The all aluminum and carbon 7

[Robert O. Urfer]

A while back there was a 7 that was for sale, it was all nickle plated and carbon fiber. It was built by an electrical engineer out west. I don't have any pics but I am sure someone does. Anyway a friend of my fathers bought a new Elise from a dealer in Detroit and told me the owner had a couple of 7's. So I went up to Detroit yesterday to meet this guy and see what he had. Well he just sold a red Caterham for $32,000 but we have this other one that is probably out of your price range he says. Really I would love to see it I say. we go in the back of the facility and here sits this 7. He said he would sell it for $100,000 It is sweet in person. Absolutely amazing the amount of detail and just simply time that was put into the car. I just thought it was pretty crazy that it ended up in Detroit Michigan in a Lotus dealership.

[slngsht]

Robert, Do a search for sugino here... That's his car.



Based on the pictures, it is an amazing car.

[slngsht]

here you go...

>http://www.usa7s.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=106&KW=sugino (http://www.usa7s.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=106&KW=sugino)

[manik]

That tow vehicle in the last picture should be what we are getting quotes on!





http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/solderguy/2006-06-01_190521_silv26.jpg





Nice.

tm

[slngsht]

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif You should see the inside

[Robert O. Urfer]

That is the car. It is absolutely spectacular in person.

[Mike Rohaley]

Is the nosecone on this car a Caterham part? The aluminum workmanship is perfect but the $3,000.00 price Rocky Mountain wants for one is a bit much for me to swallow. I am in the process of making a buck to produce my own but to be honest, I do not know if the final product will be presentable which will leave me back where I am now. Does anyone know of a skilled metalworker that has fabricated parts of this type?

[slngsht]

There is a guy on www.locostusa.com who made a beautiful aluminum nose from scratch... let me see if i can find his handle...

[slngsht]

Here you go... JonW on http://www.locostusa.com



http://www.locostusa.com/forums/images/avatars/122327771244e79f3e24a06.jpg

[manik]

Mastercraft near Dallas can do a nosecone. However, you will be VERY lucky to get someone to make one for less than $3K. Unless you find a retired fabricator with nothing else on his plate. An even then...



>http://www.mastercraftbodyworks.com (http://www.mastercraftbodyworks.com)





tm

[Mike Rohaley]

Thanks for the help everyone.

I have a friend who built an entire body for his car from aluminum. The more help and advise that he gives me clues me in to exactly how much work and skill is involved in making something so complex. If (very big if) I am lucky enough to develop my metalworking skills enough to build these I could easily see charging 3K because of all of the time and effort involved.

[xflow7]

Yeah, $3k is a lot of dosh, but doesn't strike me as that outrageous for something as complex as a nosecone in aluminum. I have to believe that kind of thin-gauge aluminum work is a bit of a lost art and I may be way off base, but I can't imagine that it would be much less than 20-40 hours labor to make one. Figure $60-$70/hour for someone skilled enough to do it (maybe more actually), plus material and maybe some tooling costs and presto-change-o you're at 2-3 grand.<edited><editID>xflow7</editID><editDate>2006-12-08 06:38:26</editDate></edited>

[WestTexasS2K]

I attended the Fourniers metalwork school last year. It really isn't hard as it looks. Once you get some of the basics down you make about anything. The class is 650.00 a few grand in tools and you can make what ever you want. I moderately skilled person can make this item in two day. It will take as long to make the buck as it does to make the panel.

[Mike Rohaley]

That is certainly reassuring, I am about two days away from finishing the second buck (the first did not come out so well). This is just one more example of the way that I tend to learn more through mistakes than through success. I have my ear plugs and hammers ready to go.

[Jon W.]

Mike,



How did your nose cone turn out/coming along?



You can see my first attempt at a nose cone that I did about 2 years ago. It's a little large and not very elegant. Partly that is because of the tall BMW engine it's hiding and partly because I didn't optimize the buck.



I used an English wheeling machine to shape the four panels and then hammer-formed the front opening over the buck shaped from MDF.



An unpainted nose cone is like a metal shaping final exam. All flaws are exposed. Word is that the some of old Italian cars that had handmade, aluminum-bodies had a lot of filler for smoothing under the paint. But, I have also seen some photos of bare Lotus 6s and 7s that looked very smooth. That takes lot of planishing effort.

[Deman USA]

what kind of a truck is that?

[slngsht]

looks like an ISUZU diesel job with a custom box

[sb427f-car]

Simply wow...he should have taken that car to Barret Jackson...Simply unbelievable.