July 1, 2025
The longerons are now in the car, so it’s time for the next step. The shock towers are next. To install the shock towers, space needs to be created in the inner fenders. The problem is that the shock towers can only be put in place once there’s space in the inner fender. So I’ll have to measure how much material I need to remove.
I use a laser to determine the center of the shock tower. From there, I determine the width. This has to be done right the first time. If the gap is too large, I won’t be able to fit everything together. So, after marking everything out, I decide to focus on something else first.
July 6, 2025
Last month I bought a rotisserie. I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to use it. My conclusion is that the basic version that I have works, but it’s not very convenient or easy. If you want to be able to rotate the car on its longitudinal axis, it’s important that the car’s center of gravity is exactly between the two pivot points of the rotisserie. This can only be adjusted by adjusting the crossbar that attaches to the bumper supports. Not very convenient, because you have to guess where the center of gravity is. Next the car has to be hung in the rotisserie. This could be done with two engine hoists, but that doesn’t seem very easy either. HMD has an excellent solution for this. They supply an expansion kit with two spindles that allows you to lift the car from its supports and adjust the center of gravity. Unfortunately, this kit costs twice as much as I paid for the entire rotisserie.
I make a cutting list of the materials I need. I don’t have a drill for every hole size, so I have to be a bit creative:
July 15, 2025
Slowly but surely, the rotisserie is starting to take shape. I’m reusing some parts, like the disc that allows you to lock the car in 12 different positions. The photo on the right shows the final result. With the two spindles, I can raise the car and set the center of gravity to the correct height.
July 20, 2025
Now that the rotisserie is finished, I’m focusing on the shock towers again. I check all my markings and decide I should redo them. Next, I grind away a large portion of the inner fender.
Then I place the shock tower in its position. This is a bit of a disappointment, because it doesn’t fit right away.
I take another good look at the photos and the instructions I received from Gemini Racing. I still need to fit the shock towers to the bodywork. In my car, the rear axle is set backwards a bit more than in previous cars. I suspect that’s why the shock towers don’t fit exactly; there’s still a small gap. That can be fixed.
The shock absorber towers are connected by a crossbar. This increases the stability of the suspension. Of course, I can only adjust the crossbar once the shock absorber towers are secured.
