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Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
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engineerd
01/30/09

In reply to Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
We had just started an SAE chapter when I was in school. As an aero school (Embry-Riddle), we were more interested in doing the Heavy Lift, but it never got off the ground while I was there.

We did have an electric car race team [www.megawattmotorworks.com] that was revived while I was there. I kick myself sometimes for not getting in on that. My priorities were different back then. Mostly had to do with booze and skirts.
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Ash78, tryptophanatic
01/30/09

@engineerd: Cool. My dad went there, graduated in '68 I think.

Their fraternity hazing consisted of being blindfolded and flown a couple hours cross-country and left behind to find their way home. Good times.
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Ash78, tryptophanatic
01/30/09

In reply to Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
I'm jealous...the only SAE I associated with in college were the guys behind Wednesday Night Drinking Club.
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Mad_Science
01/30/09

In reply to Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
Wooo! FSAE!

My roommate and I cracked open the trailer to our schools 3-year-defunct team and revived it. Neither of us had the time to actually follow through, but we did a lot of groundwork and then handed it off to some great up-and-coming kids.

To anyone in college in engineering (particularly MEs): do this program, even if it means you have to take 5 years to graduate. A big role on an FSAE team will effectively guarantee you a job coming out of school.

[sae.ucsd.edu]
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Ben Wojdyla
01/30/09

In reply to Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
I'm much more interested in the Mini Baja in the background. That was the team I was on and I learned more about fab in the garage than any of my book-lernin. I'd have gladly done formula too but the guys on that team were uppity.

We also had formula lightning (electric indy car on a prefab chassis, so an EE nerdlinger's wet dream)and snowmobile, but those weren't as interesting
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vwminispeedster, pronounded Si-trow-in
01/30/09

In reply to Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
much better when watched here... [james.nerdiphythesoul.com]
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Stephen Snider
01/30/09

In reply to Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
Having been a part of the SAE Baja team sharing a shop with the formula guys, I can say that while the formula car is pretty cool and goes fast, it's much more fun to be on the Baja team. SAE Formula is bloated with a ton of rules (safety first!), which is fine, but they severely limit the capability of the vehicles. Baja is all about eking every last deciHP out of that 10horse engine. Plus, who wants to drive in an oval when you can be clearing 5ft jumps over creeks and logs?
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P161911 probably shoudn't have
01/30/09

@Stephen Snider: Unless it has changed greatly in the past 10-12 years FSAE had the intake restriction and a couple of chassis safety type requirements and that was about it. At the time SCCA would let you run in A Mod Solo II without the intake restriction. I know we took one of our old cars out and had it bouncing off the rev limiter in 4th gear at an SCCA event, which calculated out to over 100mph in the a parking lot. I don't remember any oval racing as part of FSAE, unless you count just the skidpad. I always saw the Baja stuff as just slow. A big part of FSAE is eking every last deciHP out of the 610cc breathing through the intake restriction. The jumps in Baja would be pretty cool. Maybe SAE should combine the two. Baja buggies with 610cc 90+HP engines!
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engineerd
01/30/09

In reply to Time-Lapse Video Makes Formula SAE Chassis Fabrication Interesting
Damn college kids. They took 3.5 times longer than Toyota guys did putting together their F1 car.

[jalopnik.com]
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jbownsabmw- Koopas Beware
01/30/09

@engineerd wants some steak. and by steak i mean...: F1 engineers get fired if they don't stay on schedule. Formula SAE is voluntary.

The students also probably smoke more pot than the Toyota guys.
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78_elky
01/30/09

@jb wants a laser on his car: As a recent graduate of college as a mechanical engineer, I only knew of a few guys that smoked pot, and of those only a couple really got out with the M.E. degree...they like to weed out the smokers haha
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engineerd
01/30/09

@78_elky: Yeah, I only had one pot-head friend make it through to an aero engineering degree. When we started freshman year there were at least 15 that I can think of. Most of them either dropped out or converted to humanities.
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