Colorado general chat...

[Roland H]

[lambo]

[flying_violin]

Everyone who knows the salvage yards around Denver, which ones are good to find M42 parts in? Looks like the u pull and pay has two E36s in Aurora and an E30 (M10, though) in the Denver lot.

[Bimmerman325i]

Wat is football?

[lambo]

Wat is football?

[clarkkey594]

lmfao

[325ix]

Ha! I fell for that pretty good.

On another note, next semester I am highly contemplating transferring to CSU. I want to get into FSAE and other automotive engineering ventures that NMSU doesn't offer. Does anyone have any advice on what is needed to get onto the FSAE team?

[lambo]

Ha! I fell for that pretty good.

On another note, next semester I am highly contemplating transferring to CSU. I want to get into FSAE and other automotive engineering ventures that NMSU doesn't offer. Does anyone have any advice on what is needed to get onto the FSAE team?

PM fsmtnbiker. I was going to.

Read this too: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=223204

I'm definitely getting the urge to transfer too....

[325ix]

At this point I am all but certain I'm going to.

[Bimmerman325i]

Hokay, I did FSAE at CU, I imagine CSU is set up very similar.

FSAE was the single best thing I did during my engineering curriculum. I highly highly recommend you go for it, but recognize that it takes 40+ hr/wk commitment, more if you are on the senior team and it's your ass/grade on the line. Juggling school, work, and FSAE was....interesting.

Basically just show up to meetings and ask what you can do to help. That's it. Spend a ton of time in the shop with the guys, helping out on whatever possible (likely scut machining or wrenching, little to no design yet), and they will recognize and appreciate your effort. To be on the senior design aspect of the team you had to be a member for years before, and to be a member, you go to meetings and become known to everyone. Unless CSU operates substantially different (pm Bluefox280) I would imagine this is the best way to join the team. It's what I did, and worked out well until our school cancelled the program.

[325ix]

Hmm... so until you are a senior, you aren't technically "on the team" No matter, I am still super interested in helping out with whatever I can.

[downforce22]

I made some progress today.

Here is the newly rebuilt cylinder head


I put the TB back on, installed the alternator I got from the junkyard and put all of the belts and covers back on.




The pictures were taken before I put the manifold on, torqued the bolts, put the belt covers back on, and started connecting everything else back up.

I still need to connect the radiator, hoses, fuel rail, throttle body, and a few other things to button up.

[bluefox280]

Basically just show up to meetings and ask what you can do to help. That's it. Spend a ton of time in the shop with the guys, helping out on whatever possible (likely scut machining or wrenching, little to no design yet), and they will recognize and appreciate your effort.

Agreed, also if you show direction and leadership, you may find that some of the older students will follow your lead as well.
Be directive with your choices and objectively state what and why you're doing such tests, revisions, engineering, etc.

To be on the senior design aspect of the team you had to be a member for years before, and to be a member, you go to meetings and become known to everyone. Unless CSU operates substantially different (pm Bluefox280) I would imagine this is the best way to join the team.

CSU does run a little different in respect to that under-graduate volunteers can have direct hands-on assembly, set-up and tech experience even as a freshman. The kicker is that of attitude; there have been students who have come in thinking they know everything (an example: pull-rod suspension) and yet they don't know where any of the components are or know how they interact with the chassis. Keep eyes, and ears open, and take in a lot on the first couple of meetings / weekends.

If you've put in previous years as a under-graduate volunteer while assisting the current race-team or the stable of legacy vehicle and made known your positive presence to the advising professors on staff, they do notice and can pick you for becoming part of the senior-design practicum team. It's still (to my knowledge) an interview-for-a-job type of position for design practicum spots.

Hmm... so until you are a senior, you aren't technically "on the team"...

False, you can actually be an early (newbie) leader quickly if you show good judgement, engineering discipline and know how to be a team contributor. Seat time comes with sacrifice but it comes quickly to those who can stick through more than a month and consistently show up with a willingness to learn and 'go do'.

And yes, read Lambo's thread; there was a ton of valuable information shared.

- Erik

[Roland H]

Nice work Ted.

[Bimmerman325i]

What Erik said. Our program operated a little differently, in that key systems were always and exclusively handled by incoming seniors who had spent at a minimum of a full year helping out with that same system-- seniors 'mentored' underclassmen in their system. I spent three years on suspension as the 'mentee,' and did significant design work with kinematics and geometry up until I left for BMW and the program died.

Kinda funny to look back on and realize it all started with grinding suspension tabs, heat treating A-arms before we went full carbon, and organizing autocross trips with scca/bmwcca.