Signal Auto Drifter Twin X

Just started this project today with many weeks of studying the car. So far i have sanded down all the mold lines and been working on the interior. I cut the interior out from the back of the front door panels and made the rest all blank, so it looks stripped out. I put a strut bar in the back and molded everything together with putty. I am just letting it dry and going to redo the process. I am going to add in a 6 point roll cage for the interior also. The car is going to be painted Boyd's Florida Orange Pearl.

The conversion of the S15 front will come after i finish my interior.


NOTE: APOLOGIES FOR ALL THE PICS, IMAGE HOST HAS LOST THE PICS, FOR WORKING PICS LOOK ON PAGE 2. THANX

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/180sx1wlogo.jpg

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wow, i read about those cars in the august issue of super street, and those cars are very cool, itll be sweet to see you make these

wow, i read about those cars in the august issue of super street, and those cars are very cool, itll be sweet to see you make these

Yeah, those cars are pretty crazy... :iceslolan

:feedback:

Awesome blossom!! I want to see this shiznit!! I acctually got to see that car drift. Good luck man

well, hoping to see more as your previous projects seem to have been awesome...

Alright, this is what i have done in a couple of hours. I know i have to touch up a little on some of the rotors. I replicated the TEIN N1 Suspension. I also worked some of the imperfections such as smoothed everything out on the stripped out interior. Tell me what you guys think.

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/teinpic1.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/teinpic2.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/teinpic3.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/180sxchassis1.jpg

lookin good

That looks really cool. How do you make the strut bars? Maybe you can write a "how to".

Some more progress on the interior. I put some styrene on the sides so it looks more realistic and more clean because if i didnt it would just be the bottom of the interior with the car body sides, so it doesnt really look realistic. I am currently still sanding down some things and working on a Cusco Strut Bar, tell me what you guys think so far of the interior.

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/180sxinterior1.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/180sxinterior2.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/121_2199.jpg

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http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2201.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2203.jpg

still lookin good :)

lookin good i want to do that to the interior on my 180.... looks tricky

Alright, this is what i have done in a couple of hours. I know i have to touch up a little on some of the rotors. I replicated the TEIN N1 Suspension. I also worked some of the imperfections such as smoothed everything out on the stripped out interior. Tell me what you guys think.

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/teinpic1.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/teinpic2.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/teinpic3.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/180sxchassis1.jpg



nice! i like the strut bar! if you wanna get really anal i think signal twins uses the blue endless calipers on the front brakes and black r32 or z32 calipers on the rear........... i got about 45 pics (alot of the interior) of when they were in hawaii so if you want for ref let me know and and i'll send them to you


btw where are you going to make the cut to put the s15 front end on?

I would love all the pics you have of the car, i need as many ref. pics as possible, Thanx.

Btw the strut bar wasnt made by me, i took it off of the revell Itr kit and remaking it from the base of that, pretty much just using the middle piece and redoing all the strut arms to make them round and just like the Cusco Strut Bar.

lookin good i want to do that to the interior on my 180.... looks tricky

Yeah i have seen ur thread, the interior was very tricky!! Very hard to work with. I just used alot of putty and styrene and the correct measurements.

It seems like my webhost is down so all the images are lost, ill have to wait until i can get a new one. So far i have worked on making the INGS side skirts that are almost done, just needs a little bit of puttying and sanding.

my apologies to everyone... i'm hosting his photos, and right now the servers at hostrocket.com (great place) are being upgraded... therefore, they will be down for a lil while, don't ask me how long, because i really dont know anything about it... sorry :\

Heres a big update, almost finished making the side skirts just need a little bit of putty and sanding. I havnt put together the suspension yet, the wheels are just sitting on the chassis.

http://www.nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2291.jpg

http://www.nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2277.jpg

http://www.nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2290.jpg

Here are the brakes im using. I am replicating the Endless Brakes with Blue Calipers and goldish silver rotor.

http://www.nwwo.com/shorty/store/endlessbrakes1.jpg

http://www.nwwo.com/shorty/store/endlessbrakes2.jpg

Here is half of the roll cage i made, IMO it looks very realistic, i am going to sell this one on my site.

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2294.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2295.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2296.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/122_2297.jpg

Tell me what you guys think?

looks awesome :)

lookin great

Looks sweet!

Is that front bar seperate? I would love to borrow...ahh i mean steal it for my onvia :D

Here is half of the roll cage i made, IMO it looks very realistic, i am going to sell this one on my site.


So far, so good. However, realistic is NOT a word I would use in relation to the roll bar. Its just a hoop and two diagonals - a decent half cage should also have a "Taxi Bar" (a horizontal bar across the main hoop about half way up), and diagonal reinforcement between the rear stays.
If the drifter twins' 1:1 cars have a cage like that, then I hope for their sake they don't crash, because thats a "show cage" not roll-over protection. In short, those cages are available for riceboys (and similar to what you find in big ol redneck pick up trucks), but thats not a racing roll cage. Add some more bars if you want realism.

So far, so good. However, realistic is NOT a word I would use in relation to the roll bar. Its just a hoop and two diagonals - a decent half cage should also have a "Taxi Bar" (a horizontal bar across the main hoop about half way up), and diagonal reinforcement between the rear stays.
If the drifter twins' 1:1 cars have a cage like that, then I hope for their sake they don't crash, because thats a "show cage" not roll-over protection. In short, those cages are available for riceboys (and similar to what you find in big ol redneck pick up trucks), but thats not a racing roll cage. Add some more bars if you want realism.

Did i say i was done? Thats right no. :disappoin I am still adding more bars, i am going for a full race roll cage.

I took the liberty of making up a couple of example pics in photoshop of more realistic cage designs. These are by no means comprehensive designs, just showing where extra reinforcement might go, you're best to research it yourself.
There are many variations, like replacing the taxi bar with a diagonal, different combinations of diagonals in the rear etc.

I also added a front half to the cage in one pic, including cross bars and diagonal roof bar.

Half cage with simple reinforcements:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/87834ROLLCAGE1.jpg

Full cage...

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/87834fullcage.jpg

Did i say i was done? Thats right no. :disappoin I am still adding more bars, i am going for a full race roll cage.

Ok, sorry, I misinterpreted it as "the half cage I built" not "half the cage I'm building". Sorry. You DID ask for opinions, you got one.

Anyway, I have another important revision for you. Your cage design, in a real car, would result in very little benefit in chassis strength, and would do little else but bend the rear sheet metal in the cargo area, and worst case collapse the main hoop in the case of a roll over, I'd suggest you shorten the rear stays and locate their end point where the rear strut tops are.

Ok, sorry, I misinterpreted it as "the half cage I built" not "half the cage I'm building". Sorry. You DID ask for opinions, you got one.

Anyway, I have another important revision for you. Your cage design, in a real car, would result in very little benefit in chassis strength, and would do little else but bend the rear sheet metal in the cargo area, and worst case collapse the main hoop in the case of a roll over, I'd suggest you shorten the rear stays and locate their end point where the rear strut tops are.

I was going to put it more near the strut bars are but i decided not to. The other bars that are in the middle are practically useless, because if u were in a roll over those bars would not protect you, the ones on top will. I am not going to add all of those bars, just the ones near the roof because those ones are the ones that will save your life.

I was going to put it more near the strut bars are but i decided not to. The other bars that are in the middle are practically useless, because if u were in a roll over those bars would not protect you, the ones on top will. I am not going to add all of those bars, just the ones near the roof because those ones are the ones that will save your life.

I suggest you take a look at some 1:1 race/rally cars and read up a little on roll cage design before you make statements like that, since you've demonstrated that you have no clues about cage design.

In most cases the main hoop is strong enough to provide some protection in a simple roll over, however it is crucial to have properly braced outriggers for protection in a more dynamic type (more likely) of roll over where the forces acting on the cage and chassis structure are more complex, and this is where the diagonals on the rear stays come in, to stop them collapsing when force is transferred onto them with the extra leverage of the main hoop. I would also add diagonals from the top corners of the main hoop down to the centre of the taxi bar (or at least a single diagonal from top right/bottom left). The design of your rear stays, as I said, does not place them on a load bearing chassis section, and the flat angle they are on would make them especially susceptible to bending (particularly in the case where it is only a half cage and the force is coming from the frontal area of the roof turret). If they bend, they will pull back the main hoop and reduce its effectiveness.

All I am saying is that your roll cage will look fine the way you are suggesting, however I'm suggesting some mods to add realism.

Good luck, it all looks good so far otherwise.

http://www.safetydevices.co.uk/oldsite/images/sdcage2.jpg

Great progress.Can't wait to see more.

here are some ref pics from team-rice's web page i can't post mine because i can't figure out the upload thing *sigh* i want the old forums back :banghead: signal pics and vid (http://www.team-rice.net/drift1.html) while were on the subject check out some of the other drift vids they have vids (http://www.teamrice.org/tr4.0/index1024.html)

well, no S13 cage goes all the way to the trunk. They usually weld around the rear shock tower. Have the bar closer to the front seats.

well, no S13 cage goes all the way to the trunk. They usually weld around the rear shock tower. Have the bar closer to the front seats.

I have just seen the interior of the car and i am going to be moving the rear bars over to near the struts.

here i was able to use my university hosting site


back of drifter X's car http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rserikak/myfavorites/71.jpg

view of the dash
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rserikak/myfavorites/81.jpg

to help you on the brakes (which are slotted not drilled), roll cage and interior...*note* on the signal cars the roll cage mounts to the rear wheel well not all the way to the back, but that roll cage still looks sweet never the less. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rserikak/myfavorites/int1.jpg http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rserikak/myfavorites/wheel.jpg

i did the xl car but the x car is virtually identical the only thing thats visually different are where the guages are mounted (accoss the dash in the x car vs. on the a/c vents in the xl car) and the x car uses gold gram light wheeks where the other uses volk gt-C's, also the rear light section is painted orange on the x car, and blue head light covers, gotta love those :biggrin:

Damn. How'd I miss this one? Very cool build shorty. I'd have to agree with you putting the rear supports either real close to, or on top of the rear struts, adding a main loop brace (one horizontal, and one vertical if you'd like. Although I know not much of building cages, I've seen lots of them at the local drag tracks. So, I'm quite sure with the design you've currently made would just be a waste of time, specially on a drift track. Seeing as you've fixed that, all I can say is, keep up the progress.

to help you on the brakes (which are slotted not drilled), roll cage and interior...*note* on the signal cars the roll cage mounts to the rear wheel well not all the way to the back, but that roll cage still looks sweet never the less. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rserikak/myfavorites/int1.jpg http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rserikak/myfavorites/wheel.jpg

i did the xl car but the x car is virtually identical the only thing thats visually different are where the guages are mounted (accoss the dash in the x car vs. on the a/c vents in the xl car) and the x car uses gold gram light wheeks where the other uses volk gt-C's, also the rear light section is painted orange on the x car, and blue head light covers, gotta love those :biggrin:

Wow so this is ur car? Nice lookin roll cage, how did you manage to get those bucket seats in? I cant put any bucket seats in mine, i dont have enough room, i only have just enough room for a stock seat. Can you help me out? what bucket seats did you use? Thanx

Here is the new redone roll cage, i made it look like the one in the real car.

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/123_2330.jpg

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http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/123_2344.jpg

looks good now. =D I think im gonna take out the back seats in my 180 now... lol

looks good now. =D I think im gonna take out the back seats in my 180 now... lol

haha, it was pretty tricky taking them out. Good luck. :smile:

looking good

Thanx for all the feedback so far, The next thing im going to probably do is finish up the front part of the roll cage and order some Tamiya Fast Drying Epoxy and get some styrene sheets and start on the rear lip and finish up the side skirts.

the real cars are Wicked in person! youre off to a good start. Interior work is spot on. cant wait for the front end conversion, which will make, or break your project. Good Luck!

JeFF

lookin very nice... keep it up

keep it goin, very nice project so far

There wont be any progress for a while.... The reason is because of all the major body mods needed to make it. I am leaving it to the side until after i finish my new S13 project i am starting with custom body kit that will be easier than this project. Stay tuned for my S13 Drift Project coming soon... :)

I finally got some time to work on my car. I just cut out the 2 headlights so i can put some drifter style sleepy eye lights up in there... :p and filed out the license plate frame, cuz i didnt really like the square right in the middle of the bumper, and i was going for a more round and clean bumper so thats why i did it. Tell me what you guys think.

BTW i just took these pics with my new digi cam Nikon CoolPix 2100... :smile:

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/DSCN0005redo.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/DSCN0006redo.jpg

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damn I am liking the sleepy eyes ;) very nice progress so far!

looks like a cool project, i did similar mods to mine but yours are way better planned

looking good dow. How long did it take you to do your lights...like cut 'em out?

looking good dow. How long did it take you to do your lights...like cut 'em out?

Not very long about 10min. each light, it was pretty easy, I had a sharp blade so it was easy, just run accross the line and it deepins it and just cuts through.

Charles, do the covers fit on with a nice gap, or is it too wide? I did the same for my Trueno, and now it needs some styrene.

BTW, glad to see you progressing.

I was bored last night and took a pic of the model with some Aoshima Advan RG's just stuck under the chassis.

To HONOTURTLE: yes there is a gap but it isnt that big its about 1 MM gap and thats not that bad.

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/DSCN0017.jpg

you might find that 18s wont fit so well. im working on one one too and i rolled my fenders

clicky (http://www.geocities.com/trd_azn_boi/1234)

Finally got some time to work on the body. I just finished the rear bumper. It took me about 1 1/2 hours since it was really hard to cut out the exhaust opening and make both sides even and look nice, i also kept messing up on the exhaust opening like 5 times... :disappoin But now finally got it the way i want. BTW this body kit is from INGS. Tell me what you guys think.

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/DSCN0144.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/DSCN0147.jpg

http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/DSCN0148.jpg

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http://nwwo.com/shorty/store/DSCN0155.jpg

Thank God for Evergreen Styrene! :iceslolan

YES...finally something happened to the body after so many months i suppose....hmm needs sanding and shaping and filling...but overall it is OKAY!

YES...finally something happened to the body after so many months i suppose....hmm needs sanding and shaping...but overall it is OKAY!

yes, yes it does. Forgot to say now i have to wait for my Tamiya Fast Drying Epoxy to get here until i can shape some more. :smile:

Looks good. I really like your body kit. If there is a gap around the headlamp covers, take some of that Evergreen styrene and cut it into a thin strip, and bend and glue it around the rear three edges of the cover and trim & sand when dry. For the best results, glue the back edge first, wait for it to dry, then do the two side edges. That will allow a strong bond to form, keeping it from lifting later. But you probably know all this.... your skills are getting mad.

oh cant wait to see final pics!!! itz gonna be soo sexy!!!

Coming along nice. I really like the rear bumper. I cant wait too see it done.

Nice!! I love it!! so SEXY!!!! very clean

Thanx for all the replys guys. Some more progress of the side skirts will come later today when i get home from school. Stay tuned.... :smile:

Looking good!! Is the grey stuff on the on the side skirts just normal putty?