Mono Build Entry #14 - Radiators

0007 now has the last of her cooling system in place, with both radiators being mounted. In keeping with the overall quality of hardware on the Mono, the radiators are lovely items. Tapered and fully TIG welded with bespoke light weight mounting brackets, it's a shame they are eventually covered with the side pods!

Left side, front view.

The right side radiator set up, lambda sensor control module is attached to the top of the radiator. Due to the close proximity of the exhaust on this side, there are special heat shields (not yet mounted) that attach to the welded bosses on the two 180 deg bends of the exhaust.

Left side, rear view.

Right side radiator in the back ground, initial layout of some of the suspension in the foreground.

Right side, front view.

  

Mono Build Entry #13 - Plumbing Details

In preparing the Mono for it's first run test, we have been in the throes of taking care of the last bits of plumbing on the car. One interesting bit on the Mono is the engine oil tank is incorporated into the casting for the transmission, just behind the bellhousing interface.

  

In the same fashion, the catch tank for the car is cast into the bellhousing. The picture below shows the left side plumbing details.



As you can see in these pictures, this car is packaged pretty tightly, and we have to put a lot of care into making sure the routing of the lines and orientation of the fittings are correct. Next up are the radiators, and with a few wiring details sorted, we will be ready for our first run test.



Mono Build Entry #12 - Core Body Panels

Currently at Sector 111 we are fitting the first body panels on the Mono, which we call the "Core" body panels. As their name suggests, the core body panels provide the base for all of the other body work and fairings, essentially wrapping the center section of the chassis, and extending down over the top side of the Jabroc floor.

As with all the body panels on the Mono, the Core Body panels are made entirely from carbon fiber. The next picture shows the chassis on the jig, with the core body panels loosely in place.

 

 In the picture below you can see mounts for the front suspension and steering protruding from the holes in the body work. All suspension and running gear must go on after these panels are installed.

 

There are several bespoke fastener solutions found on the body work for the Mono, such as the M5 Buttons which hold the Core Panels to the floor. These machined pieces are an excellent example of the attention to detail that go into the Mono: Not only do they provide increased contact surface area when compared to a traditional fastener, but when the other panels are installed you can hardly notice them, giving a seamless, integrated look the the body.

 

 



 

 



Mono Build Entry #11 - Intake Notes

One interesting, and certainly "Tasty Bit" of the Mono lies in the Cosworth F1 style throttle body. Instead of normal throttle butterflies, the cast / CNC machined intake features a rotating internal cylinder. The cylinder has openings for all four intake ports, and the size of the aperture leading to each cylinder is dependent on the position of the barrel. At wide open throttle, there are no butterflies to restrict the intake flow.

 

Idle

 

Half Throttle

 

Wide Open - Note the tapering, nearly straight intake tract and hand finished porting in the cylinder head! All very nice features, and a true mark of Cosworth quality. 





  

Mono Build Entry #10 - Chassis to Jig

With the majority of the components fixed to the center portion of the chassis, it became time to set 0007 on her floor!



The floor of the Mono is constructed of 3 separate pieces of 5mm thick "Jabroc". Jabroc is a high density wooden laminate. This gives the material excellent wear characteristics when used as a skid plate, and is used across all forms of motorsport, including F2, F3, LMS, ALMS, etc.





The three sections of floor are machined in order to overlap at the joints, and all fastener holes are countersunk to keep the bottom of the floor perfectly flat. Stainless hardware is used to secure the Jabroc to the captive fasteners attached to the aluminum sub-floor.

 

 

The joining of the chassis to the floor went very smoothly. Only a few fore/aft and lateral adjustments were required to get all the bolts in, and have the car centered on the jig. With this process complete, we can now turn to one of the more difficult aspects of the Mono, which is fitting the body work...

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 





 



Mono Build Entry #9 - Shiftec Valve Body

In preparing Chassis 0007 for placement on the jig, we have just finished installing the Shiftec Valve Body on the Bellhousing. The valve body controls the flow of air from the on-board compressor unit to the shift actuator, and also the throttle blipper.

 

The three ports which are directly facing the camera are, from left to right, Blip, Shift Up, Shift Down. Interestingly, with the Mono not being a "drive by wire" car, the blip function is performed by moving the outer housing of the throttle cable by a precscribed amount during down shifts.