AWD ICCARS Cobra
 

Well finally after almost 10 years of design, engineering & planning I have managed to start my very own personal AC Cobra build project which by all accounts is something a little different to the standard Cobra's that we build here at ICCARS.
Due to some down time on our customers cars I thought I would start my chassis for my AWD Cobra, as this is a fully customised chassis that I am building from my plans and designs that have been amended over and over and over again to get what I believe is a very robust and reliable build which will incorporate a drive system for the rear & front wheels (70/30 power split respectively)
Due to using donor parts I have literally only spent three days on this build and by next week (once I receive other steel profile cut bits) I will have the whole thing rolling and ready to build the body supports as per our std design, so the process of building this Cobra can be sped up by virtue of the fact that I have all of the suspension, steering system, brakes and lines etc etc ready to go.. The body will require customising also to compensate for the wheel track of the Audi, so a split body will need to be made in the order of around 150mm wider - should sit nice and wide on the road.
The wheel package will be 295x35x17's Rear & 255x40x17's front which will provide a 0.4% wheel size difference (3% is the maximum variation in rolling diameter before it starts to mess with the traction control)
This is an Audi 4.2L v8 that I intend to run a single turbo on and only activate one side pipe and dummy the other - that's my initial though process but that may change in time. lol
I am not at liberty to discuss the drive design aspect for the front wheels as I have to go through the patent process in due coarse to protect my IP on this part of the build, however I am happy to discuss the other aspects should there be any interest.
Hope you like the build thread now that I have actually started!!!

Shortest tailshaft I have ever made up..:LOL:

Next job is to make the rear cradle assembly chassis support and boot section, then I can work forward through the trans tunnel and front bulkhead and get the out rigger frames made up for seating position etc..
Really feeling enthusiastic about this build as it's for me and not someone else.. That makes a big difference in life!

looking forewould to see this project unfold
keep the updates coming Will
chris

Love what you are doing there Wil. Great innovation and foresight. Look forward to progress updates.
Andrew

This should be a fascinating build for lots of reasons. Looking forward to seeing the progress pics.

Very exciting to see this project finally under way Wil. Go for it!!

As a point of interest --- does this mean that you could be offering similar wide bodies in 2WD builds to future customers?

Most interesting!

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...ertCobra11.jpg

Fwiw, I understand the guys who do wide body Healeys, widen the body in 3 sections to main proportions. Down the middle and then on each side from headlight to taillight. Perhaps something to consider.

Thanks for that feedback Dimis, I have no choice but to widen the body so any possible options as per the above advice are greatly appreciated mate. I was just thinking that a 150mm centre fill in piece may be the go but will research the wide body Healeys that is for sure.
Thanks again.

Hey Don,
I was thinking along those lines as I really like the way this thing is coming together and may end up having a third option to my kits as we build the independent rear end, live rear axle 9" set up and maybe the wide body will be another aspect of the future of ICCARS Cobra kits. Will keep you posted!
Cheers

Started the rear cradle frame today and I am happy with it now, but some minor mods were required to clear the actual cradle frame. Once fully welded and braced this will provide more than adequate strength to the rear end of the chassis (torsional aspect) and will make life easy to install and remove the cradle assembly for rebuild and painting etc..

The hardest part of this rear assembly is the inconsistency of the Audi cradle - go figure!! Some minor adjustments however an I have it lining up within 1mm accuracy (and still I was thinking I might tweak it some more - :LOL:)

This set up also provides additional leg room to my std chassis configuration, so a win win..

I like the adjustable strut brace ;)
Will you be running a modern style wheel with lots of back spacing, or is the increased body width to allow for wheels with a bit of dish?

Lol, I might need to make that brace standard issue Craig.. only works in tension but!! :D

I am going to look for some modern wheels as I will need an 11" rear and 9" front wheel, and yeah the increase in body width has two benefits 1. allows for the use of the std rear cradle and front strut assembly without the need to modify 2. will give some room for a bit of dish on the rear mainly; the front wheels will be very similar in offset to the original wheels - by my calcs based on my CAD design is should be able to get a maximum of 100mm dish on the rear wheels with the wider body and an additional 3" per side in the cabin area for a bit more comfort and roomyness.. :LOL:

Just did some quick searching last night and it looks like I may need to go to 18's to get the tyre sizing I am after as there is only one 295x35x17 left that I can find and I don't know if Khumo intend to release that size in their new range of KU36's..

Only had a few hours today but starting to look like a cobra shell..

Plenty of seating room and extended leg room for the drivers side!!

Great work will......you need one of these to make it easier though :)

This would be a god send, but I could only imagine what sort of $$ this would be worth to purchase.. How good is the round tube fit though!:cool:

Wil there's something wrong with my computer at the moment that's not allowing me to see posted random photos or to "like" posts. So let me go the long way around and say I'm following this build with more than my usual interest in what you're getting up to down there, and especially I'm lovin' the extra width and leg room you've managed to create for the driver. Scott Hampson managed to vastly improve the leg room in my Arntz for me, but to see you providing this extra room from scratch for we sufferers of excess height is nothing short of sensational.

Speaking of Scotty Hampson he's threatened to build an awd cobra since 08! Itll be awesome to see your build unfold.

No more under/over steer me thinks?

Not too bad for 1 weeks work, lol.. almost rolling.. maybe by the weekend:MECOOL:

Ready to start the roll cage section for the top of the chassis frame and boot section now, but still need to set the steering column/rack position right and get the struts in the correct position - running 10degrees positive castor as per standard Audi spec's. Wheel base has been shortened by 400mm and track remains the same front & rear, although I will look to get a slightly larger tyre offset on the rear.

hello Will the rate you are going it will be finished in a couple of weeks
have one question the front coilover struts seem high or is it just an optical?
chris

Lol, wouldn't that be nice, but I reckon if I keep to the build schedule I will have it close to completion in about 6 months time.. Fingers crossed - there's a lot to do on the body side, the chassis is relatively easy all things considered..

The front and rear springs are un-sprung at the moment and I need to find the right compression height for them once I have all of the weight applied to the chassis, and by my calcs that will drop the spring retainer on the front shocks by around 100mm, however the beauty of this design in that both of these mounts locate inside the outer guard which is set up from the bonnet, so it will have plenty of clearance when finally positioned.

Cheers