April 15 Team Meeting

Big session today. The chassis is really starting to come together— rear suspension geometry is locked in, the steering rack is mounted, and the team got hands-on time across welding, plasma cutting, and the lathe.

Rear Swing Arm — Design Finalized

The rear swing arm design reached its final form today. The team worked through the last fitment details, confirming geometry and mounting points on the chassis. With the frame up on the fabrication table, students checked clearances and made sure everything lines up with the drive system packaging. This is a milestone — it means we can commit to final welding on the rear substructure and move forward with the rest of the drivetrain integration.

Steering Rack Mounted & Tie Rod Fabrication

The steering rack is now mounted to the chassis. Once it was secured, the team jumped straight into fabricating the tie rods — measuring, cutting, and starting to dial in the linkage geometry that connects the rack to the front uprights. Getting the Ackermann angle and bump steer sorted at this stage saves a world of pain later.

Shop Work: Lathe, Welding & Plasma

It was a full-shop day. Students rotated through the Clausing-Colchester 13″ lathe turning custom components, the MIG welder tacking and joining frame members, and the CNC plasma table cutting custom brackets and gussets. This is the kind of session where the build accelerates — multiple workstations running simultaneously, every cut and weld moving the car closer to road-ready.

Logistics: Hotels & Grant Funding

Not everything happens at the welding table. Part of the team focused on the operational side — locking down hotel accommodations for the race and pushing forward on grant applications. Building the car is half the battle; getting the team to the starting line funded and organized is the other half.

Momentum is building. The chassis is taking shape, the drivetrain path is clear, and the team is executing across mechanical, fabrication, and logistics simultaneously. More updates soon!