Quote:
Originally Posted by sgtlethargic
I'm with you. Not everyone needs a 4-seater or more. I know I don't. Cut the frontal area and weight.
I've been thinking it'd be safer for a side-impact (T-bone), too, if the occupants were centered, further away from the doors.
I like turbo propane, too. But, I don't want the tank in the trunk again. It's easier and more assuring to have it completely separated from the passenger compartment.
Any more info on your plan?
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I'm thinking most of my side-impact protection will come from nimble crash-avoidance, and secondarily from the overkill frame design I'm leaning toward, which has 2" x 2" mild steel square tubing of 1/4-thick wall thickness, along the occupant shoulders, on past the fuel cell, which would be between the occupants and the engine. The overkill steel would also go around the occupant compartment in other ways / areas, especially in front of the feet and something tubular curved overhead to meet the plexi canopy, if I can find a plexi canopy. Anyway, gasoline or propane will determine the firewall between fuel and human. I considered fuel in the lower frame, but then decided that's better for coolant hoses, brake lines, and possibly p/s if it proves necessary. These might all be braided stainless.
Still working on the fore-aft relationship between the driver's feet, the front suspension, and the radiator.
The bodywork is likely to be fiberglass formed over a hand-shaped wooden buck shaped by myself.
I need 60+ MPG HWY, I need it to spike at least 75 MPG at least twice, and it needs to be fun to drive anywhere, anytime, for under $10,000.