RACKED

The little job of the luggage rack that I mentioned in the my last posting is now almost complete. The wood supports have to be removed and given a final sanding before varnishing. The aluminium straps are 30mm wide by 2mm deep, there is very slight flexing, but I thought that if I went up to 3mm I might have trouble bending the little upstand at the tail end, that I considered necessary to prevent luggage from slipping backwards under fierce acceleration. May be a quaint wicker basket would be appropriate? I think it looks the business and that the proportions are right. By the way, the little pot of paint was exactly the right size to give me the line to grind and sand the ends to.

The 6mm countersunk bolts go all the way through the wood and the GRP before being bolted up behind two 20mm wide ali strips, one fore and the other aft, that run from side to side so the stress on the GRP is spread evenly. When the rack is finally attached, probably after the car is sprayed, I will use a length of double sided tape between the the wood and the GRP to take up any gaping between the two

On a sadder note my relationship with Arthur of Aerocyclecar, the maker and supplier of my kit has come to an end. This will make the project a little more challenging as I will now have to independently source parts, but I have been promised help in that direction from somebody, who completed his car last year. With a bit of luck it may be quicker this way, although some parts may have to be special one offs, but one step at a time and the first is steering and suspension, I''ll let you know.