Monthly Archives: April 2012

After months of preparation and building, today marks the official first test drive of our car! Some light moving evaluations were done in the Morewood Parking Lot, and a few components have already been improved from the results. We will continue to test the vehicle for any malfunctions up until Competition to ensure that every aspect will work exactly as intended. Many more pictures and videos will be available shortly, so stay posted during the most exciting period of the year.

With the end of Carnival at CMU we are very excited to have every major system now installed on the car. Rolling evaluations of the finished design have begun and are very encouraging. Everyone has worked extremely hard to complete the car with ample time for testing, and we can’t wait to drive when the weather allows. Here are some pictures of the near complete car that will undergo many tests in the upcoming week.

Today we began the preliminary testing of the engine and exhaust to ensure all components were functioning properly. As Carnival arrives only a few systems remain to be installed, with the diff, pedals, and electrical assemblies now nearing completion. Look for more progress in the near future.

The parts that were sent out to be anodized have now been returned, and will be installed on the car soon. With these components ready several other systems have also been mounted, including additional wiring and intake assemblies. Here are some pictures of the newly anodized parts and our current chassis.

All components of the body have now either been completed or have entered the carbon fiber layup stage. Various electrical components have also been installed while many parts have been sent out to be anodized. In addition to the build progress, over the last several weeks much work has been put into developing detailed cost reports for each system, which have now been thoroughly completed and submitted with great improvement over last year. The team is working very hard to have a rolling car in the next few weeks so stay posted for more updates as competition nears.

This week the fuel tank assembly has been completed, while the frame has now been removed from the jig. Body work has also been continually readying the molds in preparation for the carbon fiber layup. Here are some pictures of the shiny frame and various other components:

Check out some pictures of the newly completed rear hubs and their fabrication process: