I am flirting with building a mid engine auto union inspired car over the next two years. Just something to kick around in during sunny days kind of deal. Not looking to race or be anything "correct". I expect a bumpy ride similar to a old motorcycle. Drive able with a bit of skill and respect for what it is. Hidden under the looks of the car would reside a aluminum 4 cylinder with a custom bell housing mated to a muncie and modern irs diff bolted rigidly together. The chassis and much of the panels would be made of aluminum or fiberglass(glass nose and rear). A few coats of paint would hide the fact that it is not steel yet it would still be light weight. It should provide a reliable easy to work on and find parts for driver. Engine wise 100 to 150hp will be more then enough to put a grin on my face. Working to keep this thing light from the start and the layout above seems very achievable. The issue is the exterior pieces. That means skinny tires, drum brakes, and axles that look "proper". I want this thing able to stop. But it is just hard to get past not having the brakes and rims look right. I believe I could machine some drums that look proper and place modern cylinders inside scaling up the internals to match the drum size to operate dual master manual brakes. But, trying to find rims that even look close is proving to be a huge headache. The hub thing is a issue in itself. I need more info on the hub, spindle, and rim itself. How the rear cv axles ran through the rear hubs and a considerable amount more info on the suspension itself. If someone can point me in a direction of any kind of hub dimensions or any kind of literature on the suspension setup that would be greatly appreciated.
Crosthwaite & Gardiner has restored these cars and built exact replicas for Audi in the 1990's. Classic & Sportscar covered the process in some detail a few years later, but what issue(s) it was in I do not remember. Crosthwaite & Gardiner have a wheel manufacturing capability which could duplicate the wheels and hubs, but it would not be cheap. I assume you have Auto Union V16 Supercharged: A Technical Appraisal: http://www.amazon.com/Auto-Union-V16-Technical-Appraisal/dp/0854298045
Those were big cars! Its pretty easy to find spline drive wire wheels in many common sizes on eBay and other places online used for not much money. The drive hubs come up all the time as well as the knockoffs too. Get some used up jaguar or other British car drums that are not in fashion and you are good to go. Won't be exact but will have the wow factor.
Thank you for that link. Within 10 days I will have that book. Budget is between 6 and 9k which is tight http://www.95customs.com/the-1937-auto-union-type-c-streamliner/2015/3/18 The 4th picture on the link above shows a rolling chassis and a bit of suspension detail. I could see a floor mounted brake reservoir sliding under that steering linkage and a smaller fuel tank being used to allow for the longer transmission to fit. The 3rd picture down shows the "streamlined" rims. This is a last resort and could work with non spoke rims. It would benefit hiding modern easy to replace lug style rims allowing a much broader modern(modified) hub to be used. I have found these helpful links so far. They show the complexity of the front hubs and how the structure of the body ties into the frame. http://jalopnik.com/5723725/the-1936-auto-union-type-c-unpeeled http://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/wa...nd_Prix_Audi_Museum_walkaround_001_large.html
If you close one eye and squint, the front suspension looks kinda like VW air-cooled Beetle. The torsion bar housings can be bought in aluminum for the dune buggy crowd. The hard part would be getting wire wheels to adapt to the Beetle drums. There used to be bolt on splined adapters for MGs, so they could put splined wire wheels on lug nut drums. Maybe these could be used/adapted. An aluminum "ring" could be turned with the ridges, and fitted to the outside of the stock Beetle drum to give the "look" Cheers, Stewart.
As Limey Kid says, these cars are pretty close cousins to the VW Beetle, suspension-wise at least. They also used swing axles on the rear, though you might not want to go that route. An aluminium front axle beam is a great idea. A decent combination of engine/gearbox/rear end could be an Audi 1.8 20v turbo unit (Audi TT, 220hp), hooked to an Audi O1E six speed gearbox and a Porsche 944 rear suspension. These have aluminium semi trailing arms that could look the part with a bit of work. None of this solves your wheel problem however.
I think you just need to give an impression of the wheel style and not worry too much about accuracy. Jaguar or MG wheels with a set of Blockley's and some drum covers will look the part.
It's funny as I read this, this same type of build has been kicking around in my head as well for about 2o years. In my plan however, I start with a small early open plane fuselage with the exposed rivets with a 32 grille shell at the nose. I have considered using Jag V12 with the pipes coming through the body and the Jag rear suspension and fronts using the Buick aluminum drums with the polished backing plates that are available or Pontiac 8 lug hubs with a newly machined aluminum 8 lug wheel. Not exactly all 30's parts, but just going for the flavor.
http://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/wa...nd_Prix_Audi_Museum_walkaround_002_large.html This one is a different body style. It does seem to use the easier to find front end. The front end is what makes that car to me. This one in the link below has the clean lines I could see rolling. It is sleek with a aero style with the bigger grill. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/8030198649 This front end in the link below with the smaller grill and love handles to cover the upper suspension beam looks uglier then the one above. The level of complexity of the panels went from simple rolls that could be reinforced with tubing easily in the above design to compound rolls that I believe are beyond my skill level. http://www.dyna.co.za/cars/history2.htm After looking at the photos in the links below; I believe I can use a air cooled front end and cut it at the ends weld a flange on the bottom tube with 4 bolts then use a dampener on the top that would look similar to the original front end in the link above. Think I am on my own as far as building a dampener that "looks" and functions correctly. But I am sure it could be done. https://www.flickr.com/photos/photiste/11256749786 http://www.autoevolution.com/news/1...-shanghai-2015-live-photos-94763.html#agal_23 I like the idea of using a 944 rear suspension. But I can not. The torsion bar simply sits to high. I found out by looking at the suspension closer. It is freaking genius in design for the packaging requirements. Here is a cutaway and a rear view. They use a swing arm to position the axle then they actually use the frame as a torsion bar tube with dampners right at the ends. I could see building this myself. As for the beetle front suspension. I will try cutting one down to get the look. If it is not working I will simply use a beetle front axle and live with not having the correct look. I really want that front end look though. As for the engine. I have a goal of 550lbs or less for the engine,bell,clutch,trans, and rear diff. In NA form I believe that could be done. I really don't like the idea of a turbocharger spooling up right next to my head guys. If I can get that package closer to 450lbs in this thing and get the hp around 90-110 I will be happy. Overall weight I really want to get as close to 1200lbs as I can. It sounds really out there. But I believe it could be done.
I would imagine you could add friction dampers inbetween the torsion bar housing and the upper trailing arms with a bit of work. The semi trailing arms are forged steel and are still reckoned to be a bit flexible. You might want to think twice about trying to fabricate something to replace them. Also I'm not sure about removing the top torsion tube. Sounds like it might make the whole thing too weak and flexible.
Your project sounds 10K times more complicated and sophisticated than mine, but I've been toying with the idea of building a 4wd single seater that looks like a miniature Indy / Sprint car from the 1930s using left-over Model A parts and cheap drive-line stuff from (gads!) Suzuki / Geo 4wd vehicles. I understand some of those engine components are GM friendly. Good luck! Gary
Carefully treading here. But that 1.6 cylinder engine is high on my list of potential transplant engines. It is very available, very light, and has good support. The power it puts out is right in the range I want. Once the weather warms up I am hitting a few yards to take measurements of just how wide the engine/transmission in a front wheel drive "swift" is. I am thinking I can run the engine transverse and may be able to hide it under the bonnet(going to be close). I am guessing if I tilt the engine 10 degrees towards the driver(acceptable) I should be able to get 4" or so of suspension travel. Because the track width of this single seater is so small I am thinking of mounting the hubs directly to the transmission outputs(that's what I need to measure). No drive shafts only the one prop shaft. Less parts=less breakage. I am thinking of having the entire engine/trans/wheels/brakes swing on the two stock looking external swing arms with two interior(steel) hinge points housing a "hidden" cradle and use mono shock similar to a motorcycle suspension. The result is a very simplistic/cheap setup. Yes it is unsprung weight. But everything including tires and wheels will weigh less then 450lbs. Up front the beetle front axle is just winning the more I think of it. It is light and available. I will just cut the hole higher up for the upper bar instead of having the "love handle" body style that does not give the curves I want. Because the chassis ends under the fuel tank for the most part. It allows for more rigid frame yet it gives the wheelbase that will look correct. This is the only way I see of getting the correct wheelbase. As for the wheels aluminum "moon eyes" saucers will (one flat rim no holes)will hide the brakes. Up front drums will be good enough to give the look I want. The body will change as little as possible. It is out there. But it is well within budget and something I could see building easily if it will fit.
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