Chassis Fabrication

**yapoy86** · August 31st, 2018 12:36 AM

I see a lot of stainless steel fab shops here in the metro.. they are usually supplying thosd stainless steel fence in malls. There are also shops fabricating stainless bullbars using tubular steel

**Dragoon119** · August 31st, 2018 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by Vodka

you sure about stainless? it's about as weak as mild steel. probably more brittle than mild steel when welded.

as for the weldable aluminum alloys they need heat treatment which involves a quenching tank

i'm now building an electric dirt bike from scratch. all-original frame design and motor placement. i chose mild steel

Yes, from what I have learned from the various industries that use it including the track day specialists and hobbies. Stainless steel will perfrom perfect for my requirements. I am planning 304 SS with 309 or 308 rod which would be further protected by several clear coats and finally a very thin layer of paint to keep rust away even from the dust and trash that often get kicked up on the smaller roads.

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**Dragoon119** · August 31st, 2018 03:26 AM

Originally Posted by yapoy86

I see a lot of stainless steel fab shops here in the metro.. they are usually supplying thosd stainless steel fence in malls. There are also shops fabricating stainless bullbars using tubular steel

I am guessing when you say metro you are talking about Manila. I had an contact for a welder up there however I was concerned about having a frame welded and then having to move the chassis south for assembly.
So I am trying to find welders further south but that gives me a very good idea of where to find them.

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**ice15** · August 31st, 2018 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by Dragoon119

Actually, not quite. Noble, BAC, Radical, and even Ariel are creating cars from steel tubing. The trick is in the chassis design and tubing used.

Yup, noticed from the way this thread is going, looks like you're planning to make a local version of Atom.

Good luck to you and share photos of your project once completed...

Just to share. Nung uso pa ang drag racing (Mindanao Ave/Greenhills/Port Area)
I know someone who made something similar...
Linagyan nya ng Ford Escort shell yung car to keep it discreet...

Registration was not allowed (Escort's body number was not accepted by LTO), may trailer sya to bring the car from Point A to Point B...

It was super fast sa quarter mile, but cornering is a different story.

**Dragoon119** · August 31st, 2018 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by ice15

Yup, noticed from the way this thread is going, looks like you're planning to make a local version of Atom.

Good luck to you and share photos of your project once completed...

Just to share. Nung uso pa ang drag racing (Mindanao Ave/Greenhills/Port Area)
I know someone who made something similar...
Linagyan nya ng Ford Escort shell yung car to keep it discreet...

Registration was not allowed (Escort's body number was not accepted by LTO), may trailer sya to bring the car from Point A to Point B...

It was super fast sa quarter mile, but cornering is a different story.

Lol I do not plan to make an Ariel Atom styled car. The car would be closer to a Lotus Elise, Alfa Romeo 4C, or even Alpine A110.

The car would seat two and be between 41 and 52" tall with a short wheelbase of between 90-100". Right now I am just trying to see if there is a trust worthy person I could find to build the chassis without cutting corners and welding the materials correctly.

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**Yatta** · August 31st, 2018 02:45 PM

Wasn't there also a kit car manufacturer locally? He was building Lotus 7 spaceframes and body kits and also had a prototype Atom chassis. He was even featured in Top Gear Phils magazone a few years ago. Last I heard he was lamenting on the difficulty of getting his kits certified by LTO as road-legal.

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**uls** · August 31st, 2018 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by Dragoon119

Lol I do not plan to make an Ariel Atom styled car. The car would be closer to a Lotus Elise, Alfa Romeo 4C, or even Alpine A110.

The car would seat two and be between 41 and 52" tall with a short wheelbase of between 90-100". Right now I am just trying to see if there is a trust worthy person I could find to build the chassis without cutting corners and welding the materials correctly.

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Sir, just wondering why you and your partners would want to put up a car manufacturing plant/shop in visayas (or is it mindanao)?

i mean wouldn't your logistics cost a lot?

yeah you can find welders anywhere in the country (that's the easy part)

and steel tubes are easy to source

how about other stuff like engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes, electronics, etc

those will have to be imported

where's your nearest port?

if it's coming thru port of Manila, you'd have to ship them south which is more added cost

and after the cars are made you have to ship the cars to the destination country (for export you said)

so after shipping cost, taxes and duties, i wonder how much those cars will be priced in the showroom abroad

**Dragoon119** · September 1st, 2018 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by Yatta

Wasn't there also a kit car manufacturer locally? He was building Lotus 7 spaceframes and body kits and also had a prototype Atom chassis. He was even featured in Top Gear Phils magazone a few years ago. Last I heard he was lamenting on the difficulty of getting his kits certified by LTO as road-legal.

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Yes I remember them, Rapid 7 Technologies was their name. They had a Facebook page as was producing sevens in the style of Dookervort, with motifications for modern powerplants and and suspension knowledge. I was following them in the Locost forums for a while before they disappeared and their Facebook page went silent.

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**Dragoon119** · September 1st, 2018 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by uls

Sir, just wondering why you and your partners would want to put up a car manufacturing plant/shop in visayas (or is it mindanao)?

i mean wouldn't your logistics cost a lot?

yeah you can find welders anywhere in the country (that's the easy part)

and steel tubes are easy to source

how about other stuff like engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes, electronics, etc

those will have to be imported

where's your nearest port?

if it's coming thru port of Manila, you'd have to ship them south which is more added cost

and after the cars are made you have to ship the cars to the destination country (for export you said)

so after shipping cost, taxes and duties, i wonder how much those cars will be priced in the showroom abroad

The reason I want to put a car production company in the southern areas is simply the abundance of uncluttered, driving roads for road testing, abundance of able body employees for hire, and familiarity with said region over the northern areas.

As for logistics, that is a yes and no answer. The costs of shipping the car is not the difficult part. Finding a reputable shipper who can transport the vehicle to the dealers without damage or theft is the biggest hurdle.

Sourcing the drivetrains are easy as they are brought in every year already. I have three ideas for the drivetrain and will be attempting to assemble it into the chassis after the preproduction chassis is complete.

I am aiming for a base price of 2,673,000 php base, without options. Factor a slight bump in price here or there depending on the location of the dealership and country tax and, importation , and duties laws.

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