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Lexan is simply not rigid enough to hold itself in place alone, especially at high speeds where the passing air can pull on the window and try to suck it open. To add the needed rigidity and support, John built a frame for the window, bending a piece of 3/8″ stainless steel round stock to match the perimeter and contour of the Pro Glass lexan window.
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To help prevent the lexan window from blowing out or pulling open at speed, a slight amount of preload was designed into the frame. In other words, when the door is in a closed position, the windows have an interference fit against the factory rubber molding. This puts the lexan in a slightly stressed state which isn’t ideal to prevent cracking. Honestly though, I’d rather sacrifice the lexan window's life expectancy than my own. Who knows what kind of ruckus could ensue when a window blows out at over 200 MPH? Let’s not find out.
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John Kuchta used a series of Dzus fasteners to hold Project 240SX LSR’s front lexan windows in place. Since we usually remove the windows for storage in between races, the Dzus fastners allow for quick and easy disassembly. |
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OK, well maybe Khiem's got time fo dat. |
One of the few aerodynamic modifications allowed in the blown, gas, coupe class is the removal of a vehcile’s side mirrors. Doing so, results in a significant reduction in a car's frontal area and overall drag coefficient. I’m sure I could go measure and calculate exactly how much of a reduction to tickle your nerd pickle but… ain’t nobody got time fo dat! We have a race to make.
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Removing the side mirrors left an unsightly opening in the door, which was clearly not fitting of a MotoIQ project car (never mind our primered, mismatched paint job. To address this horrid sight John cut a piece of aluminum to shape and massaged it into a block off plate using a body hammer, dolly, and file.
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At one point, I saw John use his knee and a beer bottle to shape the plate too. I thought to myself, “WTF, is this guy doing?” But by this point in the project, I had learned not to question the master of metal shaping’s techniques. Besides, I could have very well been hallucinating from the lack of sleep.
