Hey peeps,

I'm probably a few years from actually doing any physical work and just looking for opinion on what I'm thinking is actually feasable

I'm really interested in classic/vintage cars and would love to do an Austin Seven 'Sport' in the future; possibly with composite framework/ panels!

My inspiration is the Super Accessories Sport

Thes were originally made using 2x1" Ash frames covered in 20g Aluminium sheet mounted  onto the original chassis.

Now for the multitude of questions!!

1) What carbon fibre/ core setup would give comparable/ better properties for the Ash frame?

2) What CF setup would be comparible to 20g Aluminium?

3)If I were to make my own floor would this seem a reasonable setup (going from side that would be closest to the road):

   [Road Surface] Aramid/CF - CF - Core (Honeycomb or Other?) - CF - CF [Inside Car]

4) The floor would likely to be made of three sections to incorparate the transmission tunnel, what would be the best way to connect them that would allow them to be removed from the frame is need be? (i.e. bolted through metal sleeves or similar)

5) If it is possible to make a frame of CF/Core/CF; I would look to using vacuum resin infusion. If the part is a simple flat piece, like a U-shape, would a mould be needed or can it just be done on a flat surface with the underneath of the bag taped down?.

6) The body consists of a 4 piece boonett (for access to both sides of the engine bay, front panels, radiator cowling and main body; for the smaller pieces I would use a male mould but a female mould for the main body. What would the ideal material/methods be for creating these moulds?

7)If it is possible to create the frame and body parts as mentioned above, what would be the best way to attach the body to the frame sections; is it best to bond brackets to the body that can bolt to the frame (which allows parts to be remaoved/repaired if need be) or would you suggest something else?

Sorry for all the questions but I want to know if it's feasable at all as I've never worked with composites before and don't want to end up barking up the wrong tree.

Thanks for your time and patience.

Cheers,

David

Hi,

That sounds like a very good setup, but for the mud-guards alone, I would not spend money on 3D-Core, I would recommend 2 mm Soric.

My new infusion test shows quite clearly that 2mm Soric gives less pinholing/better saturation on the top layer, and less noticeable print-through on the bottom, than 3 mm 3D-core.

I'm convinced that a 3 mm Soric will be better and cheaper, but also a little bit heavier than 3D-core.

I also tested cheap 2 mm floor-damping cork, which works very well, but does give more pinholing/less saturation of the top layer (The one facing the mould)

I have decided to make some panels using wet-lay with vacuum bagging and the cheap cork floor mat as core.

For parts like these, I would recommend spraying (Get the Gel-coat Cup-gun!) GC50 into the mould, then infusing on top of that.

Reinforce the mud-guards with extra thicknesses of CF/Twaron in strategic places. 

(Basically do it like the "Car-bonnet tutorial")

The curved surfaces/shape of the mudguards will make the finished product very stiff and strong.

Good Luck!!

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