Elio Type Vehicle Resurection --- AKA the BEX

[JEBar]

when asked ? "What aspect(s) of the BEX build, do you anticipate to be the most challenging?"


Mark BEX responded : "Easy question: Quantities. It is quite difficult to get some hundreds of bespoke parts made when companies expect to makes thousands for you at a time.

Not only is relying on "off the shelf" parts logical for a number of reasons, it also avoids this "quantity" situation, but I can't completely avoid it.

This has always been the biggest headache for me, and others. I have a friend in Australia who at the moment wants 500 bespoke brake calipers, and companies just laugh at him."

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX --

After a surprising amount of time to 'get it right', I feel I have nailed the side roll bars.

Though they look simple, the design affects related areas, the chassis, front and rear seating, even the fuel tank for which I do not want to make a bespoke fuel tank. The pickup, fuel level sender, pump and electrics all are specific to the engine, so I am very keen to use the original fuel tank.

Very pleased I have taught myself over the years to be able to bend even 100 degree bends in a pipe bender, which many say it can't be done without crushing or wrinkling the tube ...

Because all 3 bends are on the same plane, I can use a little jig to hold a spirit level so all 3 bends really are on the flat plane. I also welded some tabs to a bench, and bolted the bender solid, only took me about 10 years to finally get around to it

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX ....

I had to lock the rear door into place with a couple of plates and rivets (red arrows), to line up the bodywork.

I am quite surprised how strong it all is, I was still expected flex, but it's remarkably solid considering there is little lateral support.

Roll bars looking good, it actually fits better than I hoped for after I locked the rear door into place, and peripheral items fitting as they should. Very happy about the '3 bends only' aspect of it.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX :

I have mentioned it before: Since I was a child helping build race and rally cars with Dad, I have wanted to build my own car, not unusual, thousands of kids have the same
idea, and I have since built quite a few over the years, from race cars to self designed scratchbuilts, but I mean my "own car", as a production brand.

Of course like any young person, I imagined it would be a Supercar to take on Ferrari .... now here I am completely and utterly at the other end of the scale, lol!!

This may not have happened except for my heart failure/stroke/open heart surgery 2 years ago, which I am still frustratingly recovering from, though almost there.

Now it is my priority to get my car brand into history, even if it's not a fire spitting, 200 mph Supercar, but it's still one I mean to be proud of

[JEBar]

Question asked Mark BEX :

if you are using stamped steel, why the roll bar? Just make it a stressed body vehicle like a normal car.


Mark's Response :

because I am doing a space frame that is single skinned, and I want people to be as safe as is practical, both for roll over and side impact. I can not afford to go to proper full unitary construction for such low volume, and mine is a safer method anyway, as well as far cheaper, but too slow if you were making '100s of thousands' of them like GM or Ford. .

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX :

Wow, these side roll bars really took some effort, yet look very simple, but their importance, and getting them right, is quite important to a number of aspects of the total design.

As you can see I have literally regressed back to where I was a few weeks with the build, but now ready to shoot forward again at rapid speed now that many critical mounting hard points have been simplified.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX :

This was a tough one. I fiddled for hours this morning surrounding how I was going to locate the roll bars in place, as they are literally 2 bent poles standing completely unsupported, other than some 2" long larger tubes the ends sit in that are welded to the chassis to locate their 'feet', for want of a better word.

I imagined all sorts of apparatus bolted to the bench, gauged off nodes on the chassis, and then simplicity struck me ...

I made 2 very simple 'floating jigs' from some angle iron that simply clamp to the front downtubes, and rear downtubes, that simply square everything up, took me most of the day to figure out the jigs that only took me a half hour to make, and they work brilliantly


Might be a bit hard to tell what you're looking at here

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX :

Laser cutting some door hinge mounts tomorrow, trying a system that will self jig their position, and just spent hours doing the nesting, bit like a jigsaw puzzle

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX --

And a box of laser'ed bits ..

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX ----

Now let's see if I can explain this:

The upper and lower door hinge mounting flanges, need to be at their respective 'X' heights for the doors to be located at the right heights, to fit and align into the door hole openings, obviously.

So instead of measuring, marking and manually locating where the separate mounting flanges, blue arrows, go on the respective vertical tubes, I have simply laser cut them out in one piece (for front and for rear doors) to automatically determine the heights.

This may have involved too much waste material, green arrows, bu I was quite successful in using most of that waste area for the various mounting brackets and nut flanges as you can see by the shapes that have been cut out of the waste area.

In addition, I also have large gussets, yellow arrow, for the front vertical tubes.

The red arrows indicate where I will cut the waste steel off later, merely leaving the hinge mount flanges at the correct heights and spacings.

[JEBar]

A clarification Per Mark BEX ---

A gentleman mentioned he was colourblind, if so hope this helps ..

Now let's see if I can explain this:
The upper and lower door hinge mounting flanges, need to be at their respective 'X' heights for the doors to be located at the right heights, to fit and align into the door hole openings, obviously.

So instead of measuring, marking and manually locating where the separate mounting flanges, #1 arrows, go on their respective vertical tubes, I have simply laser cut them out in one piece (for front and for rear doors) to automatically determine the heights.

This may have involved too much waste material, #2 arrows, but I was quite successful in using most of that waste area for the various mounting brackets and nut flanges as you can see by the shapes that have been cut out of the waste area.

In addition, I also have large gussets, #3 arrow, for the front vertical tubes.

The #4 arrows indicate where I will cut the waste steel off later, merely leaving the hinge mount flanges at the correct heights and spacings.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX --

I am working my backside off every day, just in one of those cycles where I am going nowhere, and no updates worth showing. I spent all day today just lining up the right hand side panels complete with doors, with the relative roll cage alignments. Anyway, worth it in the long haul to get it right now, less larger headaches later.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX --

I believe I have the sides and doors positioned and lined up now, so the important thing to do now, is to get the center main rollbar in, and tie the rollcage structure all together, as I started to do this afternoon, but the hours just disappeared until I realised it was suddenly night!

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX --

.. and a day later, primary structure welded into place, and back to bare bones again.

Probably Start fitting up the rear wheel and suspension tomorrow now I have somewhere solid to affix it to.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX ---

Next up is the rear swingarm. Today I ground off the old pivot bushes as they will have to be relocated.

I will eventually have a much nicer looking swingarm later, but this mule will do the job for the moment.

Things will be a bit slow over the next week, I have decided to cut my factory into 60/40 so I only keep the 60% and halve the rent (I have a good landlord) and the 40% can be rented out, so I have to organize everything I have stored from the other end, sort it, figure where it will go, throw out junk, and clean up at the same time. I will be doing this over the next week.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX in response to a question about the dash he plans to use ....

At 1.23 minutes in my video below, the "speedo" contains everything from door open, fuel gauge, indicator lights etc. The tacho is the smaller one upper left.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbHx7WoLQWo

[Cofisher]

I am truly impressed with the engineering. I have always thought like him. What can we get from this?

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX ---

So getting back to the action, back up on the bench and the rear swingarm fitted up, and the fuel tank positioned accordingly.

Bonus is after the move, the exciting new background decor, that includes my microwave and fridge, water cooler and lunchtime seating.

I'm quite fond of the '3 bend' side roll bars, will give an open version a sleek look I think

[JEBar]

Mark has stated several times he isn't looking for deposits and that he is financially able to finish his project without help. Still, it would be interesting to have a poll to see if he did decide to go public, would you be willing to invest? I had shares of Elio Motors but sold them making enough profit to cover my $100 all in. (I was too chicken to put $1000 in). However, Mark is communicating and showing promise. I would definitely consider investing in his project. Anybody else?


Per Mark BEX in response to the above ----

I'm not sure why I would need investments, I might ask for deposits later on, but ONLY AFTER THE CAR IS IN PRODUCTION. Simple reason is the deposits help to pay for the materials ordered for that build, and that helps me to keep the costs down.

[JEBar]

Per Mark BEX ....

Rear shock top mount today;

YouTube video of the process ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9foZu6FAfM&t=129s