My Elio Alternate Project Is Underway.

[msmith5150]

I am all for a manual! Crazy excited for that! Though I know that manuals were the go-to 30 years ago, but today's automatics are vastly superior to the shifting abilities of us mortal humans. As with the Elio, my intention for this will be a commuter. That's why I got a motorcycle after I knew I'd never see an Elio.

This project has me excited again! I am keeping it tempered though. Not that I have any doubt, I think with a name like Mark, I can't be let down

 

[Mark BEX]

I got around to fitting the rear subframe today, fitted like a treat, looks good, very simple and fast to make.

I was a little surprised that the rear suspension frame mount, red arrow, matched up perfectly to the new subframe, thought I was going to have to make a new one, I'll take that, a win is a win, and allows me to move forward a little each time I have a win :-)

 

[JEBar]

per Hannibal of the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together

 

[Mark BEX]

would the "F-0’s AMT variant" you mentioned early in this thread be an option for use in your BEX

Yes, but it is a series of solenoids and linkages in addition to the gearbox itself.

I don't know it's reliability record, I haven't heard anything, which is a good sign as people usually only make noise when complaining, just that if I can keep it to a simpler option then I will.

 

[JohnJ]

Please excuse my ignorance of the subject. All this fitting of so many different pieces together looks to be very time and labor intensive. I can see why it's needed in building a prototype but could all this be streamlined by making the production car with a one piece, stamped frame with the body joined? "unibody".... I think that's what they call it.

 

[84mpg]

I cannot begin to imagine what dies cost. And the presses too?

Mark is on the right trail.

 

[3wheelin]

Amm, I will save Mark some time. here. Yes indeed, stamping sheet metal has been a huge cost saver and engineering improvement in automobile production.

Both, you get to reduce parts, and also make more complex results from simple adjustments to shape. And you can also weld sections together where a single stamping will not due. Also this works very well in a unibody design.

There is a caveat. The tooling is very-very expensive. And since multiple trials would cost even more, you have to invest greatly in research to get it right the first time with no changes. It is only cost effective if you have a predictable expectation of high volume sales. And the money to invest in it.

It's been said, the most expensive car to produce is a cheap one. Metal stampings are one of the reasons for that. The Ford Pinto cost something like 2 billion to put the first car out the door. Those first years of production have to pay off the R&D invested.

Anything Mark builds up with pieces is a candidate for conversion to a stamped structure. When to do that depends on the cost and pay pack calculation mark will do as things move along. But up front, some of the structure already is stamped, he's acquiring that from other existing models.

It's the very reason why ELIO Motors failed. They needed to sell at least 300,000+units to recoup their investments.

 

[84mpg]

It's the very reason why ELIO Motors failed. They needed to sell at least 300,000+units to recoup their investments.

That's a BIG yep. IF "someone" with all of the millions upon millions had gone after it like Mark is ––– how many vehicles could have been on the road these last 5-6-7 years?? Thousands? Tens of thousands?

But hey, that's water under the bridge and I'm thrilled BEX is on the horizon. The BEX is what the other vehicle SHOULD have been. I can't wait!

 

[Mark BEX]

I thought up, designed, lasered and folded the new rear swingarm in a half day today, quite happy how it turned out too.
It's a simple 'tophat' fold, with the tube nuts and tube holes lasered out so it just all fits together in minutes, and gets welded.

Note it is quite wider than the roll bars, intentional to help stop it progressing forward into the cabin in a rear accident.


For those wondering, yes, it will be triangulated later.

 

[Mark BEX]

Please excuse my ignorance of the subject. All this fitting of so many different pieces together looks to be very time and labor intensive. I can see why it's needed in building a prototype but could all this be streamlined by making the production car with a one piece, stamped frame with the body joined? "unibody".... I think that's what they call it.

Answers above are solid, thanks to those who took the time.

I have a unibody manufacturer at the ready if required, but as mentioned, the cost of dies is quite overwhelming, at least initially for the project. I'm the tall guy with the funny hat, who isn't Chinese ...

I try everywhere I can to reduce number of pieces, cost and especially time, and of course the biggy: "Off the shelf" parts where ever and as many as possible, this will include OEM doors.

The entire side panels are one piece.