Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys.
Good point in both instances. It is a bit disingenuous calling it a trashbot now. Though that is the way it began, I guess I have to think about the project differently now.
In fact I started with the four rechargable nine volts I had here. Then went through a dozen other possibilities including the 12 volt gel cells they use in emergency lighting. In the end the pack of ten nines I ended with fit the bill best. The bot will run well for twenty hours with that pack. Not bad given how low the weight factor is with those batteries.
Maybe I should have posted "if I spent all of this money why does my bot look like trash?" ROTFLOL!!!
It is a strange looking bugger, but it ended up that way through a natural evolution that was very interesting and a lot of fun.
Shoot I almost forgot to answer your question. I had the wood it's quarter inch four ply. I had most the aluminum angle iron though in the end I did need one piece to finish the motor mounts. Most everything else had been home brew from surplus at one time or the other. In time this stuff was replaced by commercial or kit products like the Solarbotics H-Bridge and commercial TV transmitter pack.
I had grown accustomed to saying it was an "on hand" project when in fact that would no longer be the case.