Quote:
Originally Posted by olddog
Dang it! I completely missed this party.
Dave,
I know aluminum is your expertise and you have the equipment to do this work. Just out of curiosity (cause I don't have a clue to the anwer) how would a carbon fiber chassis compare on wieght and rigidity?
Without a doubt this is the most beautiful chassis ever built. And "ever" goes both forward and backward in time!
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olddog,
Thank you for your kind words!
A carbon fiber chassis would be stiffer and lighter...if done right. But, for the common mortals without access to vacuum bagging and autoclaves, it would turn out to be a nightmare. The front engine lay out of a Cobra type car makes a carbon fiber chassis quite challenging. Not that it can't be done, but it just adds a very high level of complexity to the project. I think Rutan only saved 10% of the weight when they made a composite airplane. When you have to pick that weight up into the air, it becomes critical.
As for the ultimate chassis, that was not really the main focus of this project. The main focus was to make the car as cool as we possibly could and really venture into the wild unknown to make a really unique car for the customer.
I must admit that I am really starting to like the chassis. The more I look at it the more I like it--usually it is the other way around with most projects.
David
