Should I build myself a race car?

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Have you the knowledge, time, money, space and tools?

If no, I wouldn't bother.

If yes, crack on.
 
Is there a reason you've been starting insanely vague threads?

Unless you have millions of dollars just sitting around, a windtunnel, carbon fiber tools(as well as a million other tools) and a few insanely smart people it will just be a waste of time and money.

You would be better off buying a Miata and converting it to Spec Miata specs.
 
I don't need to make it carbon fibre. It can be made of other stuff. If anything it would be a V6 powered go Kart with a big front splinter and even bigger rear spoiler. Using probably rebuilt junk yard parts. And I have to the tools and the knowledge And manpower to build it:)
 
Justin
Is there a reason you've been starting insanely vague threads?.

Yeahh. I like getting input from others. And if I limit it by being specific. Ideas don't flow as well. So by being vague I ft better ideas from a group of motorsports enthusiasts.
 
Anyone have Good ideas for a basic chassis design? I have a few. But I want to see if anyone has better ideas.
 
I don't want to limit you, so you should probably weld some pipes together for the basic chassis design. Four wheels. Engine area. Suspension mounting locations. A place to sit. Steering.
 
Yeah. That's What I was thinking. I'm going to use doublewishbone suspension. And the over all shape Would resemble a formula car.
 
I don't need to make it carbon fibre. It can be made of other stuff. If anything it would be a V6 powered go Kart with a big front splinter and even bigger rear spoiler. Using probably rebuilt junk yard parts. And I have to the tools and the knowledge And manpower to build it:)
mclarendriver
Yeah. That's What I was thinking. I'm going to use doublewishbone suspension. And the over all shape Would resemble a formula car.

These posts sort of make it look like you don't really know enough about this sort of project. I'd just building something off of pre-existing plans or build up a spec miata or E30 or something. You'd probably end up with something more usable.

If you just want something to do on the weekend, sure why not?
 
Yeahh. I like getting input from others. And if I limit it by being specific. Ideas don't flow as well. So by being vague I ft better ideas from a group of motorsports enthusiasts.

Problem is, that when you are too vague you don't get very much useful help, there will be some but it will be lost in a bunch of useless posts.

For instance, some things that would help us help you would be things like what series/class you would plan on racing or if it's just going to be a track day toy(which opens up a huge can of worms as few tracks will let you on the track with a home built car), your budget, what you have knowledge wise etc...

Things like that are broad enough to get interesting idea's, but specific enough to actually get useful information.
 
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It would just be a track day car. I could never build anything Good enough for a race. Well atleast not from the ground up.

And half the point of building it is just to beat my friends chevelle in a race. Its Not like I'm going after a formula 1 championship(lord knows I don't have the money for that). And. Its not going to be anything major. Just a fun toy. And if I can't use it On a track. Ill add all the stuff I need to make it street legal.
 
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And half the point of building it is just to beat my friends chevelle in a race. Its Not like I'm going after a formula 1 championship(lord knows I don't have the money for that). And. Its not going to be anything major. Just a fun toy.

That's a start.

First things first, contact the track you would likely visit the most frequently and check what their requirements are for track days(sound requirements, tires, displacement etc...) and hope the following isn't required(as some do for insurance reasons).

And if I can't use it On a track. Ill add all the stuff I need to make it street legal.

Because it's harder and more complex than adding a light to the front.

Edit: Also, use the "Edit" button instead of double posting.
 
I know what I have to do. I was looking at importanting a stagea from Japan but decided against it because of the BS I would have To go through
 
I know what I have to do. I was looking at importanting a stagea from Japan but decided against it because of the BS I would have To go through

Imagine how much more you would have to deal with with a car built from scratch. Hint, it wouldn't be less.

I'm not trying to discourage you, just trying to stop you from biting off more than you can chew.

In all honestly, I would encourage you to stop thinking about a full blown car and try building a simple 2-stroke go-kart first.
 
Build a LoCost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locost

Locost_front_SRF_2005.jpg


Kit plans, I believe, are next to free, and if you search hard enough on the Internet, you may find some. Modify the plans to suit your liking, your engine/tranny/rear axle, and your other parts, and then build it.
 
Anyone have Good ideas for a basic chassis design? I have a few. But I want to see if anyone has better ideas.

If you're doing it yourself, build a steel spaceframe. Monocoques are expensive and require alot of design work and composite know-how. Check out Formula SAE as a starting point. I built one while I was at Uni and they are awesome cars. Engine displacement is limited to 600cc, and our car ran an Aprilia 550cc V-twin with dry sump lubrication, chain drive and limited slip diff, custom exhaust, intake and brakes, chromoly steel spaceframe chassis and pushrod suspension.



I'm in the process of designing a larger scale version myself :).
 
Do you really want to build everything from the ground up yourself, or are you thinking of building a pre-fabricated kit car? I think it's great that you want to work with cars hands on and build something, but before you do so, I want you to be at least somewhat aware of just a tiny fraction of the amount of problems that you'll have to solve if you want to completely design and build it yourself.

First off, everything you do, everything you build, must have safety in mind. Cars are dangerous machines, and the wrong thing falling off can mean life or death. With that in mind, are you even familiar with engineering fundamentals? How's your calculus? Have you taken statics, dynamics or mechanic of materials at the very least at the university level? How about fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, thermo, circuits, among a bunch of other university level classes? Do you know how to do engineering analysis like FEA? Are you proficient at using machining tools? Lathes, mills, CNC machinery, welders, tools, drill bits, etc.? Do you have access to all those tools? Do you have the know how to buy the correct raw materials? Do you have a ton of cash laying around or access to sponsorship cash? Some of those things are more important than others, but if you can't answer yes to all those questions, then you either need to find people who do know that stuff to help you, or you plainly just won't be able to build your own race car.

Race cars are typically designed by a team of trained engineers with expensive and specialized equipment and software and a very large budget, for good reason too. Any race car, when broken down is amazingly complex, good cars even more so; the attention to detail and often times, the creativity involved to solve a problem, is pretty incredible.

You don't have your age listed, so I don't know how old you are. But if you're a older person, then I think you should only take this up if you've got spare cash to burn, want to learn something new, and have the patience to actually grind through much of the design details. If you're still young, then I would start by learning about cars and making sure your science and math skills are strong, then go to (or back to) university with a reputable engineering program and get involved in the engineering projects there. If you're really passionate about racing, find a school with a Formula SAE team, like CarerraGT suggested. That will give you great exposure to the process of designing a race car from pretty much the ground up.

Getting the chance to help build a race car is a really great experience, but it's one that I would only do knowing that I'm working with a team of good engineers who have expertise, experience and ingenuity in areas of engineering that I'm not as strong in. If I were you, I would just stick to modding a car to make it race-competitive or maybe building your own pre-fabricated kit car. Good luck.
 
^ That's true, it is an incredible amount of work. If you're on your own, I would also recommend modding a road car. But hey, if you've got the time and resources, it will be one hell of a project.
 
Fine screw. Ill just give up this and my other ideas and waist the day away playing gran turismo 5. Since obviously I'm Not at smart as you guys.
 
What a wholly unsurprising tantrum.
 
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