Adjustable Pedalbox in the BAC Mono

The Mono is a car that has several features that are adjusted for the driver.  The team at BAC decided to keep the drivers helmet as close to the roll hoop as possible so fixed the position of the seat.  Unlike a conventional car, the Mono seat can not be adjusted, instead the steering wheel and pedal box can be adjusted to fit to the driver.  The picture below shows the black chassis and machined pedal box.  Simple cap head bolts are used to secure the box in position, with several choices based on the drivers leg length.

You can see the deadpedal on the left hand side of the box below.  It is also secured to the chassis with the pedal box.  We have been able to fit clients as tall as 6'5" and as short as 5' into the car.  We are quantifying inseam length soon so we can provide better fitment info for potential clients.  The seat insert shown in this post also helps with fitting a shorter driver.  The steering wheel is adjustable for reach and rake.  It is also fixed once an ideal position is found.  Luckily all these features can be adjusted for various sized drivers and take approximately 30minutes to complete.

Mono Blog Entry#19 : Various

It has been a flurry of activity over the holidays with the Mono build.  We've been tardy with an update and have the following pix for your review of our activity.

Tailights are installed and plugged in - though we still need to route the wires through the wing

Electrical kill & fire extinguisher switches were installed on left side panel.  Brake bias is on right side panel.

Adjusted the hood pin and installed front tow hook.  Battery is tucked away inside.

Heat shielding was added under the main body over exhaust system - right side.  Heat management is an area of focus.

Front lighting system was assembled and installed with CF & billet housings.  These look fantastic!

Heat grill made from expanded metal mesh is formed in a convex shape and finishes the body nicely.

Wilans harness were bolted in.  There are two positions for the shoulder belts based on width.

Motul fluids are used exclusively on the Mono and were filled.  We use the RBF600 brake/clutch fluid as well.

We just received the PC dongle so we can fire her up.  We are coordinating this momentous event with our partners at BAC - they will connect remotely and monitor along with us.  If I may quote Adamski,  "I love technology!"

Mono Blog Entry#18 : Seat Insert

We just received pictures from BAC of the seat insert that was made for me.  Merry Xmas from BAC!  This polystyrene bead seat insert was originally formed to my backside by Pro-Seat (see our post: HERE) during one of my visits to jolly ole England.  BAC have finalized the trim and it turned out beautifully.  Truly a first class insert!  This will be available as an option for those would need a bit more support or adjustment for height and reach. See the pictures below:

Related to this, a larger seat is also in the works.  See the picture below and note the red arrows that show the rough amount of additional width that can be realized by reshaping the carbon fiber seat.  This will be very welcome for those with wider than average hips.

Pro-Seat Insert Fabrication for Sportscars

Alex Powell from Pro-Seat in the UK has been with us for the last two weeks training us in the art of producing custom seat inserts for sportscars.  These inserts are designed to hold the driver properly in his/her seat, so that they do not move while driving under load.  This has been a challenge for me in almost every car I've put on track.  I'm constantly fighting g-forces and sliding around in my seat.

Note the F1 driver on the screen?  

Alex's father, Trevor, invented this FIA-approved bead-based seat insert in 1992.  I met these two gents back in March through our partnership with BAC.  Pro-Seat have supplied all levels of motorsport including F1, CART, WRC, LMP and much much more.  Many famous racers have been well fitted and protected by a Pro-Seat insert.

Alex began our lesson by showing us the process of 'dry-fitting' a seat.  This is done with the bag of polystyrene beads by approximating the amount of material required by the driver.  A vacuum is pulled on the bag, the insert is installed and the driver put in place.  We used an Atom3 in this example - I've been tired of being thrown around in the stock Atom seat!

With the driver in place, the beads are sculpted around the body and fill in any gaps between the body and the seat.  Driver seat height is checked to ensure he/she is sitting high or low enough.  To be clear, the Pro-Seat insert does need a 'shell' to be molded into to provide it structure.  It is not a stand alone seat.  We use the Atom3 stock seat as our 'shell' for this insert.

 The driver is carefully extracted from the insert and a rough insert remains.  See it below.  This is used as a reference to determine where the beads need to be placed on the final insert formation.

 Trevor is shown below, pouring a two-part resin into the bead bag.  This resin is a glue that holds the beads together and allows them to form to the drivers body and maintain its shape.

When the resin is added, you have approximately 3 hours to form the final insert.  The beads take on a doughy consistency so it becomes quite easy to form and shape.  The 3 hour window gives the insert maker, enough time to sculpt his masterpiece.The rough insert still has the plastic covering that will be trimmed off along with the excess polystrene beads. This rough insert still needs to cure for 12 hours before we can begin our trimming process.

The next stage of the insert construction will remove the excess parts.  First rough cuts are made and then finer and finer shaping cuts are used to create the insert.  Holes are cut out for waist and anti-sub belts.  The insert is then sanded to give a smooth surface for the fire-retardant upholstery.  

The final insert is shown below in an Atom3.  These inserts are seat and driver specific - unless of course you have an identical twin.  An interesting characteristic of the beads used in this insert, is their ability to sustain some deformation yet still recover its original shape.  Pro-Seat often cite the example of Mark Blundell crashing his Indy car in 1997 at Homestead Spring testing.  This crash destroyed his car but the insert was still useable for the remainder of the season.  Not that I plan to experience this benefit, but I am sure glad that the insert offers that level of protection.

Though this insert is a natural product for formula style cars, like the Atom or BAC Mono, it can also be used in traditional race seats.  We produced one for a gentleman with a Recaro ProRacer HANS seat as shown.  See the inserts below.

Recaro ProRacer

Insert for Recaro ProRacer

John races his BMW 3series in SCCA and has found the seat to be uncomfortable as he has some hip pain from a previous accident.  We removed the seat padding and fit him with an insert.  We think that even clients with traditional race seats can benefit from a Pro-Seat insert.  So expect to hear about us offering this product and service for all sportscars in the very near future.

Exploded View of BAC Mono Body

Mono Build Entry #7

The big news this week is that the Body arrived.  The Mono features full carbon fiber bodywork.  The inner portion is painted black and the top section is typically another color.  Ours has arrived in White Pearl and looks magnificent!

The Mono has real presence thanks to the size of the body.  The body, in person, is larger than it seems from pictures but it still retains a lean athletic 'look'.

We are still working on the chassis assembly before we can move it onto the build fixture.  This week Pat sorted a few items including:

• Steering column
• Wiring harness
• CF storage box install
• Radiator fan mounting

This is a hand built car that requires hand fitting is the classic British manner.  TLC is what we like to call it.  

Mono Build Entry #6

The steering rack has been installed and tweaked to a new spec.  The supplier is Titan, supplier  for our titanQR and raceRACKs.  They also supply the Ariel Atom racks so we've worked with them for years.

The front Bellcranks and sway bar pushrods have been installed.  The Atom has a similar suspension system but lacks the swaybar.  The carbon fiber front storage box was test fitted.  This box is located at the front of the car and is accessed through the bonnet (front hood).  It is a perfect storage area for your helmet.

The rear exhaust bracket and rear sway bar links were bolted to the Hewland trans.  Wishbone brackets were also added.

Various issues have surfaced during assembly that we are recording on a 'punch-list' with BAC.  This list is stored on a shared BAC Dropbox account.  This eases communication for Corrective Actions.  We also continue to refine the assembly manual and have worked closely with BAC to ensure we are building our Monos to the same standard.

We just got word from our shipping company that the body has arrived at Customs in LA.  We should have it this week!

Mono Build Entry #5

We received a large batch of parts from BAC and have taken inventory.  We began assembling again after reviewing our build plan.

The new gas tank was fitted and cover was riveted in place.  Routing the fire extinguisher lines was also done.  This is an option that should be ordered by every track enthusiast.  It is best to install during the initial build as it is much easier to route the lines. Installing it after the car is finished will not be quick nor easy!

We also bolted the hubs to the uprights.  Note the trick green paint marker that confirms the bolt was torqued.  All four of the uprights are the same and also use the same hubs.  This is a welcome design for assembly and service feature.  We need to press in one more bush (which is in the freezer shrinking) into a wishbone and we will be ready to install them.

Mono Build Entry #4

                                                       
Today we received a couple of presents from Cosworth!  Two engines came in today from Cosworth that are ready to be bolted together with the Hewland sequential and put to life. Some prep work needs to be done on the gearbox and bell housing before we will be able to squeeze the assembly in the chassis, but that's the fun part!



Mono Build Entry #3

With the gas tank cavity assembled and awaiting the tanks arrival, we have focused on the fire and brake bias systems (both options, selected for chassis 0007) plus the front shear plate area of the chassis.

The optional fire system has six blue nozzles, two in the drivers compartment, 4 in the engine bay. The following picture shows the two drivers compartment nozzles, peeking out from behind the front roll hoop. The black boots on either side of the brake pedal cover the bias bar's clevises. When we have more of the interior installed, we will install the cable from the bias bar to the cockpit, allowing on-the-fly adjustment.

All of the fire system lines are hand formed, then test fit, then sheathed with a fire resistant material. The bottle is attached to the sub floor, with one line running fore (then immediately T'ing for the two drivers nozzles) and one line running aft. The blue masking tape on the right is to temporarily hold the aft line in place until we install the fuel cell.

 Here you can see the back side of the gas tank cavity, and all four nozzles in the engine bay.  It is best to order this option initially, as adding it later is a challenge, especially once the cabin is fully built and trimmed.

Here we are up close and personal with 0007’s front shear plate. This shows the careful attention to detail and integration that went into the design of the Mono, with almost every bracket having multiple functions (are those BAC guys channeling Chapman?). The billet front shear plate, for example, is a structural member of the chassis that also holds the steering rack, wishbone mounts, and the front storage box bracket. The storage box bracket, in turn, also holds the reservoirs for the clutch and brake systems.  Clever and beautiful!

Mono Build Entry #2

Now that most of the parts are out of the boxes and in order, we start to assemble. We are going to start with the gas tank cavity, and since the gas tank is right in front of the engine we need to put some sexy gold heat wrap around the bulkhead panel that the tank sits in.





Like everything with this car, it all has to be fitted and measured, it does not come prefitted and cut. So we have to cut it to size and make sure it's perfect.







After the panels are all dressed up, we can start to assemble the rest of the cavity using about 100 rivets and install the tank.