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Old 03-21-2006, 05:01 PM   #1
sgraber
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My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Update - The Car is nearly finished! See more photos in other posts below:



Hey guys, you may remember my La Bala build. I built this car completely from scratch from my own design using a pile of steel and a welder to build the frame. After I finished the chassis I started on the body, which is now ready to have molds made off of it.

Here are some photos of it after 5 coats of wax. Look pretty good eh?!







Still more much more waxing to be done and then the fiberglass molds will be layed up over top of it encasing the entire surface. Once the molds are made I will be able to make as many copies of the bodywork that I want.

Amazing to think that underneath that shiny surface are layers of wood, foam and drywall plaster.
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Last edited by sgraber; 01-19-2007 at 06:50 PM.
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Old 03-25-2006, 06:17 AM   #2
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Wow that looks really good. It shows you understand that less is more designwise

Do you have more pictures? And how did you design it? could you say something more about that? If you've got drawings I would really like to see them. I really like the first en third pictures, looks like a new lockhead martin project instead of a car... Just awesome, I've got a lot experience with own designstuff with (scale) raceboats so I know this could have taken a couple of hours to build
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Old 03-26-2006, 10:10 AM   #3
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Thanks Lamboholic,

Have you visited my website? I have over 1300 photos, lots of videos, diary entries starting from over 3 years ago. Pretty much everything you could want to know about the car, the design, etc is all there.

www.grabercars.com

Enjoy!

Graber

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamboholic
Wow that looks really good. It shows you understand that less is more designwise

Do you have more pictures? And how did you design it? could you say something more about that? If you've got drawings I would really like to see them. I really like the first en third pictures, looks like a new lockhead martin project instead of a car... Just awesome, I've got a lot experience with own designstuff with (scale) raceboats so I know this could have taken a couple of hours to build
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http://www.grabercars.com/
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Old 03-30-2006, 11:57 AM   #4
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Robin to the Batmobile

Yeah it kind of looks like the Batmobile
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Old 03-30-2006, 11:58 PM   #5
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

this is by far the coolest thing i've ever read on af... congrats and i am stoked that someone out here is going for their dream instead of trying to knock other's down.
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Old 10-19-2006, 08:00 PM   #6
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Just a quick note: I took a short video of the bodywork on the car chassis. I think it turned out pretty good. Hopefully you can watch the video and let me know what you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DOqwOzkMs8

Later,

Graber
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http://www.grabercars.com/
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Old 11-03-2006, 04:36 PM   #7
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

I've been toying with the idea of building a car from scratch for almost a year now. I recently came across your website of the car that you've created. I'd have to say it's pretty sweet.

I wish I had some pictures to post of the car that i've designed. But I haven't started posting pictures of it online yet. The renders are looking pretty good so far. Currently i'm designing the chassis, but I think i'm going to use suspension components from another vehicle, once i've decided that part, It'll be easier to figure out the correct dimentions

I'm thinking of using an engine from the 2005 acura RL with 290 hp and 250 lbs/ft of torque. Too bad I don't have any money to finance the project yet, but by january I should be building a shop to house the project on my aunts farm.

I also liked the Idea of building my own CNC machine as well to make the plug for the body. mine's going to be a lil fancier than the one that you have posted on grabercars.com, but a bit more expensive.

I look forward to more posts on your website
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Old 12-28-2006, 12:21 PM   #8
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

I've been following your progress for awhile....good work!!
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Old 01-19-2007, 06:42 PM   #9
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Hello again everyone. I've made a bit of progress on the car since you last saw it. Ok... a LOT of progress!

Let me know what you think!








BTW- this is turning into a kit very soon, so if you or anyone you know is wanting a relatively inexpensive no-frills, very lightweight and ORIGINAL design bodywork car.... let me know. It's important to note that this is not a replica of anything. I designed it myself. You can put almost any modern transverse engine you want in it! Best keep to the lightweight ones tho.
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Old 01-20-2007, 01:30 PM   #10
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

wats all the specs. like wats the eng type, power, torque, but it is a nice car. u said it'll b a kit car, cool, i hope one day that i can do the same thing, build my own car company, mayb u wanna help, or want help on ur own. to bad it looks a lil like a ferrari 360
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Old 01-20-2007, 01:36 PM   #11
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Very nice. I also am very interested in the specs of the car.
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Old 01-20-2007, 07:21 PM   #12
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

yea so am i, it is nice, wats everything, new eng, or pre-existing, chevy, honda, wats it got
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Old 01-21-2007, 08:30 AM   #13
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Here are some general specifications:
  • Target Weight (with 1.6L Engine) - 1,400Lbs
  • Length - 126"
  • Wheelbase - 98"
  • Width - 67"
  • Front Track - 57" (hubs)
  • Rear Track - 56" (hubs)
  • Ground Clearance - 3" - 6" (Adjustable)
  • Engine - Turbocharged 1.6L 16V 4AGE (175Hp) - or whatever FWD drivetrain you want!
Custom designed tubular spaceframe chassis with computer designed suspension using inboard pullrod/coilovers front and inboard pushrod/coilovers rear. Uses Toyota hubs, bearings and brakes all 4 corners. deDion rear axle system with watts link maintains rear tires parallel to road surface for maximum tire contact. Toyota steering rack. Wilwood brake and clutch pedal with CNC master cylinders. Wheels are Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 17x8 rear and 16x7 front with Falken Azenis RT-615 235/40 in back and 215/45 front. Interior is minimal. It's got racing seats and belts, a center console to house the shifter, an ultralight padded dashboard and a steering wheel. NO CUPHOLDER. Dedicated power outlet for laptop computer.
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http://www.grabercars.com/
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Old 01-21-2007, 09:26 AM   #14
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

Very nice. thanks for the info.
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Old 01-21-2007, 07:38 PM   #15
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Re: My Homebuilt car is starting to look GREAT!

wats the eng out of, i guess a toyota celica or something.
also it looks like the eng is mid eng, and it's fwd?, i thought it would b rwd
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