First Drive of '13

Last Sunday was a fun day for the team. We test-drove the car for the first time this year. Let's chronicle the adventure.

Getting the car out of the shop was a lot easier this year, since the accumulator container
has moved. Most of the team still showed up  to held move the car.

The car fits perfectly in Dave's new truck. This also made it a lot easier to transport to the parking lot we test in.

There were a last few tasks before we were ready to drive, such as attaching the impact attenuator, fueling, bolt check.

Finally she's ripping. We had a couple pit stops to adjust chain tension and electrical harness.

Test driving on Sunday gave us a chance to really see our progress this year. We were able to test a lot of new systems, including pedal box, steering column, shifter, brakes, fuel system, accumulator container, firewall, engine harness, HV lines, and more.

This first iteration represents a lot of hard work so far, but it is not the final racecar. There is still a lot more work to be done, including the design report. Driving the car is the first step to the car we really want.


And just to give some more detailed updates on the race car, here are a few things we've worked in the last couple weeks and over spring break.

Here's a prototype of the rear box that will hold the motor controller and ECU. It will
eventually be replaced with an aluminum box.

A mock-up of the firewall.

The new routing for the HV cables is here and looking clean. Fuel system
 and LV battery are also visible.

Let us know what you think!

Well it's been a very busy week, with good and bad news. We were planning on driving the car for the first time this year last Sunday (3/3/13) but we had to cancel the drive. There were just a few things left to complete, and we wanted to finish with quality instead of rushing any projects. Sunday was cold and snowy anyways.

But let's take a look at what we got done instead.

We got a new steering column with lighter aluminum shafts and a splined quick release hub. Geometry by Rusty and welding by Dave (above). The steering column was designed to minimize free-play while still passing template.

 Lots of work has been done on the battery boxes. Here Sam and Kyle are routing the High Voltage cable. Packaging has been a challenge but it's going to be sweet when it comes together.

Andy has set up the new dashboard with all the required parts and started all the wiring. 

 Brake lines have been routed slightly different than last year and fully bleed by Liam and Sanju. Brake systems ready to go!

 

Jordan is making the harness for the engine. Much neater than last year!

Here's a mock-up of the Control Box that the motor controller and ECU will eventually be mounted to.

 The spool has been re-attached by Ian while we wait for the differential to be machined. Also visible in the background is the new motor chain tensioner made by Caroline.

Our fabrication skills include some fine Aluminum welding. Here's the gas tank and seat pan. The gas tank is completely done and the fuel lines have also been connected.

At the end of the long weekend, we had an impromptu meeting to discuss our work and our plans for the next phase of the car. 

Ton of other work was also done, including testing the throttle position sensor, wiring the motor controller, CAN nodes, mounting the low voltage battery and more!

We have a week until spring break, during which we're hoping to keep up the pace and get as much done. After a much deserved rest, we'll be back to drive the car on March 17th!

Thanks to all the team mates who worked so hard.