Term Two

Well the last months gone fast, as it all ways does when you're having fun. We've been doing a lot more hands on stuff now. Our group has striped the interior of a Toyota Corolla hatchback and are busy removing the exterior - Engine, Exhaust, and Suspension etc.We'll get to paint it and fit a roll cage ready to be used as a track car at the end of the year. For safety reasons we won't be welding the roll cage, it'll be manufactured to track specifications off site.

On the subject of welding we've been learning how to Gas Weld. I have done it once before but a very long time ago so was a bit nervous to start with. Getting the flame the right temperature is so important. If it's too cold it can over heat your work as you have to take longer to get the weld, but you often think the flames too hot and turn it down more instead of up! Confusing but rewarding when you get it right. First we used 1.6mm steel and fusion welded them. It's thick enough so you don't blow holes through it but hard to get penetration so we changed to 1mm, which is easier to heat but easier to burn through as well. We also did bronze braising which I really liked and did quite well on my first go. Here's a couple of pics.

Pretty ugly at the start

Not bad

Slowly getting the hang of it

Bronze Braising

While the welding room was being used by other students we got started on our Panel Beating. We had earlier cut out holes on a piece of curved sheet metal and we now had to cut out a circle to fit in. Tomorrow we'll weld them in and learn how to make it fit nicely so there's no visible sign of 'damage' once it's painted

Get the idea?!

.On the Motorsport side of things I helped flag marshell at the Holden Club days at Manfeild. Was neat to be close to the track and see and hear the cars close up. I've been told I can help in the

Holidays

So the holidays are almost over and I'll be heading back to Palmerston North to start striping and refitting an engine.
Our last week or so of term one was on interior and exterior trim. This involved fully removing seats, seat belts, and carpet; and for the exterior front and/or rear bumpers and door panels.
My first job was to fully remove the door card and fittings and then the entire door panel on a Volvo. I was unlucky enough to get the driver's door which has more electrics and such on it. But that just meant I could go slower and take my time. Thankfully it was easier to put back together and it all worked afterwards! We then had to strip the inside and take all the seats and carpet out and then refit it all. Again I had the drivers seat with lots of electrics and airbags to add to the mix! Sorry I wasn't able to take a photo but it wasn't really that spectacular :) After all that was ticked off our practise sheet we then had to redo it for the final assessment! We were able to choose a different car so I opted for the race car seat as pictured. Four bolts and four clips and its out! Way easier!

I then had to remove the front bumper of the race car. The guy before me helped show where all the bolts and screws were so it was pretty straight forward. And then for the final one another door, so I chose the Corolla passenger door. Very few electrics and nowhere near as many screws as the Volvo.

With that assessment done we moved on to Electrics (We should have covered that before dismantling the Volvo!) I passed the first assessment, protecting electrics, with flying colours and have two self tests to complete over the holidays. When we go back after the break we will finish up with electrics pretty quickly (if people have studied over the holidays) and then will be on to dismantling and refitting engines. On that subject my Dad was able to score me a V6 (Pictured) from a wreckers for me to dismantle and play around with! 

I hope you all had a great Easter and enjoyed the break as much as I did and we'll be back in to next week.

Term One - General Engineering

Since next week is the last week of term, I'll give you an over view of what we've done.

The first two weeks were all theory assessments on health and safety which are extremely important but I wont bore you with it! We also looked the various departments of the automotive industry, such as Brake and Clutch repairs and Engine reconditioning. Instead of workplaces doing the whole thing, there are now more specialist shops. However in motorsport you need to have a broad knowledge of everything as you're working in a fast pace environment with no time for asking questions or making mistakes!

Our first workshop assignment was on general engineering involving, drilling, grinding, and taping. Here is a picture of the finished result.

The bottom is a 20mm thick mild steel bar and on top a 2mm plate. First we had to file the edges so they were smooth and make both plates 100mm long. We then measured out the holes on each one, and if you get it wrong they wouldn't line up! After drilling the holes in each one the holes are then taped (that's the thread in case you were wondering) using a tap and die (pictured).

You have to make sure that the tap is straight at all times or the bolt won't fit in, and is a lot harder then it looks! With that done we had to cut two studs off a metal rod and rounded both ends with the grinder, this makes it easier to tap. The first one was 40mm long and was then taped 20mm from the end, the second was 50mm long taped 25mm from one end and 20m from the other end.

In the first picture in the top left is the 40mm stud. The Lecturer then screwed it in and sawed it off flush with the hole and we had to learn how to extract it. To do that you have to find the centre of the stud and drill a small hole then using a stud extractor you undo the stud. As you can see my centre was slightly off but it still worked! The 50mm stud is just below with the 20mm end screwed in with lock-tight and a nut on the other end. The other two bolts each have different locking mechanisms, a spring washer and a star washer.

The V on the bottom, cut out with a hacksaw, is a 180 degree angle used for sharpening a drill piece. To do that you have to hold the drill at a 60 degree angle to the grinder to get the slope on either side. Then you need to follow the edge round in a slope so you have a cutting edge that leads the drill in for a nice smooth cut.

  So that was my first piece of engineering art. Next we start on stripping and refitting interior and exterior trim in the vehicles.
 

About me

Hi I’m Wendy and this is my blog about my first year at Polytechnic studying Motorsport. As it is predominantly a male sport I hope this gives an insight into what it's like being the only girl on the course.

Firstly a few things about me:

I'm 21 years old and have enjoyed any sort of motorsport since the age of 4 thanks to my Dad. My favourites are Formula 1, V8's, and Speedway. I'm the second oldest of eight kids, (four girls & four boys) and have been home-schooled till I was 18 so being at Polytech is a quite a new experience. I am enrolled at UCOL Palmerston North's Motorsport Level 2 Certificate this year and my goal is to become involved in motorsport around the district and further a field. I currently run the timing computers at Stratford International Speedway and am learning to man the equipment at the Local Kartclub as well.

While I'm not the world's greatest writer I will endeavor to keep it updated, so I hope you enjoy and Thanks for reading!