At Last!. I have started on my car ;-) PART 2

Support frame design changed to accommodate rad, I/C and air filter box.

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First underfloor panel made (carbon, of course :) )

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Side splitter.

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Hey Steve wondered why we hadn't heard from you for a while but seems that you are still beavering away in the shed |B :)
 
Shed loads of work underway - quite literally.

Thanks for the update. This thread is so long and so busy we had to upgrade the server again to cope!
 
I note that you are still obsessive when it comes to drilling holes in everything for lightness that even the brake rotors look like Swiss cheese plus they have even scalloped the circumference for a bit more lightening as well :eek: :rofl:

PS love the V mount intercooler and horizontal flow radiator |B
 
I note that you are still obsessive when it comes to drilling holes in everything for lightness that even the brake rotors look like Swiss cheese plus they have even scalloped the circumference for a bit more lightening as well :eek: :rofl:

PS love the V mount intercooler and horizontal flow radiator |B

You forget to mention that they have also been skimmed :)

The I/C rad set up is the result of having removed the inner wings to which they were originally attached. The V mount setup has the added advantage of raising the rad, making the fitting of an undertray a little easier.
 
More parts for the induction system:

Making pattern.
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Making mould.
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Laying in prepreg carbon.
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Bagged up ready for oven.

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Removed from oven and mould. Next task will be to add flange and turbo coupling.

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Engine undertray mould. Does two jobs - Improves aero and collects any oil drips. Holds just under 9 litres so there shouldn't be anything for the leak hounds on the drag strip start line to see :)

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Engine undertray just out of mould. The angles will be glued to the upturned edges of the tray so it can be bolted to the car. Two cross braces will also be added to form a catchment tray and improve overall stiffness.

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Made a few more aero parts today so I thought I would gather up everything not already fitted. This lot weighs a humongous 5kg :)

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Steve this car when finished will be so light that when it's stationary with zero downforce will have to be moored like a boat so it won't get blown away in a gentle breeze :eek: :lol:

That said is the light at the end of the tunnel any closer as I'm sure that we all want to see you achieve your aim of having the worlds fastest Elan.:)
 
All this aero is adding weight! :)

Car goes in to have the wiring completed next Wednesday, after which I can prepare for engine start up!
 
UNDERBODY AERO.jpg In correspondence with my tame aerodynamicist with regard to the layout of strakes, skirts, splitters and VGs on my new underbody panels. Also discussing diffuser design.
 
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Looks like I'm going to have to go back and read all 88 pages of this thread! Is that go-cart a Mazda? Are you a seriously tall guy? That fairing looks like awesome even without paint :)
 
Looks like I'm going to have to go back and read all 88 pages of this thread! Is that go-cart a Mazda? Are you a seriously tall guy? That fairing looks like awesome even without paint :)

No! Don't do that, you will lose the will to live!

This Mazda is a Lotus Elan :)

Length 12' 1"
Width 4' 8"
Height 3' 10" but now 3' 9" as I have lowered it a tad :)

No, I'm 6' 1" The guy in the photo is the owner of DCe and he is slightly taller than me :)

Thanks. However, it was almost a disaster as I had a partial mould collapse under vacuum.
 
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Over a quarter of a million views :eek: Wow that will take some beating |B
Steve I vote for you to be the first nominee for TC's hall of fame :)
 
And that is for only half the thread. The old forum couldn't cope well with long threads so we split it. Thankfully the new one can more than cope with really long threads.

This is probably the most hotly anticipated project on here!
 
Elan leaving DC Electronics after completion of wiring. Once I have connected everything up, bolted everything down and tightened everything up, programmed the PDM and loaded a basic MAP on to the ECU, we can look at starting the engine. And before anyone asks, no onlookers will be welcome :)

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Had my first walk around the car since getting it back from DCe, making a list of jobs still to do. Probably missed a lot but this is something to work on
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:) Steve

Secure intercooler
Modify radiator brackets to allow repositioning.
Fit air filter box
Finish air intake pipework
Fit header tank pipes
Get header tank filler cap
New pipe from overflow bottle to header tank.
Make new exhaust heat shields in CF
Fit wiper motor (either fix original or replace)
Finish front bulkhead and add heat shield material
Finish engine bay bodywork
Secure and adjust steering rack/rod ends for bump steer
Finish front clip
Fit injector rail and injectors
Connect up loom. Adjust position and wire lengths where necessary
Repostion ECU support bracket
Fit dash cover and cut hole for access
Fit screen wash jets and piping
Weld in additional roll cage tubing behind seats
Fit roll cage cushioning
Fit interior panels
Make doors and glass
Secure glove box door
Secure switch panel
Secure centre console and tidy up edges
Make front screen
Make and fit new roof and rear screen
Sort out fire supression system
Fit EGT and Lamda sensors
Fit oil filler cap
Get and fit plug leads
Fit plugs
Secure fuel tank and nitrous bottle
Get new electric bottle opener (or fix old one)
Fit fuel filler cap
Fit rear lamps
Finish droop limiters
Tighten ALL nuts and bolts, marking as I go.
Door locks and hinges
Get seat belts and fit
Parachute bracket
Under floor trays, side splitters and strakes
Rear view mirror
Fit and wire up remote tyre temp sensors
Change front springs
Make new radiator bottom hose
Fit hose clips to header tank hoses and secure
Fit exhaust box and cover
Fit heat shield material behind exhaust box
Fit boot
Bond in floors
Bolt on exhaust manifold and turbo
Fit turbo support strut
Reposition alternator/battery cable
Repostion loom through bulkhead and fit grommets/covers
Final fit of loom, adjusting wire lengths where necessary
Connect battery
Sort out wheels and tyres
 
Made all of the underfloor panels, just need to cut rear section to size. Next task is how to secure them. Decided to bolt them on so had to make threaded inserts to glue into the existing carbon floor plus washers to stop the screws pulling through the thin panels.

I hate making more than one of anything but I need around 30! Oh, well, Spoon & Elephant to the rescue again :) Photos shows how they will work. They will be cleaned up prior to fitting :)

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Front and central underfloor aero sections in position. Next task is to fit the fasteners. After that I need to add some additional sections to cover the holes between the front tyres and existing floor.

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One has to admire your seemingly boundless enthusiasm for making whatever is needed |B

Hopefully we all will finally get to see the result of many years of hard work with you having achieved your goal of having "The Worlds Fastest Lotus Elan" :)
 
You spend 6 hours working on your car but it looks no different from when you started. Spent the day securing the underfloor aero panels. This entailed drilling and gluing in the top hat nuts I made a few days ago. Still a fair bit of work to be done to tidy up the visible section of the floor as well as fitting the strakes to the panels and fixing the side splitters and skirts. Also secured the front wheel speed sensor wires by passing them through the top wishbones. Added a couple of tabs to assist in locating the front clip. Adjusted the straps on the front aero panel so it fitted snugly to the splitter.

fastening underfloor aero 250918 (8).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (6).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (10).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (9).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (11).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (7).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (4).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (3).jpg fastening underfloor aero 250918 (2).jpg
 

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