The Bugatti Build Project - a design exercise

[Pedalcar]

Hi Gang,

I think because i kinda hooked him up with this ,i have to jump in here for Alex,he wrote


I also think that because im the one creating the model, that i should be able to have some creative freedom and create what i think looks good.


He should be given creative freedom ,that's what we owe him ,

Look where we are now in just 3 weeks , alltought he has amazing skills in using Solid Works he spent lots of hours (nightly)doing this.

Alex wrote to me in his first mail that he was willing to help but it would not be untill after the first of the new year so we are 3 weeks ahead of where we would be if he did not jump in right away.


Also a BIG THANKS to the rest of you guys who also put a lot of hours into this project.

Merry X-mas


Ben

[seasalt]

Merry Xmas all, and to Alex in particular. The 'present' you have left under our tree is simply awesome.

[anders nørgaard]

Originally Posted by AxelRod

I have been working on some of the finer details to get the model to look more like the concept. There seems to be a lot of concern that the model will not look like the concept. Rest assured that i am working on the fine details. But let me say this, the model will NEVER look exactly like the concept because of perspective issues, and because of the changes that needed to be made in order to get 2 people into the car. Details that make this car "Bugatti-esk" will not be overlooked (like the grille for instance). I also think that because im the one creating the model, that i should be able to have some creative freedom and create what i think looks good. Everyones input is needed though, so that i can also see what the majority wants.

On the cuved glass issue, the two front windows will be flat, the two rear windows will be flat, and the side windows will be curved. I could not get the side windows to look good without the curve (or fit for that matter). Also, there is no room for the windows to go up and down, and the shape will not allow for a split to slide one side foreward and back. I would suggest that the windows be made removeable and a place made for the windows to be stored in the car.

I hate to say this but, the time that i will be able to spend on this car is becoming less and less. I have 2 other projects that i am dividing my time between, and they have priority. One is due at the end of January, and the other id like to have done before spring.

Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy new year!!!!!!!!

Here is the latest rendering with headlights.

Hi Alex,
And a Merry Christmas to you too!
You really did a GREAT job on getting this thread going again!
Can't hardly wait till we see some "buck files"

[Kerry Pinkerton]

Originally Posted by jmcglynn

Thanks for the welcome, if I see a place where I could help out I'd be happy help. I think I know a few folks here from metalshapers, and probably artmetal before that.

Cheers,
Joe

Welcome Joe, You'll find lots of threads that will interest you, jump in! There is also a pretty active bunch of bikers. On the Bug, once the bodywork is finished, there will still be tons of cad work on all the other parts.

You are correct. There are quite a few Metalshaper.org members that are active participants on both lists. Heck, I even saw that Unkl Ian joined last month... :o

[toolmanMike]

In the spirit of the season I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I'd also like to take this opportunity to personally thank Alex for his extraordinary effort and Wray for having the vision to start this thing we call "MetalMeet".

Mike

[harrygibus]

Hey All,

Still amazes me what Alex can do in a short amount of time, all of the detail work he's been doing is phenominal. Fender bumps, all the beautiful riveting (great look), and things like the headlight trim rings all add to the realistic feel of the model. The reality in our minds has been visualized in artwork form. The idea that we can look at this thing now from any angle, and tweak the design if needed is inspiring.

Even if Alex is busy in the comming months, he has made such a huge amount of progress in a short amount of time, that i'm sure we will be shaping in no time. Having a large portion of this thing done by October seems more and more like a reasonable goal.

Congrats to all involved, and to the custom car/metalshaping community in general. We have been given the gift of possibilities, and it has opened our eyes.

Thanks Alex for all your help.
Happy Holidays everyone,

Jay

[Hickey]

Windshield glass is NOT tempered. It is laminated annealed glass. Most everything you learned in the movies about auto glass is wrong. Laminated glass in side window applications breaks very easily because the top edge of the glass is exposed when the window rolls down and it gets bumped around alot and flexed alot. Annealed glass does not flex well. Tempered glass does.

Laminated is made up of two very thin sheets of annealed glass with resin between them. The optical quality is crucial in laminated, and must be rated for an automotive application. If you tried to slump it over a metal form, you would have HUGE problems with pitting, deformation, and distortion.

When we temper glass we heat it to near melting point and quickly cool it (quench) it with compressed air. Thru this process, the glass is either suspended by tongs in a vertical postion (which leaves dimples in the glass where the tongs were attached.) or the glass is laying horizontal on ceramic rollers. In each process, the compressed air is applied with multiple air nozzles spaced a few inches apart. These nozzles are on a grid. With flat glass, the grid is 2D. With curved glass the grid must be custom built in 3D to match the curve of the glass to be tempered. The nozzles must be evenly placed apart and at the same distance from the glass to acheve a succesfull temper. There is a lot of trial and error in this process. We had a yearly motto that was once.... "Throw stones and live in glass houses"

-Hickey

[alfa]

Alex, you are amazing!!

I really like the riveted roof, a real nice touch.

[Peter Miles]

I don't recall - is this going to be a steel or aluminum car?

A few construction detail questions:

• how tall are those rivit flanges
• what material and diameter rivits will be used
• what spacing on the rivits
• what type of shop and formed heads on the rivits
• Is the layout of all the flanges going to allow use of a squeezer on all rivits, or are they going to have to be done the hard way?

[Peter Miles]

Oh yeah, and the rivit flanges - are they just a turned up, single thickness of the base material (exposed top edges, probably filed and sanded to uniform match with the other mating flange) or are they turned up and then doubled back over?