Once the shape of Jetblack has been determined we can begin to build.

 

The construction of the car begins with creating a mockup of the bodyshell within which a mockup frame can be constructed. The process of creating the shell starts with a full size replica of the shape of the car machined then hand finished to the exact dimensions. The final bodyshell of Jetblack is to be made up of several modular sections. This will allow access to critical areas such as the wheel bays, on-board computers and engine. A fibreglass mold is then taken of this shape and is split up into the various modular segments. Fibreglass will be used for the mockup shell and transported to Kiwi Race Cars to assist in building the mockup frame. The final configuration of Jetblacks body will consist of modular Carbon Fibre panels, some bonded to the steel frame and others removable for internal access.

 

 

Once the mockup has been completed and all the components are known to fit the assembly of the actual frame will commence. We have selected New Zealand produced structural sections and round tube with an aerospace design to minimise weight and maximise strength. While Thrust 2 was made from British Chrome-Moly steel, a slightly stronger and lighter material, the Jetblack frame will just as strong and as light due to the design of the frame elements. The frame based on the prototype shape is below.

 

 

Components such as the suspension, hubs and axles will be precison machined by JJ Fraser Engineering in Lower Hutt, Wellington. These will be designed to extremely high tolerances using Cosmos Finite Element Analysis in our Solidworks software.