Yeah I know, from past experience. Making beams, etc. is time consuming and frequently doesn't have the desired properties. When you overengineer it to insure it meets your requirements, it usually ends up heavier than steel.
Steer clear of composite crash structures unless you have FEA and are prepared to do destructive testing. Whilst I have seen very safe composite structures (there have been quite a few fiberglass monocoque kitcars over the years) most have been only slightly lighter than steel monocoque construction and often heavier.
If it's harder to work with, more expensive, and heavier...what's the point?
Yes I know, experts can build lighter composit structures (that are still more expensive and diffacult to build)...but I'm not an expert.
Actually it would be cheaper to build the body out of steel and not much heavier. However, it's easier (for me) to build complex curves in fiberglass than it is in steel.
This brings up another question. I am using a Toyota Tacoma frame to build my car on. Originally the cab was isolated from the frame with rubber cushions. I assume this was done to reduce road vibration in the cab.
If I build a roll cage I am going to want to bolt it to the frame and I think using rubber cushions between the frame and cage would be a bad thing. If I hard bolt the cage to the frame then I am going to have to hard mount the entire body.
Anybody see any negative effects from hard mounting a fiberglass body (with integral roll cage) to the frame?
