That home made sports car

On Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 4:29:23 PM UTC-5, snipped-for-privacy@whidbey.com wrote : Hi Eric. It sounds like you've been bitten by a bug that never stops until it's eaten you up. I've been there; I have an original edition of Costi n and Phipps book, and a contemporary that I bought in 1961 -- _Sports Car Bodywork_ by Locke. Over the years I've built a near-bookshelf of bodywork, chassis, and engine sports-car and race car books.
I've helped out on two such projects by others, neither one completed. I'll suggest that it's 5 to 10 times as much work as most people, even experien ced metalworking people, think.
You probably don't want to hear this, but my suggestion is to buy a good ki t car that you like and build that. There will be plenty of work to do, for a year or more, typically. If you're really lucky, you'll find one that so meone half-completed before they gave up. Those toys have left broken marri ages behind. It's sTILL much more work than most people realize.
I've gone to great lengths to try things -- hammering aluminum, welding 413 0 tube, and so on. When I did some sports car racing in the late '60s and e arly '70s, I rebuilt two Alfa Romeo engines, and tuned Jaguars, Triumphs, h ot English Fords, and Bristols (AC Bristol cars) for my sporty-car friends. I had an excellent English mechanic for a friend and teacher. Out of colle ge I first worked for Ranger Yachts, as a fiberglass layup man. It's MUCH e asier to learn than hammering aluminum.
I raced an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder, an MG Midget 1275, and I drove or o wned many others. My old college roommate still has one of the 50 Lotus 7 M k IVs that were brought into the US in 1971. I've driven it; even though it 's the most advanced chassis in the Lotus 7 series, it's still twitchy. My MG was more stable. Suspension and handling are exceedingly tricky on a scr atch-built car. That's why many of the English club-racer specials took the suspension parts wholesale from some proven car. The Triumph Herald was a favorite.
Carbs are manageable. There is a good book on tuning SU's that I used to us e. I've tuned Weber DCOEs for hopped-up engines, and sliding-throat Zeniths . Just read what the experts say. SU's, particularly, have so many combinat ions of main jets and needles that you'll be completely lost, if your engin e has even the slightest modifications, without a good book. There aren't m any "experts" left to call upon. IIRC, Clare here on the NG should be able to steer you to info sources.
Good luck. I'd love to see some beginner tackle a start-to-finish sports ca r and succeed. Something really simple, like Champion's Locost, gives the b est chance of pulling it off. Beyond that, it becomes distressingly complic ated and frustrating.