Baja NOW Weekly Update: Week of November 12, 2017
It was another great weekend at the Baja Laboratory. The shop was busy again this weekend, with new part iterations being researched, old cars being repaired and new concepts being built.
Faculty Advisor Justin Garvin lending a hand in the lab
In the Baja Conference Room, Members Peter Laubenthal and Ryan Stoneman began to research new designs for the Rack & Pinion System. The Rack & Pinion is a vital component of the steering system. When the Pinion gear, which rotates with your steering wheel and column setup is loved, the rack setup moves, which then turns the wheels which steer the vehicle.
Pete Laubenthal (left) and Ryan Stoneman working on the Rack & Pinion design
“So far, we are getting used to the Solidworks Software and will begin putting ideas into actual designs very soon.”
Over in the workshop, Member Kyle Scharm began to use the Lathe to mill new bushings for the steering box, in order to limit the wear on the aluminum casing. Alex Dalziel finished his work on a new gearbox mount for Car #48. Car #48 has been used for years due to limited club funding and with its years of abuse, is beginning to require more frequent repairs.
Kyle Scharm fabricating bushings
Alex Dalziel measuring his updated gearbox mount
“(Car #48’s) last nationals race was in 2014. We use it to give new members more experience and fine-tune their skills before they work on the new nationals car.”
Meanwhile, Paulina Kroczak began to rebuild the back clutch cover plate for Car #88. The clutch cover assembly is a necessary piece in the event of a failure in the clutch system, as well as to prevent any injury while the car is idling in the pit area. Originally, a plastic cover was used, but for increased safety, it is being changed to aluminum.
Paulina Kroczak fabricating the rear clutch cover plate
Eric Jones continued to fix the splash guard on the back of Car #104. The splash guard, made of a fuel resistant material, ensures that during refueling, no fuel can land on any warm part of the vehicle, reducing the risk of a fire.
Finally, Rob Pohren began to mill a new steering knuckle prototype to be tested our testing vehicle. His steering knuckles use new variations of the Ackerman steering geometry principle. Ackerman, or the geometric arrangement of linkages in the steering of a vehicle, allows for the front two wheels to turn different radii.
We are always looking for donations to our team. We accept material, machine time as well as monetary donations. For more information, check out the "Sponsors" page of our website.