March 2003 In preparation for widening, Tom has cut out the middle of the chassis, including the monocoque, leaving only the belly pan tubing. A section of sheet aluminum is laid down as the cockpit floor. The new Kirkey seat is also part of the mock cockpit. The pedal cluster will need to remain close to the centerline of the chassis, and the steering shaft will need to be lengthened and have an additional universal joint added to it.
The Yoshimura header is attached to the engine as it sits on the stand.
|
Copyright 2003 Birchwood Design |
April 2003 The basic tub has been welded up using rectangular and square cross-section tubing instead of the original round tubing, for strength and ease of fabrication. The Lozuki frame will probably be a little heavier than the original, but with fewer tubes. Check out the photos below of the Lotus frame, which was brazed instead of welded.
The Quaife differential is mounted on an anodized billet aluminum carrier that also mounts the four-pot Wilwood caliper. It's very compact and lightweight. It also has the same width as a Hewland transmission, allowing standard Hewland halfshafts to be used. |
May 2003 The chassis is mocked up one more time. Soon the engine mounts, diff mounts and rear control arms will be permanently mounted.
|
June 2003
The upper left and right photos show the completed suspension as well as the engine/transmission mounts.
In the center photo you can see the engine/transmission in relation to the chassis, seat and body.
Perspex headlamp covers will need to be custom-fitted to their openings.
Lower right, the body and side pods are mounted to the chassis. |
August 2003
The front suspension is nearly complete. The front uprights, brakes, shocks and springs are right off the Lola 440. The lower A- arms are a spare set of Wheeler parts that were laying around. The upper A-arms started life as Lola lower arms, but they were flipped upside down, rotated side to side, and shortened one tube of each side. The steering rack was a spare left over from an Argo SV. The rest is home made. |
December 2003
In the first photograph, there is a driver's eye view of the dash board and gauges. The second photo shows the Hayabusa radiator and fire bottle mounted in place. The third shot shows the engine/transaxle/diff assembly with the rear clamshell lifted. The remainder of the pictures show the front clamshell pivot assembly, the Datsun 510 headlamp assembly behind its Perspex cover, and the car with clamshells both open and closed. |
|