Opinions on my 8020 rig design

[deandsfsdfewsad]

Looking to build a hybrid GT1 rig/ P1-X with slight modifications, let me know your opinion:

Length = 1.35m, width of wheel deck = 0.64m and the height is 0.71m. I'm looking for something sturdy with no flex to hold a SC 2 Pro or something along those lines with a dd wheel and I need a rig to last a long time and provide a base for future upgrades. Planning on adding a Sparco R100 for the reclining back. Let me know what advice you have...

Also, people that own a GT1 or P1-X what improvements would you suggest on the overall chassis design, i'm average hegith just about 6ft and weigh 76kg.

 

[jamescarruthers]

It does look really good, would love to see a complete picture when finished, where are you buying your supplies from Motedis? If so how is the extrusion cut are there any rough or sharp edges? Also just to make sure, are you using M8*16 bolts? I'm looking to maybe make my purchase on Sunday and the bolts seem cheaper from there but I don't want to order ones too long or short.

I got mine from Valuframe - so far everything has been great. The aluminium is well cut and consistent in size. It’s not sharp - as in you won’t cut yourself on it.

It was all well packaged too - no scratches on the aluminium etc

All the bolts are M8x16 button head - most of the bits come with hardware anyway. The only thing that didn’t were the corner support plates and the large 80 x 160 plate.

Also to add - I did end up using the flexible connector on the pedal supports - I just had to use either slightly longer bolts or the heavy duty t-nuts that I ordered for the seat mounting (which I think are pretty unnecessary in hindsight). You could totally use the normal square connectors - theee just look better at an angle to me.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

I got mine from Valuframe - so far everything has been great. The aluminium is well cut and consistent in size. It’s not sharp - as in you won’t cut yourself on it.

It was all well packaged too - no scratches on the aluminium etc

All the bolts are M8x16 button head - most of the bits come with hardware anyway. The only thing that didn’t were the corner support plates and the large 80 x 160 plate.

Also to add - I did end up using the flexible connector on the pedal supports - I just had to use either slightly longer bolts or the heavy duty t-nuts that I ordered for the seat mounting (which I think are pretty unnecessary in hindsight). You could totally use the normal square connectors - theee just look better at an angle to me.

View attachment 372848

Really nice, I see the cat has also taken an interest
For the gussets on the pedal area, I guess they don't have the slots like on the square brackets that stop you from mounting at an angle? How many brackets, bolts and slot nuts did you order in the end?

 

[jamescarruthers]

32 corner brackets — which came with all hardware. That's a good quarter of the cost. I am not sure what the cost difference would have been if I had asked them to drill and use the other kind of connector. It would have certainly been neater. Worth finding out (I assume they can/will do this for you - maybe not)

I also had to order 12 bolts/nuts for the corner plates (worth considering), plus 16 bolts/nuts for the side plates.

Oh, plus the four "flexible" brackets.

I should have ordered another 4 brackets really — and some t-nuts. But I am not missing anything.

 

[EsxPaul]

It does look really good, would love to see a complete picture when finished, where are you buying your supplies from Motedis? If so how is the extrusion cut are there any rough or sharp edges? Also just to make sure, are you using M8*16 bolts? I'm looking to maybe make my purchase on Sunday and the bolts seem cheaper from there but I don't want to order ones too long or short.

I got all my stuff from Motedis. If you do the same, make sure to get everything you need in one order as the delivery costs are very high. Their cuts are really good with no sharp edges left behind.


For bolts, M8*16 works well for corner brackets but you'll need to go shorter for things like aluminium foot plates etc. The slot depth is 12mm so you can work from that measurement.

 

[jamescarruthers]

Yeah - don’t forget anything - shipping is a killer - though when you figure how much is weighs it’s not so bad.

Don’t forget the handy accessories like the cable clips and stuff.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

I got all my stuff from Motedis. If you do the same, make sure to get everything you need in one order as the delivery costs are very high. Their cuts are really good with no sharp edges left behind.
View attachment 372908View attachment 372909View attachment 372910

For bolts, M8*16 works well for corner brackets but you'll need to go shorter for things like aluminium foot plates etc. The slot depth is 12mm so you can work from that measurement.

with my current basket, the shipping comes to 50GBP it really is a killer which is why I'm meticulously making sure that I have all I need, I can get a few other bolts or washers if needed from elsewhere. However, since the profile is cut in Germany and shipped here (from Motedis) it's not too bad, from MAY-TEC the estimated weight of my rig is 60kg so with a seat, pedals, and a wheel probably not far from 90-100kg.

How thick are the aluminium footplates? As I have some steel swivel brackets for my pedal tray and they are 2.5mm thick. For these, I'm wondering whether a washer will still work for an M8*16 bolt or if it'll be too long still?

 

[ThugUK]

I bought all mine form Valueframe as they are nearby (well, about 20 miles away) in the North East UK.
They don't mind you calling in and speaking with them too.
I collected all mine so postage wasn't an issue.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

I bought all mine form Valueframe as they are nearby (well, about 20 miles away) in the North East UK.
They don't mind you calling in and speaking with them too.
I collected all mine so postage wasn't an issue.

Just checked their location, for me they're nearly 4 hours north it's pretty far especially right now I don't think the police would be too happy I they caught me but I pinged them an email to ask for a quote and may call them to see how they compare on price to Motedis

 

[Ruttman98]

I got mine from Valuframe - so far everything has been great. The aluminium is well cut and consistent in size. It’s not sharp - as in you won’t cut yourself on it.

It was all well packaged too - no scratches on the aluminium etc

All the bolts are M8x16 button head - most of the bits come with hardware anyway. The only thing that didn’t were the corner support plates and the large 80 x 160 plate.

Also to add - I did end up using the flexible connector on the pedal supports - I just had to use either slightly longer bolts or the heavy duty t-nuts that I ordered for the seat mounting (which I think are pretty unnecessary in hindsight). You could totally use the normal square connectors - theee just look better at an angle to me.

View attachment 372848

Is it just me, or does anyone else struggle when mounting Fanatec ClubSport pedals directly to aluminum profiles? Two bolts go in easily, but the other two are much more difficult. There is only so much you can remove or reposition on the pedals to make it easier.

 

[EsxPaul]

with my current basket, the shipping comes to 50GBP it really is a killer which is why I'm meticulously making sure that I have all I need, I can get a few other bolts or washers if needed from elsewhere. However, since the profile is cut in Germany and shipped here (from Motedis) it's not too bad, from MAY-TEC the estimated weight of my rig is 60kg so with a seat, pedals, and a wheel probably not far from 90-100kg.

How thick are the aluminium footplates? As I have some steel swivel brackets for my pedal tray and they are 2.5mm thick. For these, I'm wondering whether a washer will still work for an M8*16 bolt or if it'll be too long still?

Those shipping costs sound about right to me. I paid around 50GBP for my main rig then later on decided I wanted to get some 40x40 for my monitor which cost another 30GBP in shipping.

You'll be fine with M8*14 all around or M8*16 with a washer if need be, so long as you aren't attaching anything less than 2mm in thickness to the rails. Anything like that and you'll need M8*12.

As for footplates, many seem to go with aluminium between 4mm and 8mm from what I've seen. I used 2mm stainless steel.

As already suggested in earlier posts, add on some extra brackets, bolts and cable tidy clips if you can stretch to the extra expense as you will inevitably use them in the future when you decide to make small adjustments and additions to the rig. You might also consider things such as a couple of handles to help you manoeuvre it around.

Take your time and have a slow browse through the slot profile accessory section as you can tend to come across little things that you might find handy as add ons.

Don't worry too much if it all arrives and it turns out you haven't quite ordered enough bolts or washers etc as you can get most things easily on Amazon or eBay. Ask me how I know

 

[jamescarruthers]

@Ruttman98 - Not issue at all - the way I’ve mounted it the front and back are independent.

 

[JimLee]

yeah I want to add some extra height so it's a bit easier to get in and out of it plus the added low-end weight what I might do is spec two versions and if the cost-saving is substantial (100GBP+) then I may consider going to a 40*80 section

Just another idea for you for step into rig with adjustable wheel platform (angle/height) and adjustable seat (leg length). This was orinally built for CSW v2, but worked out very well for DD2. Utilized 1.5x5 and 1.5x3 uprights with 4"lg bolts pass thru 1.5 and into 1.5x3 to eliminate brackets and prevent flex with lower 1.5 base cross stabilizer. Absolutely no flex fore/aft and no flex side to side (actually when I try to flex the sides the whole rig just lifts off floor). Utilized 3x3 (overkill but looks better than 1.5x3) for floor lift. Cockpit was modeled after my S2000 interior locations.
Thinking about moving the monitor another 3" closer, can do with rearrangement of monitor members no extra cost.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

Just another idea for you for step into rig with adjustable wheel platform (angle/height) and adjustable seat (leg length). This was orinally built for CSW v2, but worked out very well for DD2. Utilized 1.5x5 and 1.5x3 uprights with 4"lg bolts pass thru 1.5 and into 1.5x3 to eliminate brackets and prevent flex with lower 1.5 base cross stabilizer. Absolutely no flex fore/aft ans no flex side to side (actually when I try side flex the whole rig just lifts off floor). Utilized 3x3 (overkill but looks better than 1.5x3) for floor lift.
Thinking about moving the monitor another 3" closer, can do with rearrangement of monitor members no extra cost.

that's nice and compact, I like where the shifter is placed on the side. Out of interest what seat have you fitted?

 

[JimLee]

that's nice and compact, I like where the shifter is placed on the side. Out of interest what seat have you fitted?

I bought this about three years ago (NRG FRP Bucket Seat w/Race Style Bolster/Lumbar - Large - FRP-301 was $200 now $216) plus another $30 for heavy duty adjustable seat slider rail (to allow easier getting in/out). What I liked about it was that in came in a large (I am 6' 200lb). It is very similar to a Sparco Rev ($800) but is not certified for race use. It is the "Plain Jane" version (no sparkly back) of the NRG Prsma ($310)

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

I bought this about three years ago (NRG FRP Bucket Seat w/Race Style Bolster/Lumbar - Large - FRP-301 was $200 now $216) plus another $30 for heavy duty adjustable seat slider rail (to allow easier getting in/out). What I liked about it was that in came in a large (I am 6' 200lb). It is very similar to a Sparco Rev ($800) but is not certified for race use. It is the "Plain Jane" version (no sparkly back) of the NRG Prsma ($310)

Seems like NRG is a North America product/ brand can't see it much in Europe. I think to do it justice due to the expenditure of a seat and the need for comfort I will go in-person to a shop and try some out.

 

[Robert Bachmayer]

One can always build a timber frame and platform with caster wheels and put the 8020 rig on top if you want to get the rig a little higher for accessibility, with the bonus of movability.

 

[JimLee]

that's nice and compact, I like where the shifter is placed on the side. Out of interest what seat have you fitted?

One more thought for you, If your not looking to move everything around to do "reclined F1 style" driving then find a a real car that you feel comfortable with layout and take some measurements. That is what did for my rig (based on my S2000 ...Wheel relationship/angle, Seat postion/ , Pedal location/angle, Handbrake, Dash Controls, Center console - used for mouse/keyboard rest) it is all within 1/4" ± of where it is in the actual car in all 3-planes.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

One more thought for you, If your not looking to move everything around to do "reclined F1 style" driving then find a a real car that you feel comfortable with layout and take some measurements. That is what did for my rig (based on my S2000 ...Wheel relationship/angle, Seat postion/ , Pedal location/angle, Handbrake, Dash Controls, Center console - used for mouse/keyboard rest) it is all within 1/4" ± of where it is in the actual car in all 3-planes.

yeah true, I personally don't have any car like this I could take measurements from, every so often I may wish to change to a f1 cockpit-style

On another note, I think I'll be finally ordering my supplies I need today after a long while of pondering over this

 

[jamescarruthers]

Remember that an F1 cockpit requires an entirely different type of seat. You need to tip the whole seat back by 45 degrees or so — not just recline — but the whole seat. A standard bucket seat isn't going to be comfortable like that.

F1 drivers only sit like that due to car packaging and aero etc — not necessarily because it's optimum or comfortable.

I am guessing that once you find a suitable position you'll just stick with it. Also, reckon that the pain of adjusting to it... and then adjusting back... and getting it to the sweet spot you had before... isn't going to be worth the effort.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

Remember that an F1 cockpit requires an entirely different type of seat. You need to tip the whole seat back by 45 degrees or so — not just recline — but the whole seat. A standard bucket seat isn't going to be comfortable like that.

F1 drivers only sit like that due to car packaging and aero etc — not necessarily because it's optimum or comfortable.

I am guessing that once you find a suitable position you'll just stick with it. Also, reckon that the pain of adjusting to it... and then adjusting back... and getting it to the sweet spot you had before... isn't going to be worth the effort.

yeah perhaps, I wonder how long it will take to find the ideal seating position