Carlos Salaff Project Caden

‎Project Caden‬'s glass molds are now completed. It's time to hit the road and make the 6 hour road trip to Pro Glass, near Chicago. They will be making the polycarbonate pieces from the molds.
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Thanks Rick!

Yep, these things take time

 

Hi guys,

Here are some shots of the aluminum tub assembly at Metcalf racing. First a couple shots of the tub surfaces being trial fitted. Secondly, the sidepods/sills being cleco(temporarily) fastened, then riveted and bonded in place.
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A view from the outside of the tub. Trial fitting before riveting/bonding.
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This is a flywheel/adapter plate assembly created for Project Caden by Auto Bionics in the UK. I find the parts to be not only functional, but very beautiful as well.

It's purpose is to mate Caden's BMW V10 to a Porsche 6-speed manual (G97) gearbox.
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I haven't seen this Taffy, thanks for the links!

 

A shot of the engine-to-transmission adapter assembly being test-fitted on an S85 engine.
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Things have moved along at Metcalf Racing on the aluminum passenger cell AKA "tub". Here's a shot of structural inner ribs that will get covered up by the inside skins of the sill. Below that is a view showing the rear bulkhead panel being attached. Check out the vertical rows of rivets that hold the structural ribs in place.
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We have been holding off on the bodywork, until we have the completed chassis in Pete's shop. With the chassis, we can begin mounting body panels, and create the remaining panels with greater accuracy. For that reason, the chassis is currently priority#1.

That said, as we advance with the mechanical portion of the chassis, I have been further developing some areas of the body digitally.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been going back and forth with Metcalf Racing designing the cooling system. Along with packaging the nose-mounted radiator, I've designed this hood vent and inner shroud. This will get rid of air that has passed through the radiator.
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Thanks! I'm really excited to experience the S85 in this car.

I also appreciate the link. I'll take a look at those.

 

Thanks Mike!

 

Here's a screen shot of the digital model, showing the plan for rear air intakes. The lower scoops pictured just have a surface blocked in, but that will become a screen/mesh. There will be one oil cooler per side in the lower scoops. The upper scoops will have tubes tucked under the rear wings going into the air plenums. Also (not pictured) will be a screen at rear-center for circulating engine bay air to escape.
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Thanks Ryan!

I aim to leave most of the surfaces in raw brushed aluminum. For example, I envision the sort of texture and luster in this Auto Union streamliner.

In contrast, inner surfaces will be painted a deep, juicy red. I love the combo of a metallic main color with a bold accent color. Something like the sculpture on the right--even though I believe the metallic surfaces are painted porcelain--but it captures the look.
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Hey Ryan,

I will carry the exterior color scheme to the interior. I'm thinking that the centrally-located driver's seat and instrument panel will be a deep red, to pop it out from the surrounding surfaces, and reinforce the racing inspired themes.

 

Details that are subtle but essential to safety and performance-- here's a view inside the walls of ‪Caden‬'s aluminum monocoque passenger cell. They will soon be covered up with inner panels.

In the corner is a steel tube structure, that will attach to and support the front safety hoop/roll bar. On the far right is a 4130 steel bulkhead, whose job is to take and distribute front suspension loads into the monocoque. These structures will be riveted and bonded to the aluminum.
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Fabricating the rear bulkead of Project Caden's passenger cell/tub at Metcalf Racing.

The rear bulkhead will contain the fuel cell. The two passenger seat shells are in the tub for a fitment check.
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Front view of Caden‬'s passenger cell/tub, with 2 passenger seat shells in for a trial fit.

Notice the steel plate Cleco fastened on the front corner. It will be the attachment point for the front safety hoop.
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Hi Timo,

I chose polycarbonate windows for the prototype for a few reasons. Firstly, the cost of tooling is much higher for a glass part--an error or tweak could be much more costly. With poly, I can focus on getting the perfect fit after the part is made, as trimming is easy and forgiving. Once the poly parts are proven, and there are car orders in the books, I can justify the investment in tooling for safety glass--and I will already have molds made to make glass tooling from. In a nutshell, I feel that polycarbonate windows are a great prototyping material.

Another aspect is that this car will be a track day car as well as a road car. I imagine that some customers may want to have a track-specific car--lighter weight with more downforce. In the latter case, all poly windows should be retained for weight savings.

I'm sure there are other approaches--but to me this made the most sense both economically and as a development process. I see in your profile that you make glass parts. We should talk more about it sometime.