I have a LOT of time in designing the maze of systems in the front of this car, and just as much more left to invest in it; not to mention the time it takes to realize each ridiculous part and system I design. The concept of leaving both drivetrains, and all the suspension, exposed has been in place since earlier this summer, and is playing out beautifully - sort of a performing art type thing - like the toned, muscular, physique of an athlete's body in the tights they wear for competition; why cover it up with baggy "clothes".
The one area I have struggled to nail is the grille; mainly because it serves no real purpose other than adding an element of distinction to Schism's pretty face - lipstick. Seeing the front suspension coming, tangibly, together, and being better able to imagine all the mechanical art woven into that tiny space, it finally became apparent to me what the problem was - a real antique style grille, with a shell, and filler panel, is too much. It's out of balance. Your eyes want to feast on how it all works together, and a full grille covers that function. What's needed is the suggestion of a grille; like the horseshoe on a Bugatti Veyron. It's only function is to make it clear who is responsible for what you're about to witness.
In this case, it's my interpretation of what ol' Henry did a century ago. So, I came up with the idea of a 1913 style "grille", that is merely a CAD/CNC billet aluminum trim ring, with my coveted carbon fiber mesh insert. To test the idea, I whittled a mockup panel from a scrap piece of acrylic on the ShopBot, and used a heat gun (with weights clamped to the top and bottom) to roll it, just a touch, over a piece of PVC tubing. I used smoked acrylic to get a hint of what it might look like in carbon fiber and black anodized aluminum.
IMO, it works. It's adding something to the whole, because it makes you want to investigate what's peeking through from behind it. It also seems to tie the little headlights into the bigger picture.
Now, if they could just get the ShopBot fixed so I can finish cutting my roof panels. It cuts 2D perfectly, but goes ballistic in the middle of 3D machining; seems software related...
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
I'll work on those pics. 
Once again, utter failure. This time something is wrong with their ShopBot. Some expert from the company came in and supposedly fine-tuned and tweaked the machine a couple days ago. The result? For me, it destroyed half of my material. Between the failed casting session and yesterday's disaster, I just lost sixteen hours that could have been spent doing client design projects, which would have paid to subcontract these parts out, and allowed me to keep my focus on design.
it's not like doing a higher end show-oriented build that requires massive investments of time to accomplish small to-do items. Plus, I can't wait to beat the hell out of it! 
Linear Mode
