do you still need people to proof read your stuff or are you all set?
as far as the renders i think it looks pretty great can't wait to see the finished product... good luck
Nah its O.K man, I had very little access to internets, so I couldn't get you guys to do any stuff
I'll upload a few things after my handup date, I really want to finish off some of the assembly data and the like spot on....I'll see what you all think
It's very time consuming and fiddly to do smoothly on something like this. The easy way to do it so to cover the thing in styrofoam then sand/cut it down then smooth it to the shape you want and lay the glass over that.
Oh did I tell you I'm quite allergic to fibreglass gel? (mostly the MEKP)
The bodyshell is a grade of HIPS plastic which is more thermally stable, and raw polished alloy joiner sections. The plastic is then formed over the moulds I made out of MDF, expanding foam, plaster and bog.
The issue I've had is the moulds keep exploding in the vac former machine, I think the main issue is air from the expanding foam blowing up through the plaster and cracking the gellcoat which I cover the moulds in.....the problem is the surface finish is, well crap and I can't do anything about it.
If I made the moulds out of metal sheet and backloaded then with lead or silver solder there wouldn't have been a problem....what do you think next years project is gunna be? :lol:
The plastic I'm using is lighter, much (1/3) cheaper, faster to form (1/20th?) than fibreglass. Since the bodyshell is unloaded (not a structural member) the disparity in strength doesn't matter. FYI the material is similar to the material that Nissan use for the front guards on their X-trail SUV.
MAKE IT CURVACEOUS! PLEASE!
There are enough angular designs out there. Frankly the picture you have drawn looks far too much like a cheap, dime-a-dozen kit car to me. I'd go for a more 50's/60's look, with rounded fenders and a sexy figure..
I'd love to, but we have problems:
First off in a mid mounted car you can't have no wake (aerodynamics) otherwise there is no low pressure zone in the rear for the heat to get out. Also since this car is designed for Australian conditions, the cooling system is a bit over the top
I also needed extra vents for things like the air conditioner condensers
Second I have a fabrication time limit, since its a production ready product. Curves make this very difficult. Part of my assessment is proving I can build another one in 225 work hours. When you start adding in compound curves (Eg Alfa Romeo 101, or a Spider long tail) you run into having to add hours on for fit, finish and trimming. You also have to take into account the limitations of your material, eg pannels have a set draw depth and some angles and curves are simply not possible.
Third my area in Industrial design is not really styling (I'm more production design). I tried to get a few of the car styling guys to work with me, but they believed I was bullsh*ting about the whole project (the look on their faces when I drove the car into the Uni workshop was...well priceless :lol: ) so I didn't get any help. What I'll do when this is all done, is post up a heap of style development pics and the like. See what you like.
I'd like to do a smaller car, front engined RWD that can be made cheaper again, front engined is much easier to style.
Oh and last, the design language is more to reflect where I'm from, and the local history of where I live.....damn I sound like a design wanker! :lol:
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Well its 37 Degrees in the shed, time to get back to work!