Hippo
New Member
Before I go on, I must thank you all for allowing me to join your forum. It has been, and I am sure will continue to be, very interesting reading.
I would like to have shown you a picture of a Brooklands Special built upon a pre-war Riley chassis as an example of the sort of car I would like to build but, as a man with less than ten posts, I can neither post links nor pictures. A very wise precaution preventing unwarranted intrusion on your forum I agree, but frustrating nevertheless as a picture paints a thousand words. I'd like you to try and imagine, therefore, the sort of boat-tailed racing car, front axle forward of a flamboyant radiator grille flanked by large freestanding headlamps, tall wheels and impossibly skinny tyres distorted into ellipses by the artist's perspective of speed, that used to grace art-deco motor racing posters in the Thirties. Well that's the sort of thing I have in mind. If you are still not quite sure (and with my poor description why should you be otherwise?) try googling '1937 Riley 15/6 Special Vintage Prestige' and you should find a perfect example.
I cannot afford to base mine on a genuine pre-war Riley chassis, nor do I want to preferring instead the period look but with relatively more modern running gear. I was thinking of a Jaguar 3.8 XK6 engine mated to a Tremec 5 speed gearbox driving a 4.55:1 differential on a live axle sitting on 18 inch wire wheels and 550x18 tyres.
The easiest, and probably most common sense way to do this would be to buy a rolling chassis for the Jaguar SS100 recreation made by Suffolk Cars in, er, Suffolk. The chrome radiator surround and aluminium panels as far back as the scuttle would fit and the engine and gearbox would bolt straight in leaving me with just the aft end of the bodywork to worry about. But then it would have the independent-all-round suspension from the Jaguar XJ6. It's a good suspension set up but I don't think double wishbones and coil springs would look quite right on my car.
So, if I am to do this the hard way, I'll need a chassis building the search for ideas for which brought me to the hotrod community where I fell in love with the idea of quarter elliptic springs front and rear. The front suspension set up of Ex Junk's car is beautiful, in fact the whole car is a work of art which, coming from me with a classic car background is rather like the Pope standing in the Hagia Sophia admitting that the mosaics were every bit as enchanting as the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Too much to say that it was Ex Junk's car and informative posts that prompted me to register for this forum as there are so many evidently helpful contributors here, but he did tip the balance. I really do think that Ex Junk's front end would work perfectly on my car. It would keep the car's centre of gravity low while the large diameter wheels and tyres I will use would provide an optically correct ground clearance. It would also allow the front axle to be positioned slightly forward of the radiator grille enhancing that thirties rakishness. More to the point, it couldn't be more period looking, even with the disc brakes. Axle widths are not critical as, rather than the flowing wings (fenders?) of the SS100, mine would have cycle wings. I am not trying to replicate any particular car, just the spirit of the boat tailed racers of the era.
Unless anyone convincingly argues otherwise (will it work with such tall wheels and tyres? There's a point I am not qualified to consider), I am pretty much set on replicating Ex Junk's front end but sadly, I have not been able to find examples of a well located rear axle setup using quarter elliptic springs, and I am much confused by the often contradictory opinions posted generally on the web about locating leaf sprung rear axles. I would be very grateful for any advice. Posies supply 1/4 elliptic spring kits which they say are perfect for both front and rear (and I believe Mr.Posie and I want his springs) but unless I have overlooked the correct link on their site, I have not located any pictures of their product in a rear axle application. Similarly there are quite a few tantalising photos of Millers race cars on the web, some with double quarter elliptic springs (be still my beating heart, can I have strawberries and cream with them as well?) but no photos have I found of these cars with the body off so I can see exactly how the axles are located. I would really like to be able to go to a chassis builder and present him unambiguous photographs of what I would like him to build. As they say, a picture not only paints a thousand words, it helps avoid premature litigation.
I commenced with an expression of gratitude and end with an apology for being so long winded...
I would like to have shown you a picture of a Brooklands Special built upon a pre-war Riley chassis as an example of the sort of car I would like to build but, as a man with less than ten posts, I can neither post links nor pictures. A very wise precaution preventing unwarranted intrusion on your forum I agree, but frustrating nevertheless as a picture paints a thousand words. I'd like you to try and imagine, therefore, the sort of boat-tailed racing car, front axle forward of a flamboyant radiator grille flanked by large freestanding headlamps, tall wheels and impossibly skinny tyres distorted into ellipses by the artist's perspective of speed, that used to grace art-deco motor racing posters in the Thirties. Well that's the sort of thing I have in mind. If you are still not quite sure (and with my poor description why should you be otherwise?) try googling '1937 Riley 15/6 Special Vintage Prestige' and you should find a perfect example.
I cannot afford to base mine on a genuine pre-war Riley chassis, nor do I want to preferring instead the period look but with relatively more modern running gear. I was thinking of a Jaguar 3.8 XK6 engine mated to a Tremec 5 speed gearbox driving a 4.55:1 differential on a live axle sitting on 18 inch wire wheels and 550x18 tyres.
The easiest, and probably most common sense way to do this would be to buy a rolling chassis for the Jaguar SS100 recreation made by Suffolk Cars in, er, Suffolk. The chrome radiator surround and aluminium panels as far back as the scuttle would fit and the engine and gearbox would bolt straight in leaving me with just the aft end of the bodywork to worry about. But then it would have the independent-all-round suspension from the Jaguar XJ6. It's a good suspension set up but I don't think double wishbones and coil springs would look quite right on my car.
So, if I am to do this the hard way, I'll need a chassis building the search for ideas for which brought me to the hotrod community where I fell in love with the idea of quarter elliptic springs front and rear. The front suspension set up of Ex Junk's car is beautiful, in fact the whole car is a work of art which, coming from me with a classic car background is rather like the Pope standing in the Hagia Sophia admitting that the mosaics were every bit as enchanting as the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Too much to say that it was Ex Junk's car and informative posts that prompted me to register for this forum as there are so many evidently helpful contributors here, but he did tip the balance. I really do think that Ex Junk's front end would work perfectly on my car. It would keep the car's centre of gravity low while the large diameter wheels and tyres I will use would provide an optically correct ground clearance. It would also allow the front axle to be positioned slightly forward of the radiator grille enhancing that thirties rakishness. More to the point, it couldn't be more period looking, even with the disc brakes. Axle widths are not critical as, rather than the flowing wings (fenders?) of the SS100, mine would have cycle wings. I am not trying to replicate any particular car, just the spirit of the boat tailed racers of the era.
Unless anyone convincingly argues otherwise (will it work with such tall wheels and tyres? There's a point I am not qualified to consider), I am pretty much set on replicating Ex Junk's front end but sadly, I have not been able to find examples of a well located rear axle setup using quarter elliptic springs, and I am much confused by the often contradictory opinions posted generally on the web about locating leaf sprung rear axles. I would be very grateful for any advice. Posies supply 1/4 elliptic spring kits which they say are perfect for both front and rear (and I believe Mr.Posie and I want his springs) but unless I have overlooked the correct link on their site, I have not located any pictures of their product in a rear axle application. Similarly there are quite a few tantalising photos of Millers race cars on the web, some with double quarter elliptic springs (be still my beating heart, can I have strawberries and cream with them as well?) but no photos have I found of these cars with the body off so I can see exactly how the axles are located. I would really like to be able to go to a chassis builder and present him unambiguous photographs of what I would like him to build. As they say, a picture not only paints a thousand words, it helps avoid premature litigation.
I commenced with an expression of gratitude and end with an apology for being so long winded...
