Project Eclipse: June 2 Update

Car Club runs into its last month this school year, and what better time to address a real challenge than now...

One downfall we have noticed with the very cool vertical door set up, is the fact that if closed improperly, the vertical door system has a tendency to fall out of alignment with the door striker very easily...ALMOST TOO EASILY! When this happens, the procedure for realignment involves removal of the fenders for adjustment and it an hour long job! 

After a lot of contemplation and discussion, Car Club students concluded that we could attempt to cut a large hole in the fender which could accommodate the adjustment procedure without having to remove the vehicle's fenders. Then we could create some form of discrete cover for the holes.

So, with fingers crossed, we used the plasma cutter to slice openings in each fender just over the main stop bolts. We now have access to the adjusters.

If there is one thing that Mr. Da Silva tries to teach to his students every year, it is to learn the art of being resourceful! If at first, you cannot attain an answer to a problem, use your skills and means to FIND or CREATE an answer with what you have. It is with this frame of mind that we set to find a way to cover the awkward holes in the fenders.

After MUCH experimentation and different material use such as wood, acrylic and aluminium, we devised a way to use sheet metal and bend it to conform to the fender contours to cover the access holes.

After shaping the covers, we painted them black and had an idea to make them pop from the fender in a unique way...

We moved to our vinyl cutter and plotted a graphic of engine side vents used in old race cars.

Once cut and applied to the metal covers, we decided to use pod magnets to keep the covers in place without the sight of screws. So far, the vehicle looks decent with the new "louvers." 

If we can teach students to be resourceful enough to find creative solutions to complex problems, we have succeeded greatly in our objective as teachers.

Watching students make these connections is a reward for everyone! 

Now, with the vertical door issue solved, the Eclipse can now wait ready for its exterior paintwork as the school year comes to an end.