Cars and Automotive Design

what type of automobile you want?????????????????

I want to make my own design, based on something similar to an aerial atom.The designing is not the problem it is where to start and how do i approach it in the correct way.

Sounds like a cool idea...where do we begin?....What Tyres are we going to use?

I am not really sure what to go with, maybe R15-R17 rims and whatever tire i can get my hands on.

This is only first area as i want to make a whole car in the end. I will start compiling a parts list which might help. There is just so much variety to chose from i am a bit overwhelmed on the choices.

1) First you must go through all the the chassis of cars similar to yours to have a rough idea on where the engine would be, propeller shaft, wheel base, track width etc. and you should know what to do to strengthen the structure.

2) Then you should make a rough/basic sketch of your car chassis to have an idea where would the things be mounted, the seating space etc. and decide a rough wheel base and track width(You might wanna go through factors affecting WB and TW.). Make a structure with simple rods/tubes joining each other for the start. Then keep refining your structure by adding useful elements and removing useless elements.

3)Then you should make the top view of your chassis on a cardboard (scale 1:1) and sit at the place where people would sit, and check the ergonomics, check if the distances which you decided to mount your parts are optimal or not. Check the engine size to be mounted, and other parts would fit properly or not, and do whatever checking you can do by this 2D drawing. Now you should have almost final dimensions of your chassis.

Don't be afraid of doing things wrong, you can always go back and change them before production.

4)Once you have all the dimensions, you can built a 3D model of it on a modelling software. Use this 3D model to check the strength of your chassis on simulation software like SolidWorks, ANSYS etc. And Re-Strengthen the area where the chassis failed. Iteration is very important in the designing process.

Hope it Helps!

Thanks for the detailed information i know this will help a lot.

Hey, figure id chime in here. I build and race cars as a hobby and as an extra form of income.

Here is how i would plan out my ground up build.

1. Figure out what your intentions will be for the car. Is it going to be a track only car? Are you going to want to take passengers, if so how many?
2. Would you like to compete in any type of series with the car, or just show off your design skills? If anything, you would more than likely be relegated to an "unlimited" class.
3. Figure out what wheelbase you want.
4. Decide on how simple you want the car? I'm assuming you will want independent suspension all the way around? Will you run double wishbones at all 4 corners, or maybe McPherson up front? (Also, for what it's worth; in the USA we have a series called Trans Am. These are tube chassis cars with straight axle rear ends and they are very very fast and very very simple.) So don't discount running a live axle, because set up correctly they get the job done.
5. Once you have all of that figured out, decide on an engine and transmission combination. This is a VERY important decision because of the size and weight of this system. How much power do you want/need? If you've never driven on track before you probably don't need 500hp.. The class i compete in, regularly has 600-700hp cars that show up. However, i can still post better times then some of them with my 190hp FRS. I also don't break much or go through consumables such as tires and brakes the the Corvettes and Vipers. A nice and simple RWD Honda K20/K24 would be perfect. They make great power and can rev to the moon.
6. From there i would start to figure out how wide you want the car.
7. build a chassis fixture in CAD. Then build one in real life. (this will be good practice for your fabrication skills if your new to fabricating and welding.)
8. Draw your center line. This will be the centerline of your engines crank all the way along the chassis and into the centerline of your rear differential.
9. Model your main portion of the chassis. (where the axle center lines are, where the wheels sit, the engine, and the transmission.
10. build outward or inward with your suspension geometry. (you should have your ride height, roll center, and suspension pickup points figured out by now)
11. model up all of your components and assemblies. then verify that this works in CAD.
12. Try to build some of the simple systems in real life. Such as sub frame assemblies and suspension arms. PRO TIP HERE. Use as many parts that are already available as you can. Coleman, Speedway, Howe, and Allstar Performance are all very good sources for things such as spherical bearings, tabs, ball joints, material to make custom tie rods, and end links, as well as a great source for literature. These may seem like circle track car suppliers to you (they are) but you'll be amazed at how many other types of cars utilize these same parts,
13. IMPORTANT. Whatever your budget and time frame are, double them. I don't care how well you plan any of this. you're going to mess things up.

14.Have fun with all of it. Once it stops being fun, or seems over bearing, don't be afraid to take a break. When this happens to me, i'll cut my time spent down to maybe an hour a night after work. I'll use that extra time to get back into the things that made me interested in building and racing cars in the first place. You wont believe how well this does at getting you excited again.

Source: ME You can follow some of my racing and fabrication advetures on IG @_trainwreck

take care!

-Billy

This is very good clear advice, thanks a lot.

Yohann

Hi Billy,

i am still unsure about one thing, am i meant to know about the positioning of the suspension points when designing the chassis because I am unsure about the positioning of that to.

Any advice.

I would look into some reading material specifically about chassis and suspension tuning. Carol Smith, as well as Herb Adams both have some great entry level literature about this subject. Their books can be had on Amazon for relatively cheap.

In these books you'll get a crash course on suspension design, systems, measuring for roll center, bump steer, etc. It's very important that you understand these fundamentals before hand. It will save you some money and tears in the long run.

-Billy

I will look into getting those books.

Thanks

You could start from building a simplified copy of that Ariel Atom, if you like it. Also you can significantly save budget and weight (and get better power-to-weight ratio) by reusing motorcycle engine with built-in gearbox and chaindrive.

Take a look on engines about 1000-1200cc.

pls, can someone help me with the process of designing a full ATV, I don't know where to start.

First thing can possible to hire someone who can draw in hand (or on tablet or drawing board) to make some sketches of everything – After that I will suggest that you hire few good mechanics and at least one carpenter and to discuss with them all that and to evaluate every of your ideas – Than you can do reverse engineering on some already available chassis improving it up to your request and with already clear idea what you want to do and with what parts – You can (or someone you will hire to do that) do 3D model than and produce it in wood than to evaluate it and correct any problems which you and all others see on that model – Than you can after improving 3d cad model start making it in steel … Other parts are already available and you can buy them whenever you want and mechanic will do rest of the job!

If you want to read books to be clear what you want than you will need months to just come to some idea – Hire or ask people who are experienced in those fields to talk you about your idea – That way you can get some results in a week or two

To hire people you need to be confident what tasks to give them.

Ok – I understand what you think but i think process i have think about and suggest to him can help him

If he can’t explain to designer what to draw and what will be deferent from some already available model than he surely must think about that

If he can do that and if he can explain to designer what he want than he already have some clear ideas

When he get ideas sketched to “paper” than he can go to mechanic and ask them for opinion

That is beginning of all work

Mechanics will surely know what is good and what is not good or what can possible be good and what’s is worth of trying to make

After all that he will be on a path to better understand what he wants to make :) and that will surely bee ok with people here to make model if they want to do for glory of for money