(no subject)
2002-02-05 by McCubbin, David
Hi Bart!
Are you referring to the 1968 Mantis XP race car??
It is in the San Francisco area.
I don't know if you would have any luck with drawings etc, but I can offer the following information, based upon my Luton Gullwing.
The construction techniques and materials are drawn from Frank Costin's experience in the aircraft industry.
The plywood is 1/8 inch (in most places), 3ply mahogany plywood - note: all three layers are equal thickness - the cheap stuff has a thin veneer on the outside with a thick core _ I found that Bruynzeel (gaboon mahogany) from a boatbuilder's supply is a match, but only available in metric sizes
another good choice is Okoume (not cheap but the best -Lloyds of London approved)
3mm thick is thinner than the orig
4mm is slightly thicker than the original, but probably the better choice
The adhesive used originally is Aerolite (for wood to wood), or Araldite (I think for wood to f/glass)- still available but not easy to find
I have been using the WEST SYSTEM, by Gougeon, available at most boat builders
The support or bracing strips for the ply panels are Sitka Spruce - generally 1/2 x 1/2 inch square or 1/2 x 1 inch square
Sitka is expensive, more difficult to find, but the best - (aircraft quality)
Douglas fir is an acceptable substitute - cheaper, easier to get.
Sitka/Douglas Fir are light, very strong and resistant to warpage in my experience - any other substitute might save dollars but I wouldn't vouch for the quality/durability/strength
My own car was heavily crashed while on a race track and I have photos of another gullwing also damaged during a race. Properly built they can absorb a great deal of the impact, and the driver walks away - You should see the pictures of Jackie Oliver's gullwing spread all along the track at Snetterton in 1962 and he was only shaken up!
Frank Costin built numerous wooden bodied cars - His biography "Flying on Four Wheels " is good reading.
You can still get in touch with Dennis Adams, Peter Adams, and others who built the early cars. I believe someone is actually making replacement chassis for the early wooden GT's but the Manits XP was a one-off, and only the Adams brothers, or the current owner would have any real info in this car.
Hope this helps
David McCubbin
1962 Luton Gullwing
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-marcos@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-marcos@...] On Behalf Of Bart Brown
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2002 5:20 AM
To: marcos@...
Subject: Marco Mantis plywood chassis information wanted
I was hoping someone on the list might be able to point me in the right
direction to get more information on the chassis materials and
construction techniques, including drawings, magazine articles, online
resources, etc. for the early plywood-chassised Marcos Mantis. I'm
building an MG-powered vintage racer with a modern splash of the 1959
Bill Ames/Dewey Brohaugh AMBRO, and I'd like to do the chassis very much
like the Mantis.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
TIA
Bart Brown