Firstly, we fit a seat, the brakes and braces for the battery compartment. The seat was made from aluminium sheet, and attached with rivnuts and screws to the chassis and side channel. This also lead to the instalment of the new seat belts.
We then we made a roll bar from flat bar (45x10mm) steel welded to steel tubing - this flat bar on the top section is heavier than the tubing and brace combined however this weight gain is offset by the aerodynamic improvements provided by the lower surface area of the flat bar.
The front of the car was formed by hot wire cutting foam - which creates an accurate and, what should be, a smooth foam core for the nose when used with a template. This was then covered in 0.5mm aluminium sheet (which allows the aluminium to collapse easily on impact, like a crumple zone), stuck together with glue and riveted to create a rigid nose. The nose was then riveted on to the body of the car. The same technique was used for the tail, which has rivnuts to secure it to the car and allow it to be taken off when needed.
The foam for the inside of the cockpit was cut from some yoga mats we bought, which covered the seat, the sides and the area for our legs.
Before we put the top of the body on, we put the main wire from batteries to the back in order to save us the hassle of fitting that later (keep tucked in to the sides with brackets and cable ties). We fit the motor with the adjustment and bracket earlier too - ready for fitting all the electrics.
The top of the body was a joy to fit with some measuring, jigsawing, gluing and riveting it had been fitted. We riveted across any area with contact to the bulkheads. This process took over 200 countersunk holes and 200 rivets.
Down below you will be able to see the progress made from multiple angles.
All aluminium was generously donated by Building Product Design Ltd.
