04-08-2018, 10:28 AM
Odd comments from me:
Bodies for specials are nearly always over-engineered. 2" x 2" is used where 1" x 1" would do, cross bracing where the ali or ply skin will do the job anyway, etc.
Aluminium, in the case of the Cambridge at least, is folded over the corner of the timber and fixed with panel pins. Nothing more fancy than that. If the edge is seen, it is covered by a bit of half round ali screwed on top.
Ok, the Cambridge was very much made down to a price, and a lot of these new bodies are made to last. Which was not the case originally. You were just making a pretty covering for the working bits underneath.
Decide if the body is going to be part of the structure of the car, in particular, used to stop chassis flex. If it isn't, then it can be very light in construction and need not be particularly rigidly attached - ref. Weymann hanging the back end of the body on a central rubber mounting.
Decide if the body is going to take weight - mainly the fuel tank, battery, spare wheel, and luggage.
If not, it can be very light, almost filmsy.
Can someone cleverer than me run through the process of annealing aluminium? I can never remember which way it goes.
Cheers
Simon
Bodies for specials are nearly always over-engineered. 2" x 2" is used where 1" x 1" would do, cross bracing where the ali or ply skin will do the job anyway, etc.
Aluminium, in the case of the Cambridge at least, is folded over the corner of the timber and fixed with panel pins. Nothing more fancy than that. If the edge is seen, it is covered by a bit of half round ali screwed on top.
Ok, the Cambridge was very much made down to a price, and a lot of these new bodies are made to last. Which was not the case originally. You were just making a pretty covering for the working bits underneath.
Decide if the body is going to be part of the structure of the car, in particular, used to stop chassis flex. If it isn't, then it can be very light in construction and need not be particularly rigidly attached - ref. Weymann hanging the back end of the body on a central rubber mounting.
Decide if the body is going to take weight - mainly the fuel tank, battery, spare wheel, and luggage.
If not, it can be very light, almost filmsy.
Can someone cleverer than me run through the process of annealing aluminium? I can never remember which way it goes.
Cheers
Simon