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Part 1
We have now taken delivery of our Freestyle. Many thanks to Dave Smart at Funbuggies for his patience, but the chassis now awaits the build.
Unlike the standard Freestyle, ours does not have roofbars, the rear hoop remains and some extra struts have been added. The front end has also been changed with an alternative way of supporting the steering column.
The Freestyle is normally used for off-roading and consequently is built with as much ground clearance as possible and it rides on anything up to 14 inch rims
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In our case the objective will be minimum weight and as low a centre of gravity as possible.
The chassis takes a standard Mini subframe at the back with a pair of tie bars holding the rear wheels in line. At the front the suspension is basically Mini with Mini hubs, lower links and upper arm, however the upper arm is modified to form a rocker that acts on in-board coil-over shock absorbers.
When completed, the car will have the rebuilt 1380 from the lightweight, the box will also be checked and the 4 pin diff used again. The suspension will feature 'S' hubs and coil-overs on each corner. At the moment the steering and pedal configuration has yet to be decided on, probably a quick rack and the power steering unit from a Corsa that was going to be fitted to the lightweight, although I understand from Duncan Wild that the steering is quite light. The brakes will have separate circuits for front and rear and a balance bar between the two master cylinders. The rear circuit will also pass through the master cylinders for the two hydraulic handbrakes (fiddle brakes), one for each wheel.
I am working to a strict "finish one project before starting the next" principle - not easy - so as soon as the Frogeye is complete, work can start on the Freestyle.