Working on the Reynard update #2

Firstly I worked on the sidepods for the body work using paint stripper and a scraper to get all the old blue paint of so it could go to the Bodyshop with the main bodywork to be painted. Then they were sanded down to get any paint left removed as we wanted to get the car as light as possible and painting over the old paint would cost us a fair bit of extra weight.

Sanded Sidepods for the Reynard

Then whilst I was away the rear suspension had been fitted for the most part as we needed to check everything lined up and fitted with each other especially the parts under load in the suspension.

Rear-end of Reynard with loose bodywork

We also were able to fit all the bodywork loosely onto the chassis to see how it would look all together.

Front-end of Reynard with loose bodywork

Additionally to the Reynard I've been working on other cars such as a Van Diemen RF80 which had a new bar in the chassis due to damage from a crash needing it to be replaced so i was able to drill the new holes for the side plating that goes on the cars that is rivetted on. I got to drill each hole out and also rivet the panel which i had never done before.

The one major challenge working on these cars for me is learning the imperial tool set as im used to 10mm etc whereas they use 3/8ths and 5/16ths for example which is quite hard to get to grips with coming from the metric system. Apart from that its mostly just understanding how the cars go together and what goes where.

Furthermore despite the challenges I'm building crucial skills such as problem solving as some parts have a certain method or order to going on that I've been able to adapt to and solve. Also I've improved my teamwork and communication as it's crucial to ask for help or for someone to explain something to you when learning and developing my knowledge.

Additionally I've improved my organisation as I've learnt that an organised working space is crucial as i spend less time looking for parts or tools and more time actually working on the car and i make far fewer mistakes as I'm more focused on the task at hand rather than finding a missing tool.

Finally I have learnt many things about how the car works and how setup changes can effect the car. For example I've improved my understanding of how the engine works, the gearbox and how different setup changes to the suspension will effect the car on track i.e rake, castor , ride height. I also have gained a good basic understand of race car designs from the 70s , 80s and 90s. I've also began to learn about basic painting of parts and how to prepare them before painting.