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Thes were originally made using 2x1" Ash frames covered in 20g Aluminium sheet mounted  onto the original chassis.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

I tend to agree with ChrisR on the number of reinforcement layers, especially for the wings, you probably will not need more than a single layer on the "bottom"

Regarding reinforcements, you will definitely need to replace the Soric or cork core with solid CF/glass in the places where you attach the "wings"  and maybe make an extra layer of CF/Twaron/Glass that extends a bit from the attachment point.

I have made long "old style" motorcycle mudguards, using just three layers of CF, but to stop them flexing along the length, I added a narrow strip of soric along the edges just inside the edge curve. It is invisible from the outside, but stiffens the mudguard so it feels completely rigid.  (Hope this makes sense .. )

I think that the pinholing issue with cork, may well be due to the fact that I used cheap floor "noise insulation" cork, and did not prepare it for infusion. I also did not use infusion mesh all over my test piece, only the ends.
(like you would with Soric)

I think that if I had done what Warren suggested to punch a grid of holes in the cork, and maybe score the surface in some way, the pinholing may have been a lot less.

The specialized cork for composite use is still cheaper than the Soric, and probably performs better then my cheap floor stuff.

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