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We built a 50% scale model of our FSAE car recently, to test our undertray.

http://twitter.com/#!/PolarBearRacing/s ... 7940173824

Note that wasn't a wind tunnel test... just for giggles.

Here it is fully loaded with clay. There are still some spots where I will have to add more but this will get me going.



Now I start the first removal procedures trying to get to the rough shape.









I'm just starting, and I don't really know what I'm doing, so for now it's fun just trying to figure it out. I'll worry about getting a better quailty finish once I have got the basic techniques down.

Spent lots of time on my model this weekend. Still learning and muddling through but it's starting to look a lot better. At this point it's just a matter of finding the symmetry. Making the second side exactly the same as the first is very challenging.





I'm still not happy with the line of the top of the door or the length of the door.



Still lots of tweaking to do.

On anther note, I won a nice little poker tournament on the weekend so the scanning of the model is paid for when it's ready.

it's look pretty damn good, and i think your right about the door, it looks a little short

Fixed the door lines last night by lowering the front and rear fender transitions a little bit and building the door line up to meet them. I also gavve the door line a bit of a subtle curve.




I started messing with the front aspect. Figuring out the size and shape of the air inlets and headlights. The front hood will have a flow through design...sort of like an Invader style hood, but more so. The rad(s) will be mounted int he nose and a scoop style air dam will direct a large amount of air from the nose of the car through the rads.



I'll be using the latest generation Miata suspension and steering components (i'm pretty sure) but there's still a lot to determine under the bodywork.

I'm pretty happy with the overall shape but I'm still tweeking the proportions. It looks so different in pictures than it does sitting on my kitchen table.


Modeling the car this way is really really cool and is so much more informative than sketching or even CAD modeling. You can really see the curves and you get a much more realistic feel for the car's shape. I could see this turning into a serioius hobby for me. I really like it a lot.

What you might want to try is doing on split down the middle. I did that when i was doing prototypes in school and affixed a mirror to it to get a good feel of how it looked then ran a grid over it. Then when you scan it you can just mirror the model and you have exact shape side to side. Although I will agree clay is fun, yours looks a bit like the factory five is that where you pulled some inspiration?

Sleeper6 wrote:What you might want to try is doing on split down the middle. I did that when i was doing prototypes in school and affixed a mirror to it to get a good feel of how it looked then ran a grid over it. Then when you scan it you can just mirror the model and you have exact shape side to side. Although I will agree clay is fun, yours looks a bit like the factory five is that where you pulled some inspiration?

I thought about doing a half model but I'm goign to keep going for now with the full model. I like the challenge.

I have had a vision in my mind from the beginning and when I saw the Porsche 918 I was like...that's my car!!! The difficulty now is trying not to make it look like a bad copy of a porsche 918....lol.

Looking at the Factory 5 GTM again just now...you're right. There are obvious similarities. It isn't intentional, but I think that most guys like me have a lot of the same ideas.

More updates on the moeling process.

I have finally achieved some sort of symmetry on the rear end of the model...but it's still not perfect.


I am working on the transition between the front fender and the door. I like this better than what I had.


I have decided to use C6 Corvette suspension parts because they are very strong, reasonably light and there are some truly epic brake options available. Problem is that the vette's 5 x 4.75" bolt pattern is uncommon, especially in the large sizes I want to run. But I finally found a wheel in the size I want that I like.

TSW Nurburgring Matte Gunmetal 19 x 9" front (275/35/19) and 20 x 10.5" (305/30/20) rear. This combination will allow me to use the 15.5" carbon ceramic brakes...whatever it's a fantasy build.

Click

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Looks good Charlie. Once you've perfected it, do you have the next step planned out?

If you're doing this to please other people... well, you know where I'm going.

HAHAHA...I just wondered if anyone was actually reading this thread. Shameless plea for attention.

Next step is to get it digitized, then start figuring out how the body panels will mate together. Once I know where all the seams are I can start designing the internal stuff. Subframes, air boxes, ducts, fuel cell, the list is extensive.

Thanks for humoring me Ryan...you can all go back to what you were doing in those interesting threads where people are actually doing real stuff.

I read this thread with every update, i'm really curious and excited with the progress your making towards it.

I really only comment if I have nothing to say. What you posted would only be suggestive to personal critisism, which isn't up to me to decide on the style and components you plan on using. Guess the only thing I can say is that the change from the Miata to a Vette suspension all depends on the size and weight of the car, which is all what you have in your mind;we can't picture it like you can.

I'm glad you're following along Mike. The change to Vette components is really dictated by the desire to run a really insane brake package and ridiculously large wheels.

On another note, I identified the PERFECT transmission today. Made by Quaife to replace the stock Porsche Cayman S transmission...9780GBP...that's $13000CAD.

I cried a little.

http://www.quaife.co.uk/shop/products/qbe61g

Super 7 is $40million tomorrow....so there's hope...lol

for 13000, you could buy an entire car... or just a fancy custom transmission without a car.

Maximum recommended 450bhp

Ryan wrote:for 13000, you could buy an entire car... or just a fancy custom transmission without a car.

Maximum recommended 450bhp

I know. If I was going to spend a fortune on a tranny I'd get a Porsche G50 for $9000. The thing about that one I like so much is sequential shifting. THAT would be COOL.