sunday, April 26, 2015 - 07:28 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Peter Nitschke wrote on Sunday, April 26, 2015 - 05:40 pm:
Loved it, great sound track too
Yeah, Youtube has sorted out some form of licencing agreement with a lot of music companies so you can now use their music. Most of the videos I have made to date use an alternate soundtrack for Youtube as the original has copyright protected music.
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car, plus a spare shell
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - 07:43 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Damn! I have been neglecting this thread. I took the car up to Wakefield park a few weeks ago. I decided to throw in the new Project Mu Club Racer pads and bed them in whilst I was bedding in my new shoulder joint.
I did a few slow laps and everything felt OK. I started to wind it up a bit and realised I was running high 1:08 laps without too much effort. I decided to 'drop the hammer'.
Unfortunately, my clutch slave cylinder's nickname is "Hammer" apparently. As I went to pull 4th on the run up the hill the clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there. Limping back to the pits my Boys quickly told me something was dragging on the ground. Yep, there's your problem.
The clutch slave bolts had backed out of the bell housing and left the cylinder dragging on the ground. The last two threads of the bottom hole had been torn out. 7 Laps! I bolted it back in with some spare bolts and put it on the trailer.
It cost me $16 to have a new slave hard line made up at a local brake place.
Fast forward a few weeks and I have entered the Snowy Mountains 1000. Well at least I hope I have entered. I will hopefully get a confirmation email tomorrow. Entries opened at 7pm tonight, and were full at 7:40.
Wednesday, June 03, 2015 - 07:31 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
So over the last few weeks I have had new mirrors turn up from China, a bunch of composite supplies, and the new Nitto NT01 tyres.
I got the Nittos delivered to my door for $999. Too cheap not to try, really.
I have finally started making a new undertray after over a year of taping the old one up with race tape. I made a new mould from plywood and have laid up a Kevlar/fibreglass/epoxy undertray. Hopefully this one holds together OK.
I have also entered the SNowy Mountains 1000 runway sprint in November.
Thursday, June 04, 2015 - 05:45 am, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
G'day Ali,
I bought the Nittos from ST George Tyres online store. They have an ebay store, but everything is $10 - $20 cheaper in their own store. I have never had an issue purchasing from them, but if you pay by credit card they need you to call from a land line. This is tough if you don't actually have one. (I had to go into work and use one!)
I was very surprised at the speed the order was processed. Once I found a land line to call from, the tyres were here about 36 hours later. They are 2014 made rubber too, so not the old stock you might expect at those prices. I think they just haven't taken off in the Australian market like other brands have, despite the frequent references in the original Fast & Furious movies.
Mark Tierney DieHard NSW Soarer GTT-L, Celsior, Ducati
Saturday, June 06, 2015 - 07:16 am, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
G'day Mark, the mirrors are straight off ebay for $20. They are some sort of motorbike mirror, the carbon finish is only a hydro dip. I thought they would do for a plug to make my own carbon ones, but they are only 200grams so decided to use them instead.
THis week I have been busy making a new Kevlar and fibreglass undertray for the old bar. The original undertray had been smashed and repaired too many times and was held together largely be several layers of race tape.
Winter temps of minus 7 degrees have not been helping, but I found an old bathroom heater and pressed that into service.