Subframe Assembly

The rear subframe is starting to take shape. I drilled the 66 holes, counterbored some and reamed others to the proper sizes, then pressed dowel pins in an "every other" pattern. The side plates are both bolted and dowel pinned together. The idea is that the dowel pins are hardened to around 60 Rockwell and one hole side is reamed to .249" and the other hole is reamed over to .251" (dowel pins being .250" ideally) giving a secure fit between the pieces. The fit is so close that I have to tap the pieces together with a rubber mallet and also to get them apart. Once the pieces are together, 1/4-20 bolts are tightened down so the pieces dont come apart. The dowel pins provide much more rigidity and shear strength when compared to only bolts holding the subframe together. I have worked on the bellcrank mount and made spacers for the shocks and bolts those in place as well. The springs are on order, hopefully they will be in soon. There is a lot more work on this thing, updates to come.

Subframe Back Plate

Spending lots of time in the student shop working on the formula SAE car, today was my first official part that I designed, generated tool paths, then drilled/tapped and CNC milled on the Bridgeports in the shop. It was all of my creation. This piece is a crucial part of the rear subframe that is being designed for the new race car. All of the rear suspension, drive shafts, and differential all mount in the box-ish aluminum subframe that bolts to the back of the engine. By removing 6 bolts, the whole rear portion of the car comes off, away from the engine. I wish I had a picture of the design, its pretty trippy, and its still up in the air if its going to work. Fingers crossed! This part took a lot of setup and different operations. I wont go into details but there was a lot of drilling and tapping, then some CNC work. In the end, the part turned out flawlessly and should work very well. Enjoy the pictures. The first two show CAM tool path simulations.