Bad pun totally intended.
Lesson of the week: Screwing and unscrewing nuts and bolts is harder than it looks. You think it's just taking a wrench/ratchet and turning it, right? Well nope. First, there's the fact that you need two wrenches/ratchets turn it. Using only one simply turns the nut along with the bolt. But, much more importantly, is that the thing you're trying to tighten simply won't cooperate. Sometimes, gravity causes the part to push on the nail. Other times, the holes don't line up, and a one minute task becomes ten as you try to align them.
By now, the Baja team is in full assembly mode. Whereas before Spring Break (ASU Spring Break is the week before BASIS's), most of the time was spent making/trying out new parts, testing, and creating the cost and design reports, most of our time now is spent assembling. For some of the more experienced members, this includes welding and cutting sheet metal, but for us interns, it mostly meant screwing and unscrewing stuff. Specifically, this included transporting the gear box from the old car to the new, installing the shocks (used to dampen the many bumps along the race course), and installing the suspension.
I estimate that by the end of this week, the car should be completely finished, with the exception of testing. Which is good, as Nick (the team leader) wants a full month of testing before the first competition at the end of April. Right now, most of the chasis is done, and the other parts (brake, engine, wheels, seats) still have to be installed. But that (I think) involves little more than what we've done recently.
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