How to Build Your Own Supercar
- the Essential Manual
Published on 15. August 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
112 pages
978-1-84584-166-9 (ISBN)
Description
Using the author's one off mid-engined sports car as the featured build, this book is written to encourage and inspire you with your own automotive dreams. It describes the unique inexpensive ideas and techniques that were combined to achieve impressive results and lift the project car from average to outstanding. All the ideas can be adapted to solve your own problems and meet your own particular requirements. The book focuses mainly on fibreglass moulding and modification, including the manufacture of a stylish rear wing spoiler from a basic wooden mould to the construction of a pair of gull wing doors using the same method. It does not neglect other aspects of car building, with other sections covering such things as the vacuum forming of a pair of headlight fairings, how to ensure systems such as twin fuel tanks and mid-engined gear linkages work as intended and how the exhaust system was made. The final chapter lifts the lid on how to make a professional-looking leather trimmed interior. Two hundred and fifty detailed photographs, sectional views and exploded diagrams ensure maximum clarity.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
David & Charles
Dimensions
Height: 270 mm
Width: 207 mm
Weight
501 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84584-166-9 (9781845841669)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Brian is an aircraft technician and former Royal Air Force apprentice, which gives him a thorough understanding of structures and systems. Ever since he could drive his hobby has been cars, and he has written articles for various car magazines relating to his build and restoration experiences: he thoroughly enjoys solving problems that such projects always throw up. Cars that have received treatment include a Dolomite Sprint-engined Triumph TR7, a Carlton Commando kit car, 1967 Austin Mini Moke and an original 1967 Cox GTM. That build featured many body modifications which provided useful fibreglass experience. Brian honed his self-taught fibreglassing skills by creating a unique road legal supercar from an advertising mock-up, the subject of this book.
Content
1. Materials, tools and techniques. (A list and description of the materials, tools and basic fiberglass techniques used in the Mirov project including how to make temporary moulds from scrap materials.) 2. Front bodywork. (This covers all the processes needed to construct the front clamshell including fiberglass moulding and reinforcement work, air intake and inner wheel arch creation and how to alter body profiles and the manufacture of custom headlight units, which explains how to vacuum form polycarbonate headlight fairings) 3. Central body unit. (This covers all the processes used to construct the central body including fiberglass work using formers and sheets creating floors and bulkheads and detail finishing of the door striker plates and repeater indicator units.) 4. Rear bodywork. (This covers all the processes used to construct the rear body section including fiberglass work involving the alteration of body surfaces, stiffening ribs and the creation of a mould from basic materials to make a stylish rear wing spoiler. It also includes how to add additional rear lights and a design for a slim numberplate lamp when space is limited.) 5. Door construction. (This is a chapter devoted entirely to the manufacture of a pair of gull wing doors using moulds constructed from wood, and includes detail finishing ideas such as custom flush door handles and wireless courtesy lights.) 6. Systems and solutions. (Hints and tips on how to create successful single windscreen wiper setups, a mid-engined gear linkage, twin fuel tank installation and custom exhaust system. Also included are novel solutions for pipe clamps, heat blanket, cooling system connectors, brake and clutch linkages and fitting magnets to driveshafts for electronic speedometers.) 7. Interior. (Details of how to create a showroom standard interior using basic techniques and materials to make seats, dashboard and center console. How to fit carpet and detail work, such as illuminated switch panels and polished aluminium trim.)