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Foam core shaped, touched up, and test fit. All CF materials should show up next week, and then I should be able to lay it up and vacuum bag it... More to come!
Foam core shaped, touched up, and test fit. All CF materials should show up next week, and then I should be able to lay it up and vacuum bag it... More to come! . . .
Are you planning to vacuum bag the whole thing; or lay it on a mold then bag over it? Either way you need to make sure it does not move during cure. 15 psi generates an amazing amount of force over a decent area. I like the idea of bagging the whole thing, so you do not need a mold . . . but not sure if the density of that foam is consistent enough to stand up to it and not lose shape. Maybe don't pull full vacuum.
Surface finish is a big challenge too . . . glossy with no wrinkles will be nearly impossible the first time . . . unless there are some new tricks here that I am not familiar with. I guess it really doesn't matter for this one.
Interested to see how it works!
Back to the general subject of aero -- have you thought about the bottom of the car? "sqidd" on allfordmustangs has shown some pics of how he covered the whole bottom of the car with sandwich panels . . . that's gotta reduce a lot of drag and seems pretty straightforward to do. Not sure if it would create any downforce, but it might.
Are you planning to vacuum bag the whole thing; or lay it on a mold then bag over it? Either way you need to make sure it does not move during cure. 15 psi generates an amazing amount of force over a decent area. I like the idea of bagging the whole thing, so you do not need a mold . . . but not sure if the density of that foam is consistent enough to stand up to it and not lose shape. Maybe don't pull full vacuum.
Surface finish is a big challenge too . . . glossy with no wrinkles will be nearly impossible the first time . . . unless there are some new tricks here that I am not familiar with. I guess it really doesn't matter for this one.
Interested to see how it works!
Back to the general subject of aero -- have you thought about the bottom of the car? "sqidd" on allfordmustangs has shown some pics of how he covered the whole bottom of the car with sandwich panels . . . that's gotta reduce a lot of drag and seems pretty straightforward to do. Not sure if it would create any downforce, but it might.
Yup, vacuum bagging the whole thing. I'm doing a test run making canards this week. The surface finish will be a challenge. The wing won't be perfect but it's just for me. Doubt I'll try making another one unless i have someone form the foam for me!
Yeah I've though about under car aero too and diffuser. In time
I added the square steel bar (1/4") the length of the wing. In the below pics, it's already covered with filler that I'll smooth out tomorrow. Intent is significantly increasing strength, as weight isn't a concern. And it added maybe a pound anyways
Also added are the wing side attachment plates. CF will lay up over these, and each has a matching one (drilled together for perfect alignment). The matching one will sit on a rubber gasket then get riveted to the embedded plate in 8 places per plate.
I'll add pics as I fabricate the pedestals and complete the CF layup.
The vacuum setup is done, including vacuum gauge and shutoff valve. Getting close to my first finished product!
All materials arrived. Cut CF lay ups and I'm gonna get the resin applied and vacuum bag it Thursday morning. Might have a finished product by Thursday night!
Hey, you probably already have this covered, but thought I should mention just in case:
Make sure you have the gizmos in the vacuum line to prevent the resin from getting sucked into your vacuum pump. I forget exactly how this works; but we used some bond-release fabric where the line enters the bag; and also had a T-fitting in line to divert any resin that made it that far. If the resin gets into the vacuum pump, most likely both that part and the pump will be ruined.
Hey, you probably already have this covered, but thought I should mention just in case:
Make sure you have the gizmos in the vacuum line to prevent the resin from getting sucked into your vacuum pump. I forget exactly how this works; but we used some bond-release fabric where the line enters the bag; and also had a T-fitting in line to divert any resin that made it that far. If the resin gets into the vacuum pump, most likely both that part and the pump will be ruined.
Yup, good input, and agreed. I have the bond release and some t-fittings to support this (I think!). Hopefully my setup will be successful
The rear wing looks pretty good! What angle are you going to set the wing at? I'm interested to see the extra speed you might carry in a high-speed turn.
I'm sure you have a lot of time involved in building this project. Looked like a lot of work. I'll likely purchase a wing this fall/winter from APR or G-Stream.
The rear wing looks pretty good! What angle are you going to set the wing at? I'm interested to see the extra speed you might carry in a high-speed turn.
I'm sure you have a lot of time involved in building this project. Looked like a lot of work. I'll likely purchase a wing this fall/winter from APR or G-Stream.
Huge amount of work! But fun to see a good end product.
I'm at an 11 degree angle right now. I'll have multiple angles as options to play with. Very very curious to see how it sticks at speed now!
11° sounds pretty aggressive. Not sure how much research done on the rear Aero and maybe you know more than I. I thought a good starting point was around 5°. I welcome your testing and feedback on this
Do your research when building a diffuser. It can make an absolutely enormous difference; practically sucking the car to the road. Would be even more effective with a under tray along the whole car.
Do your research when building a diffuser. It can make an absolutely enormous difference; practically sucking the car to the road. Would be even more effective with a under tray along the whole car.
Yup, agreed. I'm not sure if I'll attempt making one or just buy one at this point. Tbd. But agree with your input!