Carlos Salaff Project Caden

Lots of things happening right now on Project Caden. Body progress: the "fuselage" center portion of the body now has its panels cleco fastened to it. With the fenders up against it, this is the most complete picture of Caden's surfaces thus far, and it is very exciting to see! Here are some photos of Rodney fastening the side panels, and some shots of the buck as it stands. I'm very happy with how dynamic the design feels. I'll post more views soon.

On the chassis side of things, the tub build continues. This week, the side pods are getting completed, and suspension parts are being machined. I'll post pictures of that fun stuff soon
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Thanks Fellas!

 

Nice Keith--you must be referring to the 3mm section width "tires"

 

Thanks Ryan, the 917 is a big inspiration!

 

Here are a few more views of the bodywork in progress. From the tipup views you can really see the center "fuselage" as it sweeps through the fenders. Also visible are the 2 panels that will be trimmed and welded to form the rear fender top.

At the back, dual exhausts will exit the center section--under the deck(near the two top viewing holes in the buck). Between the rear tire and fuselage, the aero wishbones and suspension linkages will be exposed like an F1 car(inboard coilovers).

At the front, a 60's F1-like nozzle-nose will provide air to the radiator, while the inner-front fenders will route air through to cool the brakes. The latter is hard to see at the moment, as the buck doesn't represent that shape well. The front sketch I recently shared shows this better.

Things are slowing down on the bodywork, as the chassis build is picking up pace. We will be able to more efficiently work once the chassis is in the shop--which shouldn't be too long now...
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In addition to sharing the Project Caden build on Fchat, I also have a personal blog. I share more of the philosophy behind the project there. My latest post: VIEWS+NEWS

 

Lately I'm wearing many hats on Project Caden. One of those is the sculptor hat. I'm still chipping away on the "glass" molds--which will yield polycarbonate parts. The parts were milled from foam, and covered in a thin hardcoat/ shell. The milling got me to about 85%. The remainder has been time spent with good old body filler and sandpaper. Ah, the joys of fumes

In the first photo, you can see the windshield/sideglass mold in the foreground. In the back is the rear glass mold. I am also making molds for the headlight covers.

The second image is me in my affectionately called "Breaking Bad" suit, filling a low spot with a metal spline.
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Progress on the glass molds. Fill, sand, primer and repeat. Soon I'll be able to take these to have female molds made, and polycarbonate parts made. The rear glass and headlight cover molds are in the background.
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A look at ‪Project Caden‬'s building blocks. Beneath the hand-beaten aluminum body--a central-driver cockpit underpinned by an aluminum tub, stainless steel rear subframe, and inboard coilovers. The wishbones are being built from oval-section stainless.

The dark grey box in back is the BMW V10 Exhaust is being routed out of the rear-center(blue tubes)

It's all a work-in-progress, and I'll keep you guys updated as we start fabricating and fitting details.
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Hi Paul,

The challenge was finding a 6-sp. manual unit with the right gearing for the S85. There is a lot of "internet knowledge" on LS-series engines in midship applications, but the gearing needs are different--so it took a fair bit of hunting to find a good fit for the S85.

I'll be using a Porsche G-97 6-speed in the prototype, and we'll see how well it does in testing. Its gearing is quite close to the stock gearing that BMW used with the S85 engine. The other box I looked at was the Graziano unit used in the R8 and Gallardo. It looks robust, and gearing is good, so that might be a good choice as well.

 

Hi Guys,

Hot of the press is this interview with Ed Stubbs for Core77.com. Ed did a great job covering topics from inspiration and design process, to automated vehicles: How to Build Your Own Supercar - Core77
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Hi Igor,

Thanks for following

I'm hoping that we'll have a rolling chassis by the time Santa comes around. We have had delays with material lead times, but things are moving. The tub is nearly done, and I'm finishing the molds for glass making. In the new year, we'll be attaching body panels to the chassis, and I will personally turn a good deal of attention to interior design and fabrication.

I will post more images of the goings on as soon

Carlos

 

No problem, thanks for asking Igor.

I think for me it has been a collection of experiences with vehicles, art, and design. I decided to become a designer when I realized that industrial design is a blend of engineering and art--which for me was just right. Before that point(around my last year of high school) I felt lost, as I didn't know of any field where my passions really fit. Actually, while attending design school for industrial design, I discovered the field of automotive design, and that revelation set me on my way.

I wouldn't say that any particular car or brand is what led me to design, but a love for cool, fast vehicles in general. The language of speed, if you will. Planes, cars, and spaceships As a young child, I had the opportunity to travel a lot. I fell in love with airplanes first. I didn't have much exposure to cars until later. However I do still to vividly remember a ride in a blue Porsche 930 turbo that made me realize that there are cars that are appliances, and then there are CARS! I also tinkered with radio-controlled cars, planes and Estes rockets. I liked to build things that went fast. As a young adult I began to discover more about the history of cars. Racing cars of the 60's-80's era are most interesting to me. Their rawness and beauty. The history of racing has become more and more fascinating to me.

These days I am always inspired by those race cars, but also by new trends in design, architecture, fashion, film etc. New feelings and expressions of art find their way into my work; alongside classic motifs. I don't really have a desire to do anything overtly retro, so I am looking for that balance of traditional and advanced. That's where Project Caden came along.

Thanks for letting me go on a bit Cheers,
Carlos

 

Friends, If you haven't headed over to Core77 to check out the latest Project Caden interview, I invite you to. Thanks for all of your enthusiasm and support along the way! https://lnkd.in/dWhQZXR
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To make the center driver's seat easier to climb into, ‪‎Caden‬'s chassis tub has a flat floor(no tunnels). However in doing so, stiffness needed to be increased. ‪‎Metcalf Racing‬ has done so by building an aluminum honeycomb sandwich floor.
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Some context for the previous post re: the floor--an overview of Project Caden's chassis. Note the flat floor within the "tub"(area that holds passengers). The tub is of aluminum monocoque construction, while the subframe, roll hoops, and wishbones are stainless steel.
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Thanks my friend.