Project Scion TC Racer Part One

,

Look at all the stuff we are axing!  Ebay auction anyone?

 

Heap O stuff going to the dumpster we ended up throwing away several truckloads of interior partsThe bare interior before we started cage construction
The sound deadening melt sheet was removed from the floor with dry ice and mallets before cage construction was startedThe frame of the glass roof was also heavy.  This will all be replaced with carbon fiber piece from Kaminari

We got good news in finding out that aero kit maker, Kaminari made an 11 lb carbon fiber roof to replace our glass roof.  This alone should make a huge difference in the cars handling.  Next what was left of the car was trailered off to Technosquare so master fabricator Ritchie Watanabe could construct a comprehensive roll cage.

We covered the windows with heavy kraft paper and fiberglass blankets to protect the glass from weld splatterFamous Pro drifter Yoshie Shuyama lends a hand to the prep.  Look how big the roof opening is!
We asked Yoshie to pose like an Import Model; uh, maybe you should stick to drifting YoshieView of the huge roof hole from on top.  Building a safe cage for this is going to be a challenge
Ritchie Watanabe fits the cages main hoop.  This requires skill and patience to get a tight fit between the main hoop and the roof of the car.  Richie achieves this by taking measurements and slowly bending and trimming the hoop into shape.Look at how tight the fit is.  This is the main reason why its worth paying extra to get a custom cage built as opposed to buying an inexpensive bolt in cage. The fit and safety is much better
Ritchie’s floor plates always wrap around and attach to the frame rails as well as the floor this gives considerable strength compared to just having the plates on the floorRitchie prepares to fit the rear legs of the cage

We end this segment of project Scion as the cage construction starts and we figure out what to do next.  Stay tuned, we will be working with TRD, AEM, DC Sports, The Progress Group and other tuners in the near future as we build the ultimate track going Scion.  The JD Scion tC will be seen competing in its first race on March 17 and 18 at California Speedway, Its February right now, the car is in pieces, will the team make it?  Stay tuned!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*