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Art & Inspiration Billet Aluminum Chassis by Kirkham Motorsports

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by David Kirkham, Sep 25, 2009.

  1. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    Thank you for posting the link, great craftsmanship, I think some people don't understand the difference between hand forming something like this and billet pieces made in china. This is coachwork, plain and simple, for the naysayers I guess all the hand made aluminum speedsters and bonneville cars are junk too? hand made aluminum bodies have been around a long time
     
  2. trad27
    Joined: Apr 22, 2009
    Posts: 1,197

    trad27
    Member

    wow amazing. makes my car look like a crap
     
  3. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    incredible craftsmanship, If anyone puts down the copper body, they should remember that Jessee james who is a member here, made a bike out of the stuff. No where to hide the flaws in that stuff is there? :D
     
  4. David Kirkham
    Joined: Sep 25, 2009
    Posts: 178

    David Kirkham
    Member

    You're welcome! Happy to post the book online. I thought about making a hardback version of the book, but the quotes came in at $50,000 for a small run of 1000 books. Then I remembered Glenn's book, An army of Davids, and decided to simply post it online--free for everyone. If you read through the book, you will find there are many people who helped us and freely passed their knowledge along to us. Even guys who work with F1 teams. I decided to do the same--pass it along freely, just as I received it.

    Yes, I will post more videos of Poland. We just had a customer smack his car on the nose. I will post a video of me fixing the dent in the next few weeks. I'll give you a heads up when I do.

    Thanks for the kind words!

    David
    :):):)

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  5. Nefarious Art
    Joined: Sep 23, 2009
    Posts: 106

    Nefarious Art
    Member
    from Auburn, Ca

    Alright you sure know your stuff. Thats a bitchin car- Pure craftsmanship indeed!
     
  6. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    I'll be looking forward to the updates, Like I said before coach building is becoming a lost art, glad to see someone is still doing it. There are always some naysayers here, but most people respect real fabrication like this. :)
     
  7. Hooligan63
    Joined: Mar 1, 2009
    Posts: 1,343

    Hooligan63
    Member

    I bookmarked the link so I can download the book when I get home from work tonight.That book is worth a Cadillac's weight in gold I tell ya.Every bit of info is usefull
     
  8. sawzall
    Joined: Jul 15, 2002
    Posts: 4,721

    sawzall
    Member

    david

    thank you for posting this.. as someone who teaches 3d modeling software (autodesk inventor) I can appreciate what it took to FEA everything..

    many of the folks on this site likely have never seen this technology.

    as for the copper 40 ford, I've admired the car for some time.. and never knew about the bubinga.. wild..
     
  9. Cshabang
    Joined: Mar 30, 2004
    Posts: 2,458

    Cshabang
    Member

    Thank you David...anytime i can gain more info on shaping, Im there!...beautiful work btw
     
  10. David Kirkham
    Joined: Sep 25, 2009
    Posts: 178

    David Kirkham
    Member

    I doubt that. Just keep trying. My first cars were not mirrors either.

    David
    :):):)

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  11. David Kirkham
    Joined: Sep 25, 2009
    Posts: 178

    David Kirkham
    Member


    Thank you all for the kind words. I have no doubt there is a lot we can ALL learn from each other.

    David
    :):):)
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  12. hotcoupe
    Joined: Oct 3, 2007
    Posts: 588

    hotcoupe
    Member

    David,the world could use a few more people like you. thank you for posting your book online.
     
  13. THANK you for taking the time and effort to post this information David. This is world class craftsmanship.

    I'm currently building an art deco aluminum bodied roadster and wish I had seen your chapter 18 a couple years ago. I like the way your doors and hood are framed much better than what I did.

    There is nowhere to hide when you have a polished metal body. It is THE definition of metal finishing! I'm not that good.

    What is the body alloy and thickness? 3003 H14 .063?
     
  14. 61TBird
    Joined: Mar 16, 2008
    Posts: 2,640

    61TBird
    Member

    Beautiful work!

    However,I have a REAL hard time picturing Larry Ellison ACTUALLY driving it around the Bay Area when it's done :rolleyes:
     
  15. David Kirkham
    Joined: Sep 25, 2009
    Posts: 178

    David Kirkham
    Member

    Happy to do it! Hope it helps.

    Thanks!

    David
    :):):)
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  16. David Kirkham
    Joined: Sep 25, 2009
    Posts: 178

    David Kirkham
    Member

    We copied the design that AC used originally to make the Cobra. The alloy is P7. Sorry, I can't tell you much more than that. It is a Polish aircraft alloy that I have never really figured out. As for the doors, we made them from 3003 H14, although the H14 is long gone when we anneal the aluminum. After it is worked, the H is probably somewhat higher than 14.

    Thickness is 1.5 mm (0.060 inches) for the body and 0.063" for the doors.

    You are right. There is no where to hide when you polish the metal. That is where the true test comes. Paint (Bondo) can (and does) hide a multitude of sins.

    David
    :):):)

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  17. David Kirkham
    Joined: Sep 25, 2009
    Posts: 178

    David Kirkham
    Member

    He drives it all the time. That was what made the engineering and design of the car so challenging. We knew he was going to drive it. In his world the car was really not that much money. He just wanted a cool car to drive. See page 9 in the book.

    David
    :):):)
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  18. VonMoldy
    Joined: May 23, 2005
    Posts: 1,562

    VonMoldy
    Member
    from UTARRGH!

    I just got done reading through and looking at all the photos.
    Some may say "why?"
    But that is a work of art it justifies itself.
     
  19. farm boy
    Joined: Oct 25, 2006
    Posts: 178

    farm boy
    Member
    from reedley

    David;
    Dr. Fletcher from Fresno turned me on to your web site 'bout a year ago....Amazing what those guys in that Polish aircraft factory can make.
    and yea it was a hot rod in '64, that was put together by hot rodders.
    So what's gonna happen with the gt 40 or was fletcher not suposed to talk about it. welcome
    OLY
     
  20. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    yep, this isn't some gold chainer buying a car from a catalog,this is a one off custom hand built piece of art, and it's daily driven!!
     
  21. matt 3083
    Joined: Sep 23, 2005
    Posts: 137

    matt 3083
    Member
    from Tucson, Az

    Wow. This is one of the best things that I've ever
    found on the net. Thank you. I think that you made
    a contribution that you can be very proud of. Thank you
    again. Looks like I have to buy a lot of paper and a lot
    of ink. It is worth it.
    Matt
     
  22. flatblackindustries
    Joined: Oct 7, 2006
    Posts: 645

    flatblackindustries
    Member
    from Ogden, UT

    David,

    Thanks or popping in. Fantastic work. I remember first hearing about your group right before I left Ogden. Glad to see you still going strong.
    Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
     
  23. A guy in my hometown bought one of your Cobra bodies sitting on a stainless steel frame and i can attest your work is outstanding!
    Your light years ahead of most of the members of this site in automotive fabrication using aluminium & stainless.
    While your type of car and standard of building are different than what one would normally find on this site you seem like a true "gearhead" :cool:



     
  24. stude_trucks
    Joined: Sep 13, 2007
    Posts: 4,755

    stude_trucks
    Member

    Wow, that is some top notch work for sure. Makes me feel like my project is like a wheel barrel with a square wheel.

    I'll keep my eye out for him on the roads. Will be hard to miss that.
     
  25. Buick59
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 1,995

    Buick59
    Member
    from in a house

    WOW. I just looked at your site and looked over some of the book. Pure madness! Those guys in Poland have amazing skills! You outta start making track T noses and other aluminum parts for A's, T's and the like.
     
  26. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    thats a good idea!! I know people here would buy them, you have people who want this stuff. :D
     
  27. nice work DAVID how many hour did u do on the fabing of the chassie??? fantastick work
     
  28. shmoozo
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 671

    shmoozo
    Member
    from Media, PA

    True, but if anybody here can manage to look through that entire book and not find something that interests him, well, he probably ought to check to make sure he still has a pulse.

    ;)
     
  29. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    yea this isn't some billet parts all over an engine anyway, it's a complete car made from scratch. I always considered cobras factory hot rods anyway, take a little english car stuff a large hunk of iron under the hood and go really really fast. no different then what any other hot rodder would do. Of course the rest is history, the cars were fast,loud, hot to drive, and basic as you could get. in other words a great car.
     
  30. DocsMachine
    Joined: Feb 8, 2005
    Posts: 289

    DocsMachine
    Member
    from Alaska

    Truly amazing work, David. Makes me wonder why I can't even get an old Toronado fender straight. :D

    I've got a couple of questions, though, if you have a moment. Not really nitpicks or anything, it's just that I'm a gadget freak. :D

    One of the main things that stood out at me, was the ultra-high-zoot chassis, the polished stainless exhaust, the myriad tricks like the oval hub drive pins and a tricky halfshaft retention... and then you topped it off with a pretty much off-the-shelf Holley carb.

    I'm assuming Larry requested it that way, but if not, why not plunk a nice EFI on there?

    Second, who let that tranny tunnel design through QC? :D You guys Aerogelled the voids, but when skinned with the inner sheet, basically allowed the heat to conduct through the ribs to the passenger compartment side. Thankfully the trans doesn't get as hot as the exhaust, but that struck me as a possible issue.

    And third, have you guys finished that billet 427 block, and if so, when's the repop billet SOHC due out? :D

    Doc.
     

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