wider chassis

[whitstella]

hi iam thinking about making the roadster a bit wider than the book being that im on the larger side (ok fat). i'm just thinking about it and i would like to here from the people that have more idea than me about building these machines.

many thanks steve

[twinturbo]

We have some extended girth drivers who have built standard cars.

the problem with making the body wider are that no stock bodywork will fit, and there will be impact on suspension/steering geometry and drive shafts.

TT

[Talonmotorsport]

Question: what can you do with bolt on drive shafts? ;)
You can make the stock ford+bmw parts up to 4" wider using spacers between the CV joints and drive flange on the diff end. Bigger off set wheels will also help with the addition of spacers between the hubs and wheel face. The other thing is you don't need a 125mm wide transmision tunel for a 50mm drive shaft.

[les g]

i reckon it would be fairly easy to do
but only if you use ally for the tub and sides
you could keep the front half standard and use the Saturn
nosecone bonnet and scuttle
and just widen the rear half
its surprising what difference just an extra inch or two makes
cheers les g

[Bonzo]

Funny you should mention the transmission tunnel width, was looking at mine earlier & thought that there was a bit of scope for a slimmer tunnel :)

[les g]

Funny you should mention the transmission tunnel width, was looking at mine earlier & thought that there was a bit of scope for a slimmer tunnel :)

i agree oh wise one
what about a tapered tunnel
narrower at the top than the bottom
i nearly bought an Aries chassis once but the fit was a bit tight
the guy did say he could move the offside top tunnel rail to the left to accomodate me
thats another option i reckon just moving the drivers side
of the tunnel
unlikely to have two hippo,s in little car at the same time
cheers les g

[flyerncle]

Could be wrong but I think the shafts are two different lengths so it should be possible to move the diff over making the drivers side larger.

[les g]

Could be wrong but I think the shafts are two different lengths so it should be possible to move the diff over making the drivers side larger.

stunning idea just use two of the longest driveshafts
this forum is great for bouncing ideas around
cheers les g

[Bonzo]

Yes Les, tis surprising how things just spring to mind.

I guess it would not be impossible to have one seating position wider at the expense of the other :)

Stuck my seat in place the other day & really hate the handbrake position with a vengance :eek:
Smack bang, right in line with my elbow, my own fault for being such a shorhouse :o

No prizes for guessing what my next wee mod will be !!?? ;)

[Talonmotorsport]

Stuck my seat in place the other day & really hate the handbrake position with a vengance :eek:
Smack bang, right in line with my elbow, my own fault for being such a shorhouse :o

No prizes for guessing what my next wee mod will be !!?? ;)

We made a chassis for an R1 install with a hand brake that was recessed into the tunnel when it was down, could'nt get it to disappear completly but certainly made a difference.

[Chris Gibbs]

The problem with using a driveshaft on the "wrong" side is that the shafts have a left hand thread on one side and a right hand thread on the other. The shaft on the wrong side would be trying to undo it's self.

Have you tried a standard width car?

I'm not going to be winning any "Mr Thin" titles myself, and I've never had a problem.

Cheers

Chris :)

[Bonzo]

We made a chassis for an R1 install with a hand brake that was recessed into the tunnel when it was down, could'nt get it to disappear completly but certainly made a difference.

Thank's for that Phil :)

I picked up a slightly more compact lever from a Rover 25 the other day, thanks to some advice from Coozer ( Cheer's Steve )

Yes. I will remove the exisitng mounts & recess the lever into the tunnel a little .... I think it should work out fine :cool:

Ooooh, the Rover lever has a nice Chrome button too :D :D

[Trif]

I had concerns about fitting into the drivers compartment when I first began. However at 6' 3" and 250lb I am an OK fit. Those of us that fill the car can't help being normal in a world full of small people!!:D :D :D

[HandyAndy]

:o I need narrow seats :p :D

Tho I must agree that the handbrake lever is "Just" in the wrong place for me too.

cheers
andy

[Bonzo]

:o I need narrow seats :p :D

Tho I must agree that the handbrake lever is "Just" in the wrong place for me too.

cheers
andy

Life has it's downsides when you are a bit shorter in stature .... Me got short legs too, find myself reaching for the pedals !!?

Oh well, at least I ain't 17 odd stone anymore :o

[Headshot]

I often drive/test/race a 1947 race car that is designed for narrow tall people, It has had many mods over the years to stop people banging into things or not able to fit round things. (ok so the hand brake is a vertical fly jobbie in the footwell, which I struggle to reach..... but theres an idea for my car!! )

If you have a hammer big enough, you can make it fit, so just get a mate to twat you on the head with a mallet until you are snug enough lol :eek:

[carlknight1982]

I dont think your going to struggle too much with the width of a standard chassis, im 5'8 and almost 20 stone and I fit in a standard chassis, alot of it will come down to your choice of seats more than the chassis width.

[flyerncle]

Make a cardboard seat from the plans in the book and see what its like to sit in the car.
I have driven Adrians car and spuds too and I hope they both forgive me for the statement I am about to make, Adrian's is subtle and like a fine wine to be made the most of, Spuds is like a harsh whisky,the kid who has been thrown out of school for being the hooligan but with a purpose and it fullfills that purpose as does Adrian's .

I am 6" 2in and 18 stone with a 48 in chest and get in no probs but not in spuds seat comfortably,again its horses for courses and fit perfectly in Adrian's.
The idea of fitting the shafts to the wrong side was to allow for adjustment in the tunnel placement and move the diff across slightly.

I had thought about the left hand nut problem and swapping the joint ends around should fix that,nothing is impossible just more work :)

There is approx 450 mm between the chassis rails in the seat area.

[David_17]

The problem with using a driveshaft on the "wrong" side is that the shafts have a left hand thread on one side and a right hand thread on the other. The shaft on the wrong side would be trying to undo it's self.


Never thought about that when i put my driveshafts in - i just put the first one i picked up, thinking they were the same :(

Are they marked, which is which?

[alga]

Never thought about that when i put my driveshafts in - i just put the first one i picked up, thinking they were the same :(

Are they marked, which is which?

The difference in length is quite significant, it's about 4 cm. I suspect your suspension wouldn't have come together if you had the driveshafts mixed up.
The left one is shorter, also it has a left-handed thread on the centre nut. The easiest test is to check for the notches on the left hand hub nut.