So as is my way with a lot of this build I am going my own way and not necessarily following the "accepted" way of doing things. The treatment I am giving the rear bodywork is no different. :)
So the standard S1 Exige rear clam got chopped into many, many pieces!!
This wasn't wanton butchery however, there are a number of sound engineering objectives:
- Allow the rear wing to transfer it's downforce directly to the chassis, rather than 'through' the clamshell as normally found on S1 Elise and Exige builds (normal practice is to mount the wing on the clam, with a spreader plate from the chassis directly beneath supporting the clam and wing loads). My wing mounts pass through slots in the rear valance and mount directly to the longerons.
- Allow the rear clam to be removed easily for work on the powertrain. With the level of customisation in my build this was a no-brainer. The cuts I made are slightly different to the S1 'motorsport' kit, but the principle here is the same.
- Allow the rear clam to be removed without needing to remove the rear wing every time. This required an additional cut to create a 'rear valance'. The valance is now part of the wing sub-assembly which also includes the silencer mounts. If needed the entire rear wing sub-assembly can be removed with just 6x M8 fasteners.
- Lower half of rear clam cut away to try and reduce rear drag and weight. This section of bodywork doesn't really do anything except stop you seeing the engine compartment and obstruct air trying to escape the rear wheel arches. It also weighs a couple of kg. So off it went!
Glassing in returns for bodywork catches.
Lining everything up.
Wrapped Hexis Mandarin Orange. In the background you can see the wing mount sub-assembly built up.
Trialling various options regarding LED rear lights. Note LED rain light bottom centre.
No comments:
Post a Comment