Introducing my scratch-built middy - La Bala

[sgraber]

Hi, I've been a lurker on the forum for quite some time. I decided it's time to show you guys what I've been working on in my little garage for the past 2 years or so...



The car is driveable and it's a lot of fun since it weighs around 600Kg. It currently has around 120Hp utilizing a 4AGE powerplant(to be uprated significantly in the future).

I am currently heavy into the bodywork construction phase. Having designed the shape in 3D Studio Max. As you can see by the photo below I am still in the ribs and foam stage... fun...



I have created a website that you are all welcome to visit if you would like to know more about the project. www.grabercars.com

Not many USA based guys posting here on Pistonheads (from what I can tell), but then again, not too many USA based scratch built middies out there either. A notably good one is Alan B's Meerkat Project. www.desicodesign.com/meerkat/ .

Steve Graber

>>> Edited by sgraber on Wednesday 7th July 01:27

[jgmadkit]

keep up the good work, it looks fantastic and no doubt a great deal of effort has gone into it so you deserve much credit.

Shape is looking good, has a bit of Attack in it which is no bad thing (up there as one of my favourite cars at the mo)

Well done.

John

USA kit car inf
UK kit car inf

[KITT]

Looking very nice Will bookmark your site and keep an eye on the progress.

[fuoriserie]

Very interesting project and very nice looking site.

I will be following your build in the comming months.

Great work and very resourceful



Italo

[sgraber]

Thanks for the kind words. It's been a lot of fun to design and build. One of my main goals has been to keep the costs down. So far, thinking creatively and doing most all of the work myself has really paid off. I have spent less than $1,500USD so far, and I expect that the bodywork and interior finishing touches will set me back another $700.

I am SWAG (scientific wild ass guess) guessing that the car will be just over 700Kg when finished including the bodywork.

BTW- I have always been a little leary of posting on this forum because I am not sure if this is a place to talk about car designed and built completly from the ground up. Are there any other 'from-scratch' builders here on the forum?

Show of hands?

Graber

[rustybin]

Just gearing up for a home build. Mid-engined street legal trackday car based on Alfa boxer engine, bespoke suspension, tubular chassis, spider configuration. Your post has got me looking in to MR2 as donour vehicle.

[sgraber]

Hi Richard, Are you planning a single seater? I think that the transverse layout engines lend themselves to two seaters while the longitudinal drivetrains, using the UN-1 transmission for instance, work better for single seaters.

The main reason I used the MR2 engine is due to the cost benefit for me. The donor car was free. That's always good! and then I sold all the parts I didn't need via ebay for a very tidy profit!

Some of the engines that I have considered (and this is not an exhaustive list by any means) are the Subie WRX boxer with the rear output shaft disabled, the Nissan sr20DET, the Honda B16 or other variants, Hayabusa, Dodge Neon (with turbo), 3sgte... I have even measured up a Cadillac Northstar with the Pontiac Fiero based Getrag 5 speed... It fits...

I believe that the transverse Middy format (using FWD based drivetrains) is really powertrain agnostic. You really only have to solve some simple shifting geometry to get anything to work. Look at the Terrapin (Stanisforth- "High Speed, Low Cost") sometime. He utilized the old Mini drivetrain. A very clever rod shifter mechanism.

Graber

Edit - Just noticed you said you are building a spyder. Forget the 1st question. Also, are you a member over at www.locostbuilders.co.uk? That is the most active middy (and locost) builders list I know of. Very useful place with a high signal to noise ratio.

>> Edited by sgraber on Thursday 8th July 15:50

[docevi1]

You'll find that the man behind Meerkat is a member here : www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?h=0&memberId=14472

Looks impressive, keep us updated please

[sgraber]

Yes, Alan is a good friend of mine. A great fount of knowledge and all around great bloke.

[KITT]

sgraber said:

Hi Richard, Are you planning a single seater? I think that the transverse layout engines lend themselves to two seaters while the longitudinal drivetrains, using the UN-1 transmission for instance, work better for single seaters.

Long shot here but, if anyone is looking for someone to help start a company to build road legal single seaters (or any custom/kit cars really) then please let me know! I've got a few ideas but don't have the engineering knowhow to actually design it for real

[rustybin]

sgraber said:

Some of the engines that I have considered (and this is not an exhaustive list by any means) are the Subie WRX boxer with the rear output shaft disabled, the Nissan sr20DET, the Honda B16 or other variants, Hayabusa, Dodge Neon (with turbo), 3sgte... I have even measured up a Cadillac Northstar with the Pontiac Fiero based Getrag 5 speed... It fits... I believe that the transverse Middy format (using FWD based drivetrains) is really powertrain agnostic. You really only have to solve some simple shifting geometry to get anything to work. Look at the Terrapin (Stanisforth- "High Speed, Low Cost") sometime. He utilized the old Mini drivetrain. A very clever rod shifter mechanism.

Thanks for your thoughts, they confirm most of the conclusions I have come to. I feel it boils down to two choices for me. Going the longitudinal route allows boxers etc. and an inline gearbox which gets the C of G down and makes for a better track car. Going for a FWD package often seems to place the engine very high and so takes away some of those advantages. As a first time builder I would like to keep things simple for my first go so the MR2 idea appeals to me. Donour vehicles in the UK are also about the same price (for MK1 MR2's anyway) so I swing on an almost hourly basis between the two.

I love the Northstar idea as well but maybe for the Mk2!. A baby Panoz?

[sgraber]

rustybin said:

Going for a FWD package often seems to place the engine very high and so takes away some of those advantages. As a first time builder I would like to keep things simple for my first go so the MR2 idea appeals to me. Donour vehicles in the UK are also about the same price (for MK1 MR2's anyway) so I swing on an almost hourly basis between the two.

I was thinking about what you said about the higher engine and differences in CoG and I don't think that it works specifically as you described it. My 4age oil pan is the same height off the ground as any other inline engine. Now, the height difference between it and a Boxer engine is noticeable...

The longitudinal/transverse issue you describe really refers to polar moment of inertia. (Think swinging a barbell with the weights close to your hand and then another barbell with the same weights 1 meter from your hand.) I think that the longitudinal package has a slight advantage over the transverse package in this respect because more of the weight gets placed closer to the true center of the car. But the major disadvantage of that longitudinal drivetrain is in packaging the passenger compartment in between the wheels when you want to build a short car! You typically end up with your drivers feet up between the front a-arms.

The issue is really much more complex than a simple post can handle, so I will drop it.

You decision to use an MR2 however... That's a really good one IMHO. High revving, fairly lightweight, bulletproof, cheap, linkages solved, did I mention cheap? I'm here to help if you need something.

Graber

[rustybin]

Graber,

Thanks for your help and your offer. Once I have a few options on paper I'll put them or a link up on the forum and see what peoples views are.

Thanks again and good luck with the rest of your project. It is looking damn good.

[sgraber]

Here's an update to my project.

[grahambell]

Hi Graber,

Have lots of respect for guys like you and Meerkat who build a car from scratch. Look forward to seeing the finished result.

[raftom]

Steve, it's been getting better and better. Thanks for keeping us updated.

[joospeed]

Watts link located de-dion rear end in there? if so good choice sir

[sgraber]

Yes, it is a deDion with Watts link. A simple yet fairly effective suspension that makes packaging a transverse drivetrain very straightforward. I think for the next version I will try an IRS. It will be fun to compare the 2 suspensions in otherwise identically configured cars.

Steve

[Incorrigible]

Views from other angles ??

Looking good though

[sgraber]

As you can see, it still has a little ways to go. The flat white color really makes it look bad in photos. But the shape is where I want it, so now it's mostly finish sanding. Then layup the mold. Then the finished parts.

The key to finishing a project like this is to try to do at least a few minutes a day working on the project. Sooner or later it gets finished!