Assignment #2
Nathaniel Mills
Problem Statement
I often make trips to tracks and closed roads for performance driving events in my 1983 Toyota Trueno GT-V (a hatchback). Although the rear seats have been removed and trunk area is mostly stripped of extra mass, I find after loading 4 tires/wheels into it that I have very little space to place anything else. It also requires an obscene amount of effort to get them out of the rear hatch, since they bounce and move around during transit. I'd like to avoid buying a traditional roof rack, as this either requires modification to the roof or rear quarter panels, both of which are already extremely prone to rust. The roof is also short, and therefore requires a custom kit to get the right fit, or modification of the body to achieve stability under load. I'm afraid said modifications might give rust a new place to start forming.
Assumptions, Concerns, Direction
- Bolting a standard rack on is far from what I would want to do, as it would possibly leave more openings for rust to form as well as damage the integrity of the roof.
- The car is also mostly constructed from thin sheet metal and aluminum, and my concern is that unbalanced forces (bumps, wind force, etc) would perhaps warp the roof and most importantly make the car less aerodynamic. A standard rack would decrease my gas mileage, directly increasing the cost of the trips.
- The main problem is organizing the volume of storage space that I have inside the hatchback, it would be potentially best to maximize the potential volume of the rear area with an organizational carrier designed to hold them in place.
- The Trueno has a shorter roof than the average car, therefore typical kits or designs will not be sufficient for a rack, and alterior designs may be preferential to success.
Frequently Updated Gantt Chart
This chart serves as a visual represention of the timeline of the project, as well as deadlines therein.
Strategies
- Roof Rack: A typical roof rack, such as the Thule brand, uses door jams along with a short roof adapter. These tend to be pretty costly, as they are outside the norm. I also would like to keep my roof free from new holes for bolts.
- Bay Carrier: A multi-piece "basket" that bolts together as well as into existing, unused bolt holes inside the car. It would only occupy as much, or less, space as the rear seats previously had. This would reduce the area consumed by the wheels in the rear bay by nearly 60% and keep them free from scratch against the interior metals.
- Rear Bash Bar and Carrier Combo: The rear bumper on my car is actually stock, but extremely hard to find and irreplacable. A lot of times people replace their bumpers with bash bars for track day, so they can freely tap other cars or even clip walls without fear. This would replace the rear bumper for track days, and also be very easy to bolt on. The existing bumper uses two bolts on either side of the chasis to mount, and only takes a few minutes to remove. The bash bar and carrier combo would have a similar mounting time, with the added functionality of a bash bar while at the track. The carrier would be removable and bolt onto the bash bar.
Below are a few sketches of each design.
Additional Pictures
Here are some sample pictures of the rear interior, from a friend's project car.
For reference, this is the profile of the car in question, who showed me a new way of mounting clamps in a way I thought previously wasn't possible without modification
FDPARRC Tables
>
Lessons Learned
- I learned how to budget my time more efficiently, and also how to make an dynamic (live updating) Gantt Chart.
- I learned new ways of mounting a roof rack through a few communities that I reached out to during the process.
- That the Trueno needs specifically a short-roof rack, which is conceptually different from standard racks.
- Realized I had lost my interior measurements of my car, and need to remeasure if possible.
Activities
- 1/29-1/30: Sketching and brainstorming at least 3 ideas for carrying tires/wheels
- 1/31-2/2: Learned about Gantt Charts and familiarized myself with teamgantt.
- 2/4-2/5: FDPARRC
- 1/29-2/6: Worked on website, slowly updating content
- 2/6: Completed Advising
Advisees
Bhargav Gajjar: I see that you might be having trouble making the ideas in your FDPARRC tables concrete, that might actually be the part that really helps you define your part and the concepts that you'll be focusing on. Assignment looks great though! Also, servo motors are loud and more prone to failure than a stepper motor - consider a stepper motor instead!
Austin Northcutt: Your ideas seem extremely solid, and I really like your FDPARRC table, it shows an affirmative plan of action! Have you considered maybe a gearbox that mounts/bolts up to the flywheel? At my friend's shop, we managed to assemble a simple one that bolts up to his stand so we could turn the engine with ease while we were setting timing, etc.
Return to Directory
Frequently Updated Gantt Chart
This chart serves as a visual represention of the timeline of the project, as well as deadlines therein.
Strategies
- Roof Rack: A typical roof rack, such as the Thule brand, uses door jams along with a short roof adapter. These tend to be pretty costly, as they are outside the norm. I also would like to keep my roof free from new holes for bolts.
- Bay Carrier: A multi-piece "basket" that bolts together as well as into existing, unused bolt holes inside the car. It would only occupy as much, or less, space as the rear seats previously had. This would reduce the area consumed by the wheels in the rear bay by nearly 60% and keep them free from scratch against the interior metals.
- Rear Bash Bar and Carrier Combo: The rear bumper on my car is actually stock, but extremely hard to find and irreplacable. A lot of times people replace their bumpers with bash bars for track day, so they can freely tap other cars or even clip walls without fear. This would replace the rear bumper for track days, and also be very easy to bolt on. The existing bumper uses two bolts on either side of the chasis to mount, and only takes a few minutes to remove. The bash bar and carrier combo would have a similar mounting time, with the added functionality of a bash bar while at the track. The carrier would be removable and bolt onto the bash bar.
Below are a few sketches of each design.
Additional Pictures
Here are some sample pictures of the rear interior, from a friend's project car.
For reference, this is the profile of the car in question, who showed me a new way of mounting clamps in a way I thought previously wasn't possible without modification
FDPARRC Tables
>Lessons Learned
- I learned how to budget my time more efficiently, and also how to make an dynamic (live updating) Gantt Chart.
- I learned new ways of mounting a roof rack through a few communities that I reached out to during the process.
- That the Trueno needs specifically a short-roof rack, which is conceptually different from standard racks.
- Realized I had lost my interior measurements of my car, and need to remeasure if possible.
Activities
- 1/29-1/30: Sketching and brainstorming at least 3 ideas for carrying tires/wheels
- 1/31-2/2: Learned about Gantt Charts and familiarized myself with teamgantt.
- 2/4-2/5: FDPARRC
- 1/29-2/6: Worked on website, slowly updating content
- 2/6: Completed Advising
Advisees
Bhargav Gajjar: I see that you might be having trouble making the ideas in your FDPARRC tables concrete, that might actually be the part that really helps you define your part and the concepts that you'll be focusing on. Assignment looks great though! Also, servo motors are loud and more prone to failure than a stepper motor - consider a stepper motor instead!
Austin Northcutt: Your ideas seem extremely solid, and I really like your FDPARRC table, it shows an affirmative plan of action! Have you considered maybe a gearbox that mounts/bolts up to the flywheel? At my friend's shop, we managed to assemble a simple one that bolts up to his stand so we could turn the engine with ease while we were setting timing, etc.