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Since I needed to increase the wheelbase in an attempt to try and give the car a fighting chance of coping with somewhere north of 600 hp (nearly four times what it had originally), I've got to make new wishbones. These are going to be constructed from aircraft-spec T45 seamless tubing. However, I know only too well that the chances of me getting it right first time are vanishingly small, so I bought some cheap mild steel in the right size from the local scrap yard in order to make all my mistakes on something I can afford to throw away.

This photo shows the mock-up wishbones for the rear of the car. The rod ends are chrome-moly motorsport-spec items and are well over-sized due to the appallingly bad roads we have here in the UK. Please note that there is still some trimming to be done on the nearest tube, and I haven't added the diagonal bracing yet.

The caliper mounting bracket is still only part-made.

The component on the far side consisting of two plates of aluminium with a spacer in between is the mock-up of the damper mount; this will provide multiple ride height positions.

The spindles running through the rod ends are going to be made from EN16T, a high-spec steel well suited to the purpose. I've got a small stack of the material here, but haven't had time to actually make them yet.

As you can see, the chassis is a not-so-delicate shade of rust - at some stage I've got to load it on a trailer and take it some four hours up country to get it acid-dipped. This process would not be my first choice (mostly because the facility is so far away and it's going to cost a lot!), but since the body skin is welded to the tubular frame, there's no way to get any kind of blaster to reach in to the areas that really need doing.

Very nice. Glad to see it coming along.

_________________
Wade Williams
Master Ferrari Tech
Restoration Tech
Engine Machinist
Fabricator
Racecar Driver

Meet Rollie - he's the reason we went to France twice recently. He's named after Rollie Free, the famous Vincent land speed record racer!

I'm pretty sure a cute puppy is not going to speed up the car build

I'm sure someone will post the famous Rollie Free picture!!

He's really good at 'helping' in the garage - if, that is, 'helping' means chewing everything in sight...

If no-one else does it, I guess I'll have to!

...And here it is!

I'd have done it but I am having laptop trouble..

Here's a re-up of a FB post I just made:

I've wanted to see these views of my project car for years - well, I'm delighted to say that I've finally got round to finishing the rotisserie...
I made it by cannibalising two engine cranes and two engine stands. I cut them where necessary, and then bolted them to each other in the appropriate manner - being careful to ensure that I could still bolt them back together in their original forms.
Photos 1 & 3. The car has been kebabbed on a scaffold pole - once everything was aligned and welded up, the centre section was cut out, and then reinstalled using scaffold clamps. It's there to help ensure the two ends stay lined up so that the car spins freely on its axis.
Photos 2 & 4. I needed to be able to assess the integrity of all the structural tubes so that I can order up some special oval-section material. This is the first time that I've been able to get at them properly. The first 'quick look' examination involved the judicious use of a small ball pein hammer, but the next time round I'll use an ultrasonic thickness meter and a fibre lens camera.
Photo 5. This is how bad the car is - mind you, if it hadn't been in that state, I'd never have been able to afford it. Even so, I nigh-on starved for several years to pay for it...