Joined: December 18, 2015, 11:23 am Posts: 6 Location: Clearwater, FL
I've been wanting to build something for a while. Six or seven years maybe. One of the biggest problems has been what and how to build it. Every time the pencil would meet paper my ideas would change faster than I can draw. Finally there was plenty of metal laying so I just started to build. No blueprints nor end goal in mind. Just make it up as I go. Stupid, right?
In completely lame fasion the core of a stage cage for an Impreza was started. I have the jigs for that car and stage cages are kind of like comfort food. There's plenty of Subaru and Miata stuff laying around, so it was decided that there will be a Subaru motor mounted midship with front suspension closely reared to a Miata. How to throw everything together would be figured out as the thing was being built.
Halfway to where the chassis is at now I thought of an idea that I haven't seen anywhere yet. "What if the car had a modular backbone that could host different drivetrain setups?" There's already going to be a megasquirt in there so it can run any motor. Since the chassis and the backbone are going to be a bolt together affair, what not make multiple backbones? So now that's the plan. Subaru middy first and then some sort of front engine RWD later. It will pretty much go together like a TVR or old Lotus.
I'm only a week into the build. Here's what exists so far. The plan is to start building the rear subframe around the motor and transmission next week. Hopefully there will be enough time to have the backbone bolted to the chassis in a couple months.
_________________ Johnny
05 RX8 91 Miata- Fastest RWD SCCA rallycross car in the country! 85 XR4Ti 96 F350 97 Impreza coupe
Last edited by Goumba on December 20, 2015, 9:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Joined: February 20, 2015, 12:04 pm Posts: 307 Location: Norfolk - UK
Goumba wrote:
...I thought of an idea that I haven't seen anywhere yet. "What if the car had a modular backbone that could host different drivetrain setups?"
Spyder Engineering in the UK (whose main business is manufacturing replacement chassis for old Lotus models) came up with this in the late '80's/early '90's, as a way of offering 'bespoke' chassis packages of kit car and specials builders.
Joined: August 11, 2013, 6:03 am Posts: 573 Location: CNY
I've also thought about having a bolt-in rear package with engine/trans/suspension, just to make it easier to do engine work.
Disconnect harness connectors, uncouple cooling hoses, undo the big freaking bolts, remove the alignment pins, and drop everything out on a subframe.
It may even be required, given how my rear end packaging looks to be heading...
_________________ Walt 06 RX-8 Shinka 04 RX-8 GT 06 325xi Some people never have anything except ideas. Go do it. Emissions & fuel economy haven't exactly been areas of strength for past rotary power plants, but absolutely no one with a soul has ever cared.
Joined: December 18, 2015, 11:23 am Posts: 6 Location: Clearwater, FL
The engine and transmission should be able to get to the shop tomorrow. If that's the case, I'll start building the middle of the car and take some photos. There isn't really anything more to show at the moment since the video was taken. The front will be easy since it will be pretty much my house made Miata control arms with slightly revised geometry. I need to figure out the scrub radius of using the Subaru front hub in a double wishbone setup. I'll probably need to look at what factory five did. At that point all the will need the be done to make it a rolling chassis is some wheels and the pushrod suspension will need to be figured out as well.
_________________ Johnny
05 RX8 91 Miata- Fastest RWD SCCA rallycross car in the country! 85 XR4Ti 96 F350 97 Impreza coupe
Joined: December 18, 2015, 11:23 am Posts: 6 Location: Clearwater, FL
I moved the engine and transmission to the shop today. Only had enough time to start the rear subframe. I'm almost out of DOM, there's no rod ends to do the suspension, and motor and transmission mounts need to be ordered. The first slow down period of this build is about to hit. But here's a few photos of what it looks like today.
_________________ Johnny
05 RX8 91 Miata- Fastest RWD SCCA rallycross car in the country! 85 XR4Ti 96 F350 97 Impreza coupe
Joined: October 6, 2009, 9:29 am Posts: 7651 Location: Tallahassee, FL (The Center of the Known Universe)
Yo, Johnny! Greetings from the north end of the state! Interesting idea, sorta like a Swiss Army Knife chassis... Yeah, keep the pictures coming, Bubba don't read writin' too good, but he likes pictures. Same goes for Perry, whenever he gets back from the World Goat-Roping Championships in Barbados.
Welcome to the forum, come see us some time, and Merry Christmas!
JDK
_________________ JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special "Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom
Joined: December 7, 2012, 8:28 am Posts: 1410 Location: Sarasota
Nice looking build. I am about an hour south of you in Sarasota. If you need anything let me know, feel free to come and kick my cars tires. I can probably show you a few things I messed up to give you some things to avoid and lessons learned. Do you autocross?
_________________ 2015 & 2016 EMod Florida State Autocross Champion 2013 & 2014 DSP Florida State Autocross Champion
Joined: December 18, 2015, 11:23 am Posts: 6 Location: Clearwater, FL
I only show up to an autocross about two or three times a year. I'll also go to a track day and drift event about two or three times a year also. I just prefer driving on dirt. I'm the current SCCA national rallycross champion in Mod rear and one of two 2015 triplecross award recipients. The FIRM is my ultimate playground. I find myself slaloming in the dirt at a hair over 100mph sometimes. Their rallycross events are simply the best and fastest in the country. There's a mini tarmac rally coming to Florida February 7th. It's a pilot event so mum is pretty much the word on the details. I think they're trying to keep the entries down to about 20 for the first rally. It's not dirt, but I'll take any stage rally over every other driving event any day. I may try to do a hill climb or two over the next year if my build gets done in time and on budget. I usually drive a couple weekends per month. Autocross events are more of a way for me to socialize with friends who pretty much only autocross. It's fun for a brief moment, but not fun all day.
_________________ Johnny
05 RX8 91 Miata- Fastest RWD SCCA rallycross car in the country! 85 XR4Ti 96 F350 97 Impreza coupe
Joined: December 7, 2012, 8:28 am Posts: 1410 Location: Sarasota
Wow congratulations on being a National and Triplecross Champ that is an impressive resume. I went to FIRM a few weeks ago for the Autocross state championships. They set up on the small road course, I was very impressed with the facility there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFMcjL4cgZU I have never tried Rallycross but I bet it is a lot of fun. I saw a couple of rally's when I still lived in the UK and knew a few guys who had cars but I was too young to drive then.
_________________ 2015 & 2016 EMod Florida State Autocross Champion 2013 & 2014 DSP Florida State Autocross Champion
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