Project Eclipse: March 29 to April 5 Update

Nearing 90 percent completion, the BR Spirit Car is shaping up to be one cool ride!

Let's check out what was done in the last two weeks...

For several days, Car Club students have been working on building adapter plates for the new Kicker speakers that will be going in the front doors. Soon, they are complete and ready for installation. The adapter plates ensure a smooth fit, and keep the large driver magnets from hitting the window panes.







Next, we moved on to replacing the factory dash tweeters with upgraded units, complete with passive crossovers. This will help distribute the correct sound frequencies to their respective drivers, giving the inside of the Eclipse that "concert sound."



We had to destroy the factory tweeter, as the original speaker basket was part of its housing. We then installed the new tweeter into the original housing and jigged it into place. It will then sit under the windshield, ready to drive cymbal crashes and techno beeps at its audience!





Safety is very important during our work in the shop. Even while wearing safety glasses and being cautious, a sneaky sliver snuck itself into Mr. DaSilva's thumb. Nothing we can't handle.Tweezers please...



One of our senior students removed the windshield wiper transmission from the car and painted it black, over the original weathered grey. Little details always contribute to a good overall image!



Junior and senior Car Club students helped trace out a jig for the vehicle's front bumper air intake. We decided to fill this otherwise drab opening with something more enticing.



We found an old radiator from a minivan, measured it, and cut it to size. Once cleaned up, we installed it behind the hood latch, to make for a decent looking imitation intercooler. Sometimes you can surprise yourself when you are resourceful, and Mr. DaSilva likes to teach his students to be resourceful. Not bad looking at all!



As you just saw, we added more graphics, like customized Kicker Audio Performance, and a couple of First Professional logos, in thanks for the great work our community partner down the street did with the exterior of the Spirt Car!

One of our junior Car Club students helped drill and affix the faux rear plate and frame to the rear of the car, which will soon have the words "WE ARE BR" on it, displayed proudly at on site events.



Car Club students continue to work diligently on our special project, knowing that our unveiling day is less than two months away. With many little details still to be completed, like the push starter, underglows, and lion's head graphics, it would be great if we could complete BR's Spirit Car ahead of schedule.



The sound system is now up and running, and although we can't show you an accurate video of the sound system's output, our students enjoyed listening to its clear, strong power output. Mr. DaSilva tested the system out with various music tracks, to see the system's capabilities, and even tested out the in-dash DVD player by watching a few minutes of Gone in 60 Seconds.

We also had a student in our small engines class begin to hook up and test the on-board studio system...the big feature of the Spirit Car. The Eclipse will be deemed our "Special Events Vehicle," placed at different locations around the school grounds. Once there, students can take and edit short videos, photos and interviews of sports and charity events, mix the footage down in car, and then upload it to the school's foyer monitors for event promotion. What a cool idea!!

One of the vehicle's two onboard webcams is initialized, as well as the video editing app. We plan to have an in-dash cam for "hot seat" interviews and dialogue, and a rear facing cam for group interviews outside of the car.



Mr. DaSilva decided to purchase some brushed aluminium vinyl and add an updated fender grill cover to the vehicle, as well as a few course codes in the old fighter plane style.

One of our senior auto students is very skilled in detail control, and she was able to trace out the fender area on paper, so we could plot the course code badges and grill covers. Soon, new badges were cut and voila...









With virtually all of the wiring complete, and the main switch panel active, we tested the in-dash tablet charger, amplifiers, rear monitor, and last but not least, the glowing Reding Royals sign:

By now, the BR Spirit Car is in need of a short rest, and some warm weather.
We need to wash all the fingerprints off its paint job and give it a thorough vaccuming before
we get into the home stretch towards completion.

Project Eclipse has been a great example of Student Success, with many students coming together and devoting nearly 1000 hours of labour time to the rebuild. This project could not be possible without the support of tech programs like SHSM and Pathways in the Halton Catholic Disctrict School Board. It is with these rewarding programs that students can discover and build upon their skills towards a successful future in the world of work.

Stay tuned for our home stretch coverage, as we complete the final steps of the rebuild and prepare the BR Spirit Car for its unveiling on May 18th!

See you soon!