914 chassis

Ditomaso · 06-15-2005, 03:56 AM

im not really a 914 fan but i was wondering what it was made of?
is it steal or aluminum or what?

Evan

914GT · 06-15-2005, 05:10 AM

Mostly steel.

Bleyseng · Bleyseng's Garage

nah, its made of steal.

Ditomaso · 06-15-2005, 06:55 AM

damn

Eric 914 · 06-15-2005, 08:17 AM

Actually many 914's now contain a noticable percentage of ferric oxide...

zymurgist · zymurgist's Garage

The ferric oxide was sealed inside the body at the factory. All too many owners are letting it escape, causing their cars to fall apart.

peter carroll · 06-15-2005, 04:49 PM

Why damn? Mr. Pantera

Ditomaso · 06-15-2005, 10:54 PM

im not a fan of the pantera. but thats funny. DiTomaso is my last name the pantera is spelled DeTomaso. and damn because i am looking for a small light weight chassis. preferably aluminum. it does not mater what kind of car its from as long as its a boxer engine and light weight

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Get an old Bug, then. They're very lightweight, and they have the famous VW Type I boxer engine.

Alternatives include kit-cars like the Beck Spyder. (Or the Vintage Spyder. Or other Spyder replicars.) Those tend to be even lighter, since many of them are made up of steel tubes with fiberglass body panels.

The stock 914 is right around 2000 lbs, which is pretty decently lightweight. They can be lightened further, but there are compromises...

--DD

Ditomaso · 06-16-2005, 05:57 PM

is there any chassis out there made of aluminum? could i get plans for a chassis then build it myself? would it be strong enough?

Evan

Eric 914 · 06-16-2005, 10:02 PM

Why the fascination with aluminum? As various parts of cars, it has advantages and disadvantages. There aren't hardly any cars that are built structurally from aluminum, just a couple using aluminum for body work. Steel or composite construction are where even most racing builders are focusing. You need to figure what your trying to accomplish and then what kind of technical solution that you can afford. I would be surprised if aluminum turned out to be the material best suited for your needs.

Ditomaso · 06-17-2005, 01:37 AM

well i am planing a project car and want it to be as light as posable it is not going to even have a frame. it must be a mid engine and damn light like less than 1000 something like the Ariel atom.

Ariel Atom video -- insane!

Ditomaso · 06-17-2005, 01:40 AM

i might find a 3.6 and turbo charge if everything goes to plan i wont need any other thing ever in my life

Eric 914 · 06-17-2005, 08:16 AM

To me the Atom looks like it doesn't have much besides frame. They look fun but they haven't taken the racing world by storm. As far as frame-less, have you looked at Formula Monocoque bodies? They still require tube cages for the people, but that's more of an escape pod thing. If an Atom is what you want, that's a good place to start. (if you want a pickup, don't start with a station wagon - but some people do) How about a sand rail basis, they come in Aluminum and have power to weight ratios that kick most anything but super-bikes.

jhadler · 06-17-2005, 09:54 AM

Well, you can either take a 914, turn it into a semi-tube frame and replace the body work with fiberglass. But that would be pretty expensive.

Then again, a mid-engined car that weighs around 1000 lbs is a tall order outside of formula cars.

But, you could look at the Lotus Europa. '70's Lotus, mid engined, all composite body with a single steel central spine. 1400 lbs off the showroom floor, probably not too difficult to get it down to 1000 lbs...

-Josh2

Ditomaso · 06-17-2005, 10:32 AM

Im not looking to race it its just for kicks and the atom costs 500,000 pounds thats almost 1,000,000 dollars. this project is more of an experiment. like a hot rod and i believe anything is posable. iv seen two V12's in one car to make a V24.

zymurgist · zymurgist's Garage

Huh? According to Ariel's website, they cost UKP 35,000. About 63,000 USD. Not cheap, but a heck of a lot less than a million.

If you're not going to race it, what are you going to do with it? I don't think that you can make it street legal... and if you want to go that fast on the street (and good luck to you if you do!), a sportbike might be a better choice.

Eric 914 · 06-17-2005, 12:43 PM

Quote:

iv seen two V12's in one car to make a V24.

And what did they accomplish by doing that? Just because something can be done, doesn't make it a good idea. I used to be into 4x4's/offroading and people do some crazy things because they can. The effective offroaders usually fall into refined solutions, because they work. It sounds like you should head down the tube frame/sand rail avenue, some sand rails run over 500hp and well under 800 pounds, that gives you room to add effective brakes, some body panels and maybe some more road worthy suspension. Maybe look into Kit cars, and I agree with the Lotus Europa suggestion, I had stayed away from that for you, because of the steel frame (that whole aluminum constraint).

Ditomaso · 06-17-2005, 05:23 PM

they said it costs 500,000 pounds on that video. what am i going to do with it. just have fun i have built several crazy cars in my life. i already have a sport bike i want to make a car. i dont plan on making it street legal. im not one of those guys who likes to race people on the streets thats why there are race tracks. what did they accomplish buy making a V24 nothing but pure awesomeness like a low rider with a ten switch. i have looked into the lotus found one that doesn't run witch is exactly what i need.

Ditomaso · 06-17-2005, 05:34 PM

29,000 pounds i was wrong