Wooden supercar (repost?)

[PGK]

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Seems like it kind of takes the wind out of Morgan's sails.

There are some intensely clever and crafty people out there.

discuss.

[balactm]

how do you reverse the flow of an engine. and why would you want a wooden body? wouldn't it increase the weight and be the exact opposite of a supercar? wouldn't it just be a really heavy car with a backwards engine?

[CaptainHenreh]

how do you reverse the flow of an engine.

You flip the heads around and run 'er backwards.

[PGK]

how do you reverse the flow of an engine.

You flip the heads around and run 'er backwards.

or you just swap the cams around. flipping heads is somewhat more difficult, and my understanding is that they are concentrating more on materials and methods of construction rather than powerplant issues.

And it's not just a wooden body. the entire car is made of wood. chassis, suspension, bodywork, nearly everything, minus a few necessities. Even the A-arms themselves are wood with stainless steel endcaps. The front leaf spring suspension is also wood, borrowing heavily from methods and materials used to construct longbows.

Also, if you notice, few of the parts are solid. Most are hollow laminates. For it's strength, wood is quite lightweight. Not to mention, since it is grained and fibrous, it lends itself to weaves and laminates. Strings and fabrics of carbon aren't particularly stiff on their own, but weave them and lay them in a matrix and they gain considerable strength and stiffness. The same goes for bamboo fibers, thin hardwood veneers, etc. Lest we forget, trees are made of wood, and they support their own considerable weight and bulk just fine.

All in all, it's a damn cool idea, even if it is just a school project.

[ScottyB]

wouldn't it just be a really heavy car with a backwards engine?

wood is surprisingly light. sorry to threadjack, but a great example:

the Dehaviland Mosquito


a WWII era fighter/bomber that was made mostly of wood during a time when steel was the way to go. the Brits were low on resources like steel and adapted by using Ash wood (i think). it resulted in a strong, very light bomber that turned out being fast as balls and could hang with some contemporary fighters in turns, due to the light and durable wood contruction. had they made it of steel things would not have turned out the same.

Morgan roadsters are also known for their lightness due in large part to wood construction (frame)

[balactm]

alright. sounds like a neat idea then.

[Sijray21]

i would not want to crash in that car for fear of death by splinters

[PGK]

Morgan roadsters are also known for their lightness due in large part to wood construction (frame)

Morgan's only use wood (also ash, much like the mosquito) for the body substructure. The running gear, frame of the car, and chassis are all either steel or aluminum. However, using wood to form the framework for the body endows them with unique vibration and sound dampening characteristics in addition to being lightweight.

[ScottyB]

However, using wood to form the framework for the body endows them with unique vibration and sound dampening characteristics in addition to being lightweight.

woops, thanks...new it was something close to that. very cool.