Just a bit of perspective: We're all building cars. Most of us from scratch. We're all working on the same basic challenges:
- Mount a powertrain
- Get some sort of suspension to hold the car up
- Find a place to sit
- Plumb fuel, exhaust and coolant, route electricity
- Make the car look nice.
Some of us are shooting for a super-lightweight car, some of us are shooting for crazy amounts of horsepower. Some of us even have the engines behind the seats!! But please remember that we're all building cars, mostly from scratch. And regardless of how much horsepower we have, or how light the car is, once we have built the car, we've accomplished something that very few have.
Personally, I've struggled with the whole lightweight thing. I figure that I'll build my +442 without much regard to weight, see how I like it, and if I'm so inclined, build another one that's better, faster, stronger, lighter, or more whatever-er than my first car. After all, even Caterham builds continuations of the Series 3, not the 1 or 2. We have several different engines in use here, and several different chassis sizes and layouts. But, honestly, I've learned stuff from the +442 Miata builders as well as stuff from mid-engined BEC builders.
So go on, build yourself a car, from scratch. That's a journey upon which few have embarked, and even fewer have finished. You'll be in pretty rare air.
To the OP: Yeah, check out your neighbor's Caterham, make sure you fit in it, and then adjust to suit your size and desired engine platform. I would recommend checking our Rust_bucket's build. His is 2" wider, and a whole lot shorter than the book dimensions--with a Miata engine. Square tubing is fine.
