My First Single Seat Car

**TutTech** · 10-22-2008 08:38 PM

OK like most of you have or started with a single seater I have never
had a single seat buggy.

I have always wanted one or to at least build one.
I have thought about it for years and it's been on my to do list for a very long time.
So Today after I stopped playing on the site I went out and mocked up a single
seat version of my 2 seat car into a single seater.

It looks the same only skinner and well that's pretty much it.
Smaller, lighter and going to be a heck of a lot faster too though.
So ya that changes some what.
It will be all the same as my other cars but only a single seater as far as the body, cage, wheel base, wheel travel, etc. will all be the same just narrow and a single seater.
The car can run any motor as the back area has plenty of room.
If I get the chance to finish it for me it will go VW.

Well how about some pics.
Floor pan as I always do except no center brace up the middle as this car is
to narrow for one.

I don't know if you guys use these clamps or not but when your mocking up and setting up a new car they are awesome to hold your car together as you check and make sure that yes everything is where you want it before you actually add some tac welds.

Couple mid rail bars nothing much to show there so I continued on and set up the window openings. Here.

Had to do some homework and math on this part but I set up the motor cage with just enough room to fit even an ecotech or other car motor and still have the width you need. Plus there is room for a 16 gallon fuel cell back there. Looks like a mini truck without all the rest of the bars on it.

Well that's all I had the time for after lunch to do today.
I will try after lunch tomorrow to do the 1 inch webbing, roof down bars etc.
See how much more I can do and get it looking like a real car.

Thanks for looking and input, questions, feedback or comments are always welcome.

**greasemnky** · 10-22-2008 10:07 PM

You do realize your insane right? Your building time is impressive to say the least. I get bored one afternoon, I fall asleep on the couch. You get a little free time, and boom, a nearly full chasis just appears. Imagine, if you didn't have to stop for lunch, it probably would have wheels on it by now

**whiplash** · 10-22-2008 10:09 PM

No joke, man you're fast!!

**yummi** · 10-22-2008 10:30 PM

I was thinking the same thing - take a rest buddy. You make me tired just thinking about it.

Very good for you that you get to do something you have been thinking about for a long time. How you gonna race a single seat and pit the other half dozen cars? You are the Energizer Bunny.

**TutTech** · 10-22-2008 11:49 PM

Ha, ha you guys crack me up.
Well this is going to be a slow build. I had the free time and no projects for everyone else so
started this one for myself. I do know it will be put on hold or probably even sold off at some point
though. But I wanted to start it and if nothing else hold onto it until I can finish it.
Then when I am working and have the money but no time I will be able to finish it.
(funny how that works out)

As for fast it's only tac welded so really it's nothing but some bent and cut bars so really nothing
to brag about. The slow part was doing the math on what it should be size wise. Engine size, body, etc.
I don't want to be to small on the track and get ran over but I don't want to be to big and
be slow. Also I wanted to set up a pattern so I could rebuild this for anyone else so I took
notes and made changes or what not all day to or I would have had more done.

This is the fun stuff for me though. Creating a new car. It's a lot of fun I really enjoy it.
I wish I could just keep all of the cars I build. I pretty much have to sell one off to build another one.

Anyways thanks for the funny and kind words.
I will post more tomorrow night as I said I want to tie it in even more so it looks more like a car
and get it to a stopping point where I can then start on it later and build it into whatever I want.

As I build it I am making it totally universal.
Universal for any budget etc. When I am done with the frame the car can then have it's suspension
added to it. The suspension will determine the type of car it will be either a prerunner, play car, sand car or race car. As a race car it can be a 1300 car, 9 car, 10 car, 12 car, 16 car or heck a 1 car.

So by doing this single seater and really doing some home work and thinking it through as I build
it really gives me lots of options later on with how it can turn out.
For now it will turn out as just a frame.
But later on who knows. I would be happy with another 1300 race car so I can race in style and suspension, good wheel travel and still try winning a trophy at the same time of playing in a buggy I built.

Oh ya as you all know I have 3 of my own cars to pit for so no this car will not be done anytime soon. ( my 2 brothers cars and my wife will be taking over our car.)

Or I build it super fast race around the course in front of my other cars my wife and brothers will be racing. I come into pits stop get out pit for all of them then I get in and take off again pass them
and come around then stop in pits and repeat. That way we all get to drive.

Thanks again.

**Odyknuck** · 10-23-2008 10:05 AM

Thats amaizingly fast production. I would still be on the bottom frame section lol. Where do you buy those clamps? Those are great.

**TutTech** · 10-23-2008 10:29 AM

I think they are from Harbor freight?
I have had them for years.
They are not always perfect so tac a weld and then check with a square before you tac all the way around the tube on all 4 sides.

But heck to see if you want a bar in a certain place, or to check the height of a mid rail why you sit
in it and rest your arm on it etc. why these hold it is totally awesome.
I love to clamp stuff with them check if I like it change it see if I like that etc.
Plus if you say lean in your roof bars and they hit another bar you can notch it and see how much you need to notch by clamping it back in until it fits. Tons of little uses for them.

Bottom was easy I need a 24 inch wide front opening for my beams and the back I wanted
some room for a seat. The race seats need 24 inches at their widest and I wanted some
extra room so I went 32 inches for the width of my floor.
I Just had to do some trial and error and some thinking and that's what I came up with for me.

Then from there I have some really good plans for my cars so I pretty much fallow along with
those just making the scale now work off of the 32 inches wide pan.
So my mid rails are always 10 inches wider than my pans so my mid rails where cut and installed and 42 inches wide keeping with the scale and look of my cars.
Then the roof back in to the 32 inches. Pretty easy when you have a pattern to work off of and then
just use the same rules and just scale it down.

Anyways thanks.
Looks like I won't get time to work on it today much at all but will see.

**Bugpac** · 10-23-2008 11:15 AM

Everyone does notice that tut builds these on the floor and jack stands right, And everyone is dropping a bunch of doe on build tables.. Excellent job tut, shoot, draw it up and sell some plans...

**CARLRIDDLE** · 10-23-2008 12:54 PM

Ok its after lunch now, I thought we would have the motor mounted by now.

**Odyknuck** · 10-23-2008 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by Bugpac

Everyone does notice that tut builds these on the floor and jack stands right, And everyone is dropping a bunch of doe on build tables.. Excellent job tut, shoot, draw it up and sell some plans...

Yea but dont you see that nice saw cut line in the floor that he uses as a reference tool lol.