Red Line Art Cart – Race Day

Watch the race and build VIDEO John made.

On the morning of the derby there were a few things left to do.

1.  Attach the rear cowling to the vehicle

2.  Fix the steering so it will not go unstable at higher speeds

3.  Affix the decals to the vehicle

4.  Load and transport across town

I attached the rear cowling as fast as possible, while making sure that the rear wheel was not rubbing on it.  I messed with the toe in/out of the steering some, but was not able to completely stabilize the steering.  Luckily it was a very low speed course and the steering did not oscillate.  The original plan was to stencil and paint on the decals, but with limited time computer printouts and tape were used.  The art cart fit in the car perfectly with all wheels attached.

The finished cart looks pretty good.  Unfortunately it did not end up looking like a train as intended, but rather kind of like a Ferrari 375 F1.

The full team shown, also the “Fastest Art Cart” trophy.

Breakdown of hours/tasks (from memory, so not 100% accurate.

9-16—–Front wheel pivot assembly—–3h

9-20—–Front wheel pivot assembly—–5h

9-21—–Front brake selection—–1h

9-22—–Front wheel pivot assembly—–3h

9-24—–Box frame—–8h

9-30—–Box frame modification and rear wheel attachment—–7h

10-01—–Front wheel attachment—–8h

10-02—–Front wheel attachment and steering assembly—–9h

10-03—–Greased bearings, polished steering, misc.—–4h

10-05—–Welding chassis—–7h

10-06—–Welding chassis, brakes, steering adjustment, downhill testing —–5h

10-07—–Body and paint—–7h

10-08—–Body, decals—–3h

Finished at 1:30 pm for an event that started at 2:00pm

Approximate total hours: 70

Future plans include fixing the steering (no matter what it takes).  Making a proper seat.  Installing a rear brake.  Performing a speed test up to at least 30 mph.  Measuring the weight of the final vehicle.

Extra ambitions plans include sanding and fiber-glassing all edges of the body and installing a 0.75-1.5 HP electric motor.