BMW S65 MT in a 1933 Ford Roadster

[SDPLV]

Wow, epic thread!

I'm in. Good luck OP!

[roastbeef]

so you're making a s65 powered bugatti type 57 replica? this is going to be cool.

[In33anity]

Thanks guys. You're comments are truly motivational and really appreciate it!!! Roast beef, not a replica, but - an S65 based aluminum bodied Bugatti 57SC Atlantic Hot Rod! SaNGRia, everything does happen for a reason. Was like grieving a death and you do go through all the stages, but I'm through the last stage and at this point, v1.0 gave me the confidence and the warm-up run for stale skills (put aside for two decades while raising my kids and starting my career) to go further and farther and be even more audacious on v2.0. At this point in time, I am totally focused and obsessed with what I'm building, not what I built.

This past weekend, I started on the front end and mocking up mounting points for the lower control arms. Plan is to build from the bottom up. Managed to get the lower rails bent and tacked in (building a temporary jig to hold the rails in the correct position in 3D air took much more time than the parts themselves-forgot to take a pic) and then built prototype mounts for the lower control arms and to hold the hubs in proper position. A college kid who stopped by Wray's shop and will be working there for credit next semester, then helped me get the temp hub jigs and the LCA mounts into solidworks. Cut test parts on the plasma cutter and sent the files off to the waterjet guy to cut in 3/8th so I'll have for this coming weekend. The LCA's will mount below the rail and the four C shaped brackets will lock over the tube for plenty of weld surface. The plan is with the hubs and lower control arms in position to then build out to the upper control arm mounts. Spent an inordinate amount of time playing with pick-up points on the racing geometry app-still playing with the upper mount points. -- I

[In33anity]

Was bumped from the chassis table for a week while an Allard frame is brought back to life. Picked up the brackets at the water jet cutter and went right together. Always amazes me when a plan works. Enabled me to get the lower control arms mounted and the hubs in place at ride height. Bent up a set of hoops (just leaning in place for time being) for the coil-over mounts and provide a mount surface for the still to be designed upper control arm mount brackets. The current plan is for the hoops to be bisected by the upper rails. As far as I got this weekend.--I

[douglee25]

Very cool. Nice work. Should be an awesome ride.

[In33anity]

Thanks Douglee!


After much, fretting, trial and error decided the hoops looked too heavy and out of place and interfered with the Active Autowerkes supercharger belts. Didn't quite finish the passenger side upper rail which pulled in tacking so cut the tacks and need to finish up getting it in next week, but its sitting in place. Huge help from my buddy Steve who came down to Wray's and put his quite considerable skills (besides incredible metal shaping prowess!!!) to work helping me design and model the upper suspension parts for the water jet. After weeks addicted to the Racing Aspiration Suspension Geometry App I generally knew where I wanted it to all end up, but was like magic watching Steve scan, input, design and clean up working parts ready for cutting. Tremendous appreciation!

[roastbeef]

when you do a scan like that, does it give you measurements you could scale off of?

[In33anity]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

when you do a scan like that, does it give you measurements you could scale off of?

Roastbeef, it did, but we went back and confirmed all critical measurements with calipers and adjusted a few modestly. -- I

[douglee25]

Very cool. Amazing how far technology has come.

Doug

[bradleyland]

That tube frame is looking so incredible. Making great progress!

[In33anity]

Thanks guys!!!

Weekend Progress!!!

[douglee25]

Impressive!

[In33anity]

Thanks Douglee!

Having switched out from the planned M3 rear suspension it was built for to the F360/430 four corner suspension necessitating undoing and redoing the back end of the chassis this weekend, and seeing daylight at the end of this stage of the chassis build and the start of the 3/4'" tube superleggera structure at the end of the month, and given extra time over the holiday to think about it all, I made the decision that it was time to migrate the buck to the chassis and make sure everything fits while it's all just tacked and the rear is being redone. Ultimately, my good friends at The Driveshaft Shop will make me custom half shafts (as well as a carbon fiber driveshaft) to mate the M3 differential to the 360 hubs:

[magic77]

Cant wait for the final product

[In33anity]

Originally Posted by magic77

Cant wait for the final product

Thanks Magic, Me too!!!

[In33anity]

Got the rear mostly tied in this weekend, with just a few tweaks and rear upper suspension mounts left to design and get in, its about ready to be welded up and on to the next stage. Redid the upper most cockpit bars to gain a little more head room closer to the buck. I'll come back to brackets, mounts and pedal box much later in the project when the drivetrain is going in. Should be born as a roller and ready for some panels before the end of the month.

[Helmsman]

Keep the updates coming mate, nice! In fact the whole garage seem exiting, is that a couple of Cobra's and an old Jagg coming alive in the background?

[In33anity]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Keep the updates coming mate, nice! In fact the whole garage seem exiting, is that a couple of Cobra's and an old Jagg coming alive in the background?

Thanks Helmsman!! Wray's shop is brimming. There are a couple old cobra's sitting, on the table next to mine is an old Allard, getting a rebody, there are 3 xk120 Jags getting full body restorations, 2 coupes and a roadster, you can see the front end just past the jags of a Ferrari 246GTB getting a new body and a complete restoration of the chassis, there"s a Revere with a Deusenberg motor getting a new boattail body,there's a small roadster just past the bender with twin Crosley 4 cylinders welded together to form a straight 8, getting a from scratch speedster body and a host of other projects going on. Amazing place to do a project!!!

[deansbimmer]

I may have missed it but what will you be doing for the body work? Will you be forming your own panels by hand? Awesome project!

[EnderG60]

Ok first off, Im truly amazed at this thread. But one question keeps popping into my head. Maybe its been discussed already, but why the S65? Why not an LS or 5.0?

Seems like a more reliable option to me

[deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by EnderG60

Ok first off, Im truly amazed at this thread. But one question keeps popping into my head. Maybe its been discussed already, but why the S65? Why not an LS or 5.0?

Seems like a more reliable option to me

Those swaps are a dime a dozen. They would only cheapen a project like this. Plus, It's not like he's going for a million miler award with this car. Plenty of high mileage S65 out there...

[jeff@autocouture]

this is going to be epic, can't wait to see it