Hotyacht
11-15-2016, 10:57 PM
It has been a while since I have posted anything which probably is a simple reflection of progress on my car! I seem to have been forever putting things on and then taking them off again........................multiple times.........
We have a very comprehensive design/build manual in New Zealand that covers the requirements for low volume vehicle builds, and also a strict compliance/inspection process. Because of this I have had to make a fair few changes during the build so far, but I have to say that most of these are improvements and it will be a better safer car as a result. Generally it requires 4 to 5 inspections during the build including a very comprehensive final inspection before a VIN is issued and you are allowed on the road. I recently had the first inspection which had to have the car with engine drivetrain in place, suspension complete, fuel and brake lines run, no alloy panels attached………….so a bit out of order according to the FFR build manual. The good news is that the inspector was mostly happy with what he saw – he spent 4 hrs going over the car, taking photos and making notes, discussing the manual and the source of various parts including wheels and lights. He passed everything except for the door latches, and a number of the bolts and studs, but was happy enough that he doesn’t want to see it again until the final inspection! Because there are already a few FFR Roadsters in New Zealand the suspension geometry has already passed the design compliance process so I don’t have to do that again for mine.
The door latches in the kit (and as per original) do not meet the requirements for burst proof latches here – we need a two stage latch that hooks over a bolt or loop – so I have purchased a set of bear claw latches that I think I will be able to cover with the latch bodies that came with the kit for a reasonably authentic look.
The bolts that failed are varied but largely in the front suspension – there is a requirement here that there must be a minimum of two threads showing past a lock nut on any bolt or stud that fastens a component that is part of the primary safety aspect of the vehicle, so brakes, suspension, steering etc. So I have had to replace bolts from the front suspension, studs and bolts in the Wilwood pedal box, and I had to put locking washers under all of the bolts in the Wilwood calipers………….thread locker is not acceptable because it can’t be inspected visually.
Other things I have had to change:
• Convert to right-hand drive
• Change steering shaft to one without welded ends
• Change steering racks and mount in a manner that provides zero bump steer – there is zero tolerance on bump steer
• Weld in a prop shaft safety loop
• Add some doubler plates to some of the chassis box section
• Replace the ¾” tube at the back of the cockpit that the seat belts pass over through the bulkhead – this bar needs to be 32mm (1 1/4”) roll cage tube that is diagonally braced so that the belts don’t collapse the tube in a crash.
You will notice the custom made front sway bar – I have a rear bar from VPM. These were my choice, not a requirement.
I am currently building the foot boxes which I am having to build from scratch as the kit panels are too small when swapped over – car not being symmetric. You can see that we are quite tight for space in the drivers footbox with the header intruding into the space – I will have to fashion a blister for the header pipe to fit into and I have some thin heat shield to go in there after as well as insulation on the inside. We had to section the headers by taking an inch off them so they sit closer to the block to give us more space but makes accessing the plugs a little more difficult. All seems to be working out though, and my passengers will have plenty of foot room on the left.
I think my biggest headache for final inspection is going to be the noise test on the pipes…………….max I can have is 97db measured 18” from the outlet of the pipes at 3000rpm…………..I can hear you laughing from here!
61046 61047 61048 61049 61050 61051
We have a very comprehensive design/build manual in New Zealand that covers the requirements for low volume vehicle builds, and also a strict compliance/inspection process. Because of this I have had to make a fair few changes during the build so far, but I have to say that most of these are improvements and it will be a better safer car as a result. Generally it requires 4 to 5 inspections during the build including a very comprehensive final inspection before a VIN is issued and you are allowed on the road. I recently had the first inspection which had to have the car with engine drivetrain in place, suspension complete, fuel and brake lines run, no alloy panels attached………….so a bit out of order according to the FFR build manual. The good news is that the inspector was mostly happy with what he saw – he spent 4 hrs going over the car, taking photos and making notes, discussing the manual and the source of various parts including wheels and lights. He passed everything except for the door latches, and a number of the bolts and studs, but was happy enough that he doesn’t want to see it again until the final inspection! Because there are already a few FFR Roadsters in New Zealand the suspension geometry has already passed the design compliance process so I don’t have to do that again for mine.
The door latches in the kit (and as per original) do not meet the requirements for burst proof latches here – we need a two stage latch that hooks over a bolt or loop – so I have purchased a set of bear claw latches that I think I will be able to cover with the latch bodies that came with the kit for a reasonably authentic look.
The bolts that failed are varied but largely in the front suspension – there is a requirement here that there must be a minimum of two threads showing past a lock nut on any bolt or stud that fastens a component that is part of the primary safety aspect of the vehicle, so brakes, suspension, steering etc. So I have had to replace bolts from the front suspension, studs and bolts in the Wilwood pedal box, and I had to put locking washers under all of the bolts in the Wilwood calipers………….thread locker is not acceptable because it can’t be inspected visually.
Other things I have had to change:
• Convert to right-hand drive
• Change steering shaft to one without welded ends
• Change steering racks and mount in a manner that provides zero bump steer – there is zero tolerance on bump steer
• Weld in a prop shaft safety loop
• Add some doubler plates to some of the chassis box section
• Replace the ¾” tube at the back of the cockpit that the seat belts pass over through the bulkhead – this bar needs to be 32mm (1 1/4”) roll cage tube that is diagonally braced so that the belts don’t collapse the tube in a crash.
You will notice the custom made front sway bar – I have a rear bar from VPM. These were my choice, not a requirement.
I am currently building the foot boxes which I am having to build from scratch as the kit panels are too small when swapped over – car not being symmetric. You can see that we are quite tight for space in the drivers footbox with the header intruding into the space – I will have to fashion a blister for the header pipe to fit into and I have some thin heat shield to go in there after as well as insulation on the inside. We had to section the headers by taking an inch off them so they sit closer to the block to give us more space but makes accessing the plugs a little more difficult. All seems to be working out though, and my passengers will have plenty of foot room on the left.
I think my biggest headache for final inspection is going to be the noise test on the pipes…………….max I can have is 97db measured 18” from the outlet of the pipes at 3000rpm…………..I can hear you laughing from here!
61046 61047 61048 61049 61050 61051