Cool cars and cool people. That's what is was all about this week as the build team leaders spent the day among the FFR community getting to know a little more about Factory Five and parts vendors such as MPE Racing, Disc brakes R'us and Breeze Automotive (Just one of the great advantages to being located in Massachusetts is the close proximity of all these companies). It was a great time at the factory - taking in a quick tour led by Jesper and spending plenty of time getting ideas for our own build. On the way back from Wareham, we toured MPE Racing and Disc brakes R'us, the vendors who supplied our IRS and ceramic-coated exhaust. Pretty cool seeing all the powder-coated color options you can do on a FFR kit, from fuel lines, to pedal boxes, to frame, to transmission, to calipers, to aluminum panels, these guys can make everything under the body ridiculously awesome looking. The biggest treat of the day, for me, was the trip to Breeze Automotive, where I must have spent 3 hours with Mark and Tina, an incredibly warm and friendly couple, in business selling everything you need for a cobra (if you're going the non-donor route on a build - like us). We picked up all sorts of great products like a gas tank guard, overflow tank, front mounted battery box (Mark's own design - and the best I've seen), dash mounts, exhaust mount insulators, gas pedal and pedal covers, and more...
Yes - we could have stayed in Concord and ordered all this stuff over the internet and maybe tried to stir up a Cobra conversation with the FedEx guy, but we all know technology and shipping will never replace the advantages of face-to-face time with those you want to do business with.
- Jeremy Luchini
Hello, great job, I'm right behind you sort of on a scratch build FFR. I have just finished entering a complete 3D solidworks model of the FFR MarkIII chassis with IRS from scaled pictures, component measurements and a set of the Cobra Restores original chassis plans. I have purchased the metal and have all of the suspension mounted to the chassis rails. I have a Fiber Jet 427 Cobra body that I am currently mounting.
I also used solidworks to print out templates of the parts 5/32 of an inch less than required. I use rubber cement to glue the template to 1/4in waferboard. This I cut out with my scroll saw. From here I clamp the template to the metal and simply trace the outline with my plasma cutter. For long tubes, I simply print out the angled ends without the 5/32 champhor. I cut out the ends tape them to the tube, (correct distance apart), and trace the angles with a sharpie. From here I can use the plasma cutter or any cutter.
I started out with a competitors product, but switched to solidworks since it was so easy to use and did exactly what I needed done. I am not a mechanical engineer and actually use Solidworks for making 3D models of electronic assemblies for proposal work. I must someday get my company to purchase some analysis tools so I can estimate thermal flow, shock, and vibration numbers.
Posted by: ISKI | August 10, 2007 at 08:06 AM
Ok, So maybe his car is a little be better!! but does it roar?
Posted by: New User SolidWorks Tutorials | November 08, 2007 at 10:49 PM