What's the most complicated thing you have built?

"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich) 02/18/2016 at 20:32 • Filed to: SHOPLOPNIK

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Part of my brain keeps toying around with the idea of building a car. The other part of my brain thinks that is a terrible idea, and knows that I’ll get frustrated over it. This has got me thinking - have any of you here on Oppo built something like a kit car before? If not, what’s the most complicated thing that you’ve built?

For me, I might have to go with a few pieces of furniture that I’ve made. I made a baby change table and a curio cabinet from scratch (my own design). Both turned out not too badly, but it’s definitely a far cry from something as complicated as a car.

(Above picture of said curio cabinet. Definitely not perfect, but it turned out not too bad).

MM54 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 20:37

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I used to work construction, so I guess I’d say the most complicated thing I’ve built is houses.

More-relevant is that I’ve done some substantial mechanical work on cars and some serious design and fabrication work when I was in college on the SAE team.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > MM54 02/18/2016 at 20:39

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I wish I could have been on an SAE team or equivalent. Unfortunately I did computer stuff at a technical college and then did a post diploma transfer to a university that doesn’t have an engineering program. :(

misfitmascots > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 20:40

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Wacko > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 20:47

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My house, or should I say, half a house.

I had a one story house, we jacked it up 15 feet in the air, then basically built a new house and sat the old house on top.

I’ve been doing this for a year and a half so far, I’m more than half way done.

Here is my daughter in my jeep with the house in the background.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Wacko 02/18/2016 at 20:53

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Um I would love to see a timelapse of that undertaking

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > misfitmascots 02/18/2016 at 20:53

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Awww yisss.

Freedom injections!!

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 20:55

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Not sure, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never finished a project the way I envisioned it at the start.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 21:08

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That ^

A couple of those ^

And this ^

TheJWT > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 21:09

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My final model last semester.

The Compromiser > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 21:13

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I tore down and put back together my motorcycle. What was left on it after the crash anyway. Only down to frame and engine though. Not further. Does that count? Also three children. They are pretty easy to put together though. I quite enjoyed it. The maintenance costs are a bitch though...

Wacko > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 02/18/2016 at 21:14

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I don’t have a time lapse but I have a few pictures when it was up in the air on my phone. Gonna reply to you from my phone with a few pics later.

Gone > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 21:18

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My career has revolved around designing and building things. Mostly giant things (and/or subsystems) in various industries, so let’s skip that.

Personally would be a rock buggy out of DOM stick from scratch, manual tube bender, and MIG welder. Hydro steer, 5.13 D60 ARB airlocker/14bolt spool, 18" travel shocks, 350 Vortec L31, TH400, Atlas II, and 40" cut Boggers on 15*12 Bart wheels. Welded tabs everywhere so it fit a CJ7 hood, cowl, and chopped the sides off a CJ7 tub. Like a tube drag car w/stock body, but a rock buggy.

KirkyV > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 21:35

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I’m terrible at most forms of DIY - built a box out of wood once, but that was pretty much it - so this:

It’s pretty much entirely just plug and play these days. Those few bits that could be half-arsed, I half-arsed: my cable management is shoddy at best, my SSD just sits on the bottom of the case, and I rarely bother to screw things in properly.

You could argue that it’s more a case of ‘rebuilt’, anyway, as it was originally put together by a computer shop several years ago. I’ve just replaced almost all of the parts since.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Gone 02/18/2016 at 21:45

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Sounds like you’ve put a bit of thought into that. :P

BaconSandwich is tasty. > The Compromiser 02/18/2016 at 21:45

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I’d say that counts!

BaconSandwich is tasty. > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 02/18/2016 at 21:46

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Very nice!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 21:50

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Thanks!

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 22:01

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Catching, cooking and chewing these little bastards

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 22:04

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An Allison 1000. To be fair, it’s super easy if you follow the instructions/have the needed tools or can make the needed tools.

Gone > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 22:26

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Sort of. :)

I also cut the bottom 2"+ off the bottom of the 14bolt, welded on a 1/2" plate (yay ARC welding w/high nickel rods) and turned down the ring gear some so it’d fit in the modified housing. Not good for longetivity for sure.

Not long after it was done, I traded it for a Kaiser M715, pulled the Tornado I6 and dropped in a 454, lifted it, and put 42"s on it. And then got rid of it. Haven’t touched a 4x4 since...many years.

BTW, I can’t do shit with wood so that curio is amazing. If i tried that, it’d be in shambles with me curled up in the fetal position on the floor.

Master Cylinder > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/18/2016 at 22:33

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I guess it would probably be my old GL1000 Goldwing project, built from a crashed bike with a bent frame but a running engine and a bike with a good frame but a broken engine. Not terribly complicated as it was a 70s motorcycle, but it was a complete disassembly/reassembly job.

Or maybe the Suzuki Sidekick I built out of a rolled truck with a good engine and another that had been rusting in a field for years but still had a good roof. Although that wasn’t complicated so much as just dramatic, what with all the Sawzall and welder action.

I would really like to build a kit car one day. Probably something from Factory Five like the Daytona Coupe or GTM.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 02/18/2016 at 22:53

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Looks tasty! I’m always slightly envious of those with access to fresh seafood like that. I’ve heard soft shelled crabs are amazing when deep fried.

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/19/2016 at 03:05

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This I guess

Complete rebuild, with street porting.

Also, this:

New old engine, restored the underbody and frame, and refreshed all the little bits, wheels, bumpers, interior, sidesteps...

And these:

I’ll have to build some additional ones, since they are pretty full by now.

Wacko > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 02/19/2016 at 10:02

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uofime-2 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/19/2016 at 10:12

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I’ve wanted to build a locost or similar for awhile now. there’s lots of build diaries on forums, grm, ect. One of my favorites is the Midlana project and that guy wrote a book with plans.

I was a subsytem leader on my schools formula SAE, so I have a pretty good appreciation of what goes into building a car. my great learnings were, everything must be planned, anything that isn’t will be a massive problem and everything will take 3 times as long as you think it will even when you have some experience and really think you know how long it’ll take, you don’t.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 02/19/2016 at 10:39

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Hah, nice shelves! I built a similar set, although not quite as nice. It was one of my first woodworking projects.

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/19/2016 at 10:54

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They look better on this photo that in real life, but thanks.
I should have cut the boards at a 45° angle to get nicer edges, I used wood filler to hide the cut edges and the screws, it’s not perfect, but for a first try it was OK. Learning by doing.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 02/19/2016 at 22:02

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I tried doing box joints on my band saw. Needless to say, it left something to be desired. :P

Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/22/2016 at 19:30

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Definitely not the most complicated, but my current major undertaking.

Front view when purchased:

Rear view when purchased:

Front half now:

Rear garage section:

So far I’ve has to learn construction, carpentry, 12V & 120V electrical, plumbing, hydraulics, physics, calculus, trigonometry, small engine repair, automotive engine & tranny repair, battery isolators maintainers, chargers, inverters, converters, and generators.

I’m tired just thinking about what I have done and I still have 20-30% yet to be done.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight 02/22/2016 at 22:28

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That’s awesome!