About this Build Entry:
Recently, we've received some images from the company milling the body patterns and molds for the fiberglass components.  This particular image is of the Rally Fighter center section, which was generated from the surface data/drawing previously posted on the build site.  The structure is constructed of wood, then fiberglass is laid over the structure to keep it from flexing/shifting.  After that, the proprietary milling material will be applied, then the shape will be milled.  Pretty amazing to think that this structure at the size it is was made in just over one day.  More images to follow as we receive them.

About this Build Entry:
After the buck was built, the fiberglass was applied, and the milling compound packed on, the buck was positioned on the milling table for the inception of the rally fighter to commence. However, as the photos show, the pattern doesn't have the proper finish to generate a mold right from the mill.  The surface will have to be refined by hand to remove the ridges left by the mill.  Once that is done, the pattern can then be used as a plug, over which fiberglass can be laid to create the molds.  From that stage on, the plug will serve as the master pattern to create new molds as they deteriorate from pulling production parts.

Stay tuned for updated photos on the center section once the pattern has been smoothed out and is then ready for the mold making process to begin.

About this Build Entry:
Our body tooling supplier has been working at a fast pace (by no means are the frequency of my posts indicative of their pace...my apologies for keeping you waiting) to have the molds for the hand-laid fiberglass parts complete and ready for shipment here to Wareham.  As I mentioned previously, the patterns don't come off the mill ready for mold making.  The images in this post show the next step of sanding the ridges left from milling to end up with a smooth surface consistent with the CAD data.  The blue areas you see on the center section are areas reflecting low spots in the mold.  The blue color comes from applying a dye (Dykem) to the surface of the pattern. As the pattern is sanded, the dye on the high spots of the pattern is sanded away, leaving the low spots clearly visible.  This is a process used in mold shaping, auto body etc and although old school, it's highly effective.  Once all of the high and low spots have been smoothed out, the next step of mold generation will begin...stay tuned!

About this Build Entry:
A big step in the process to making the Rally Fighter Body a reality.  The hand finish work has been completed, and the pattern has been sprayed with Duratec surfacing primer, and polished as evident by the reflections from the shop lights.  The surface is now ready to produce molds.

About this Build Entry:
Now that the molds have been made and we'll begin making the actual body parts, there are a few things that need to be addressed, one of them being the need for Aluminum inserts.

In the areas where we'll bolt things to the body panels such as hinges, latches etc. we will need some reinforcement to prevent the bolts from pulling out of the fiberglass, and to give us the ability to tighten down the bolts properly by spreading out the load not just through the fiberglass but through the Aluminum plate, thus preventing deformation of the body panel.

Above is a picture of the plasma cutter at work cutting out some of the 1/8" thick Aluminum spacers. You might ask why we're only plasma cutting the inserts and not using the more accurate, cleaner method of laser cutting. The answer to that question is that in production we will definitely laser cut all of the flat stock for accuracy, cleanliness, and to save time, but for now when we need the parts quickly, may have to make some small changes to them, and since they will never be visible (they will be sandwiched between the outer skin and the inner liner before we bond the two together) we can plasma cut them using the plasma table. This method by the way, is far superior in accuracy and in the time required to cut the parts by hand, particularly for some of the oddly shaped parts.

About this Build Entry:
Yesterday, we received most of the patterns and molds for the Rally Fighter.  Also, when Dave met the truck driver delivering the molds/patterns at our body supplier, he was able to bring back the very first Rally Fighter Body panel, which you can see is the Driver Side front Quarter Panel.  As expected, the panel is a high quality (although not Class A surface, it's pretty close) lightweight, sturdy piece.

Also, you can see that the center section mold was delivered is also of a quality construction and matches the initial concept for the structure our supplier created.

About this Build Entry:
Here are some images of the Center Section (doors and windows not cut out yet), the Hood and the trunk that arrived today.  These are part of the very first set of Rally Fighter panels ever produced, so needless to say, we're very excited and can't wait to mount them on the chassis which you can see in the background (Awaiting roll cage tubes, which are due to arrive in a few days from now).  The panels have been trimmed using the scribes we designed into the molds, and both the hood and the trunk have the inner liners bonded to the outer skins.  

As you can see in the images, we couldn't help ourselves so Dave trimmed the body in a few places to install a few components like the tail lights, gas cap and the side vent.

Stay tuned for more images of these panels and the carbon fiber panels which are also due to arrive soon.

About this Build Entry:
A few images from late last night.  We set the body on the chassis for the first time last night, and IT FITS!!!  Always a tense and exciting moment when this happens for the first time, especially since we developed this chassis and body a bit different than we're (Dave, Colby and myself) used to.  Typically, we will develop the chassis in the computer as we're building it, and while that's happening, away from the chassis, the body is being shaped by hand, molds made, and a first article popped from the mold.  Once the chassis is mostly done (minus the roll cage), we will fit a body over it, and develop the bars to fit inside the body in physical space, then draw them on the computer.

This time around (a more efficient and more accurate way in terms of having a production solution) we stuck our necks out quite a bit and did all of the design (body and chassis) in the computer, built the main chassis to completion here in Wareham, while the body patterns were milled on the West Coast, then a body made in Rhode Island (the next state over, about an hour away).  Also, I designed the roll cage using rolled tubes to fit along the curvature of the cockpit to allow more headroom and allow better fitment of interior panels, roof liners etc.(and it looks cool) so that added to our apprehension when it came time to set the body on the chassis. Basically, we set it right on the chassis and it fit right away.  Usually there are some tweaks that have to be made here and there and sometimes you get some serious interference...not this time.

After that was done, we were all able to sleep much better (even though I slept in the office on the old aero bed to save the 2 hours I'd lose driving home to Boston, then back in the morning).

About this Build Entry:
The headline pretty much says it all.  We fired the engine for the first time just a few minutes ago.  To accomplish something like this with even the simplest of engines without any major "gremlins" (electrical or otherwise) is a real feat in itself, but to do so with such a complex electrical system as the one we started out with from BMW and to determine all of the components needed and not needed to fire the engine is a major accomplishment.  

Therefore, thanks have to go out to Steve and Oliver from ATG on delivering a stand-alone solution.  Congratulations also go out to Colby Whipple from the team here at LM for installing all of the accessories on the engine with little to not information.  And of course congrats to veteran Factory Five builders/owners turned Local Motors Build Team members Henry and Steve for deciphering the complex bundle of wires, modules and junction boxes which to them was a sight unseen until they opened the box delivered by ATG.  Their knowledge from previous builds was invaluable in making this happen today.  The power of the community at work for sure!

Now we need to get the engine and transmission into the chassis so we can run the engine.

Here at LM we mark these monumental moments with a ring of the bell hanging in the office and a shout of "Great Success!" in our best Borat voice.  Check out the picture of Henry and Steve as they join in on the tradition.

Also check out the post firing pic of the team on hand for the day, (L to R) Dana, Ernie, Henry, Dave, Brian, Colby, Mike, Jay, Steve.

About this Build Entry:
Here's a quick collage of images from today's progress on the many projects we have working in parallel at LM.  

Some of the projects include, but are not limited to, applying wax for the flooring molds, bumper placement, body mounts, door linkage, and front lower control arms.

Vegas better be ready!