Gents,
I appreciate the welding suggestions. I'll give that I try after I obtain more shielding gas tomorrow. These small 20 cubic ft bottles are handy to store, but are really only good for 15~20 minutes of welding. I could drop my flowrate down a little, however I would run the risk of contaminating the weld. A new big bottle simply isn't in the budget, but I'm in the market for a used big one.
With regards to progress today, the chassis table was extended 2ft, and widened about 14" at each corner to support the wheels/tires. Not the most beauteous woodworking, but hey, it's sturdy enough to support the front corners:
Attachment:
additions to the table.jpg
Luckily I was able to source Aerospace grade wood certified to ISO9001 specifications, as indicated by the appropriate markings (I'm kidding):
Attachment:
Aerospace Grade ISO9001 wood.jpg
I did get a chance to raise the engine to 8.75" axle centerline above the table, with the chassis flat on the table. This would give me a horizontal axle with a 3" chassis clearance. I did think about clocking the engine 45 degrees towards the front, remake a new oil pickup tube, and make a custom oil pan to drop the sump down and forward to ensure the crank is not submerged in oil. However, a bell crank shifter linkage would need to be fabricated in a such an orientation, and the Acura Integra shifter linkages could not be then be utilized.
Attachment:
Axle centerline at 8.75 inches with normal engine placement, with chassis FLAT on table.jpg
In terms of members rearward of the main roll hoop to support the engine, and rear control arms, I am going with an engine installation and extraction from the bottom. It is alot easier to install the chassis over the engine than vice-versa, as the engine is ALOT heavier than the chassis. Also, an engine hoist would not be required, and packaging seems easier.
With regards to the placement of the tubes, there will be left and right primary "booms" placed horizontally which will tie into the main roll hoop at the top of the triangulation members. The left side boom will intercept the LUCA inboard points, and engine mount (crank pulley side) point.
Attachment:
left side boom intercepting pickup points LUCA and engine mount crank pulley side.jpg
The right side "boom" will intercept the RUCA and transmission mount points.
Attachment:
Right chassis member boom intercepting pickup points RUCA and Trans mount.jpg
Since the "booms" will be cantilevered members placed in compression along its axial direction, three other tubes will tie into the Upper Rear control arm members:
1) Longitudinal member starting from first bend in the main roll hoop
2) Diagonal X-brace member which ties in from opposite side of the main roll hoop at 2nd bend
3) Rear Lateral Member supporting both the rear engine mount
Looking at the chassis from the rear, this would essentially look like a square with an X within it. Similar to what the Kimini looked like:
Attachment:
Kimini.JPG
I believe this configuration works well as the members supporting the booms will be in tension with the exception of the rear lateral member. The rear member must be relatively stiff in compression to resist buckling. Furthermore, from what I recall of the Dugoff tire model in school, the resultant tire force vector acting on the tire contact patch area is behind the area centroid of the tire footprint.
Also, it appears my Locost7 comes with heated seats as a standard option:
Attachment:
Heated seats as standard.jpg
I may need to move the seat forward, and increase the distance between the header and main roll hoop. Even with aluminum sheets and insulating material, this will get mighty toasty.