Original Frame Availability

[KitCarRob]

Hey Dave,

Now that the second generation coupe is announced.

Are there any original frames and fron clips available.

I sent Sally some pictures of my coupe after the unfortunate incident of hitting the pit wall at Roebling Road.

The passenger side front took the brunt of the impact and probably save my life, but!

I dont think we can save the frame as it is bowed up to the firewall and probably beyond:

https://picasaweb.google.com/kitcarr...80578361912626

Need you help in rebuilding the coupe.


Look forward to healing both myself and the coupe.

Rob Hilton aka KitCarRob

PS Tried to insert a picture but the forum doesn't seem to Like Google's Picasa web site.

[mrmustang]

[Hankl]

Rob,

I don't think you'll need to chase down a 1st generation chassis, a 2nd generation would be a better thing to do. All of the critical dimensions are the same, with an improved front suspension. The main body is basically the same, with the 2nd generation just having better mold lines, not necessarily vastly different outer dimensions. As to the nose, again, no real difference that you wouldn't have to deal with using a 1st Gen. nose.

Glad your OK, it the Coupe's job to sacrifice its self for you, It did its job!







Hank

[Russ Thompson]

Rob, glad your OK, sorry about your coupe but like Hank said, she did her job! I also agree with Hank in I don't think the Gen 2 is that differant for what you need to do to get it fixed.

[KitCarRob]

Hey Guys,

Yes, the Coupe did it's job and I am lucky to be looking at the grass from the top side.

I fractured the C2 vertebrae (danger, danger, they don't call it the hangman,s vertebrae for nothing).

I am still in a neck brace and working on bone growth to fill in the fracture I spent New Years Eve in the. ICU at Memorial Health in Savannah.

Needless to say I am now the proud owner of a Hans Device.

As far as the chassis, I was hoping to use as much of the survival parts as possible. The driver side front is just fine.

The passenger side brakes, spindle and spring are OK. What I need is upper and lower control arms, replacement Koni DA shock, replacement rim and a Hosier R-6 tire, and I think that's it.

Everything from the fire wall back except the tunnel sheet metal survive. In fact the door still work just fine and the gaps are still in tact.

As you will probably notice the motor and trans mounts let go and the engine hit the front cross brace.

I also want to keep my 5 link watts set up from Levy Racing

The Lucky Guy

Rob

[STEVO]

Sorry for your set back.... glad you will be able to get back in the saddle. Looks like you need a front clip.

I have said this for a while, that Factory five should make available off shelf parts or body parts to repair any damaged panels.
The roadster has parts available on their web site... With this not in place, it means the car is trashed. If you are a racer it is an expensive thing both with money and time..
If you have to purchase a new kit that sucks.... Nascar cars are repaired with new front clips etc...... Im sure if you could buy a frame and hood, you as a racer could cut and splice the front clip, replace the hood and basically get it going. Unfortunately no such animals are shown to be available.

[Hankl]

H
Everything from the fire wall back except the tunnel sheet metal survive. In fact the door still work just fine and the gaps are still in tact.

As you will probably notice the motor and trans mounts let go and the engine hit the front cross brace.

I also want to keep my 5 link watts set up from Levy Racing

The Lucky Guy

Rob

Rob,

I think it's just a matter of calling FFR and asking them if they can make a front clip for you. I know we would think its not that difficult, but there may be more to it than we think.
So calling and discussing your needs would be first on my list. Grafting the front clip to the old chassis is very simple, we did basically the same thing when Carl stretched his Coupe.

Hank

[Mustang Man]

Glad to hear you are on the mend. In the past FFR has sold the precut tabs/tubes/bars/etc. for frames to repair damaged cars, so it is possible they can sell you what you need to repair your frame and just have it carefully welded at your end. Not sure they wil jig up just the cross brace, etc. to weld it for you though...

Best of luck with the repairs and the healing...

Mark

[riptide motorsport]

Ouch! Glad your ok.............Steven

[Garry Bopp]

Rob,

Glad you are on the mend. Looks like you took quite a hit! Hope you're back on the road before too long.

Garry

[Jeff Collins]

Wow Rob
I didn't know this had happened glad you are on the mend. Let us know if we can help with anything.

[Gordon Levy]

Glad you are OK Rob. Please feel free to give me a call. We have repaired many hurt cars over the years and we can talk over what would be your best options at repairing this one.

[David]

Rob, Glad you are OK! I think a front clip would be fine, but just check from the firewall back to make certain the frame is straight and un twisted. You can use a lazer to check it fairly easily.

If you clip it, make sure the tubes are sleaved, plug welded and chamfered... and only welded by the best... Look at my build thread. This would be a good time to improve the chassis stiffness of the front of the coupe.

David

[Bill Shaw]

Oh man, it hurts just to look at that! Glad to hear you're on the mend Rob.

[crash]

I take it from your comment that you were NOT wearing a neck brace when this happened?

Just wondering, as a fellow racer, I like to know details when someone is injured in order to learn from the incident.

My recommendation is to think twice, and then again before racing again if you have had an injury where your vertabrae has been damaged/broken. Especially if anything ends up being fused. I have witnessed two people lose their life at race tracks due to attempting to race with fused vertabrae.

Racing is great fun, but not worth our lives, if we can avoid it.

Just my opinion, of course.

Also, in heavy impacts such as this there can easily be internal damage to the engine. You may want to have a look at the crank before starting it back up.

[Rich_S]

Hi Rob,

I believe you have experienced what many of us may have wondered about, (what happens when I hit the wall?) Thank god you are still with us, and thank god you are trying to determine the best way to get back!

Kudos to you and the engineering of Factory Five. Not many of us know the relative safety of the cars we drive and in this case race. For me, you have performed a level of involuntary safety testing and are now (thankfully) reporting the results.

Just wanted you to know you have blazed a trail for many of us.

God speed on your recovery and return to track.

Thanks.

Rich

[Hankl]

I think we all need to be aware of what the newest changes have brought to our sport. In the NASA series here on the West Coast, you can not compete without a Hans Devise. No Hans, no racing.
I am VERY glad that Rob survived the incident, but I think he would be the first to say, that using all of the currently available safety devices, is a good safety measure, against severe injury, or fatal injures. Be safe out there!

Hank

[Mustang Man]

I have a neck brace myself for the very limited racing I do (one or two autocrosses a year and some drag race testing for work). The neck braces are more correctly known as a helmet support and are designed primarily to support your helmet and keep it from breaking your ribs/chest plate/etc. during impact (you'd be surprised how far your head moves forward and down in an impact. The neck brace does not work the same as a HANS, so if you do a LOT of racing or race at a track with short runoffs, etc. get a HANS. No, they're not cheap, but they do work keeping the head, neck, and spine all in the same place!

Mark

[KitCarRob]

After my unfortunate incident at Roebling Road.
Our entire group (R&R Racing) which consists of around 6 guys made a quantity purchase of Hans devices.
We purchase through Woodman Tire from Linda at Performance Outfitters here in SC for about $550 including mounting hardware.

So now we won't even run test & tune or driver ed without the Hans Device.

Everyone wore the device during the 24 Hours of LeMons race at CMP and found them more comfortable than the old nomex collars.

Well almost everyone got to wear them, I got to wear my neck brace and be a pit adviser (bummer)

Mark, I don't know if you remember me and the Coupe. We took part in the Two Guys Garage final for the 33 roadster build.

Rob