Needing some help with a Cockpit

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gts2007
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Gts2007

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I would like to say hi :D and thank you all ahead of time for taking the time to respond to me and i would also like to say sorry if this thread has already been done 100 times over or if there is something similar. Over the past few months i have been looking over several different approaches to creating my cockpit (wood, Vacuum/thermo forming, and polystyrene blocks ) and i have came to the conclusion that using polystyrene blocks to carve out the shape of my cockpit and then apply fiberglass strips to create a hardened body would be the most cost/time efficient way to create it. So my question to you guys is, have any of you used Polystyrene and fiberglass to create their cockpit and what are your success stories? and do any of you feel this is a bad approach or that there is any pros/cons?.

Side note: I feel that polystyrene would be perfect for this job because its VERY easy to shape, its super durable even without the fiberglass strips, i would be able to create a pattern to lay on top of each sheet and build up the cockpit from there (im going to try to recreate a formula 1 car)
Thank you again in advance :D
 
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An interesting approach! Can I assume you have experience of working with fibreglass?

Might be easier to look around for a formula-one style body shell and adapt that... :)
 
the_greeze
An interesting approach! Can I assume you have experience of working with fibreglass?

Might be easier to look around for a formula-one style body shell and adapt that... :)
Click to expand...
ive not had a chance to work with fiberglass strips yet but i have done some research and from what i have found it seems fairly simple to work with once you get the hang of it and would do wonders for a project like this. My experience with polystyrene far outweighs my experience with fiberglass. i have worked with polystyrene for years and i know its ins and outs so with that said i figured what i would do is create a basic template for the F1 then lay it down on top of a 1 foot maybe 1 and a half foot thick board of polystyrene then make the cut out, do this for as many more boards that are needed so that when you sit in it the cockpit will be the exact same height (hopefully)as a real F1. shape the outer part first then cut out the part in the board where the seat is going to go and shape that then stack em all up secure them and start applying the strips, bondo, primer/red paint,shellac, decals and boom its done :D..sorry if this is kinda jumbled im writing this at 6 in the morning and have not slept yet.


ill try looking for a body shell :D ty for that idea. i wouldnt mind buying one if it want to expensive..although i do kinda like the idea of building something and saying " YEP i built that!"
 
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If you're taking the approach of recreating the true dimensions of an F1, keep in mind the rather uncomfortable seating position and the "improper" seating position for other types of racing. I would be interested in seeing how you're gonna go about this build, but I have no experience with either materials, so sorry can't help... what type of seat are you thinking of using?
 
I think there was a cockpit on the way I play forums that used some sort of molding to recreate a f1 car. It may have been just plaster and would I don't really remember. You could look their for inspiration/sugesstions.
 
To No46_TheDoctor: I am definitely going to do some test strips on a small chunk of board just to make sure, there are some things i can add to the foam board to make it a bit more durable if need be so ill probably get some of that and try it out with a test strip as well.

To occasionalracer: I am absolutely keeping all of that in mind. if i go for real deal i will build it to spec and i will probably use a Momo seat if i can get my hands on one, if not then i might kinda tweak the design alittle bit to make it more comfortable and to be able to use whatever seat i like.

To fatkrakr: I had not thought of that yet so thank you for that! :D

To iGuitar93: Thanks!! i am going to go look for that right now!.

Thank you everyone for the helpful suggestions! :D feel free to keep posting in here if you have anymore
 

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