Hi all,

I completed Stage 26 yesterday, so my monocoque is coming along nicely now.

One little mystery that baffled me was the necessity to joint the two sides of the inner monocoque rear plate with no fewer than ten screws as well as glue. (Stage 21.)

I've done it, of course, following the instructions to the letter, but it struck me that the two parts of this inner rear plate could just as securely have been fixed together with just glue. In fact, it looks a simple enough shape to easily have been moulded as one single piece of plastic if it comes to that.

And now I've attached it and the outer plate to the monocoque, with the inner plate attached to the outer one, the 'mystery of all the screws' still doesn't seem to be explained.

Has anyone any idea why they were necessary?

The whole of the rear engine/gearbox and suspension unit etc bolts onto this so it needs the strength to take the weight plus it is an accurate representation of how the real car is designed and built. Nothing to say that glue alone would hold as different people use different adhesives. I'm sure it may have been easier to mold it in one piece but it would save on cost to have it manufactured it in 2 parts as less material is used.

Spencer

Yeah, that's what I thought.

The bit where you glue the outer plate to the inner one, and then remove them both before gluing the outer one on had me puzzled, because it looked like this super-strength load-bearing inner plate was only held on by the glue that holds the outer one on.

But of course the inner plate also has three screws securing it to the monocoque already now. And will it be further secured when the underside of the monocoque is added too?