Aero Screens

[Whartonroadster]

We have Aero Screens for your Locost kit car.

Made of aluminum and Lexan these screens are lightweight $240.00 a pair or $125 each

http://www.whartonroadster.com

[Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F]

The wing nuts just hold the grooved bushings. There doesn't appear to be anything keeping the screen from being pushed out of the groove by the wind. If it does, it can kill the occupants.

Real aero screens cannot come apart without dis-assembly.

[nick47]

There's probably some friction there. Still, seems like a lot. Moss has classic Brooklands brass/chrome/aluminum screens with safety glass for about $116.

[raceral]

Hard to tell from the angle of the photo, but maybe the three lower screws go through the bottom of the plexi to help hold it??

Al

[gregk]

The screws attach the plexi to the aluminum trim, Mv8's point is that there doesn't appear to be anything attaching the plexi/trim assembly to the round bits at the ends.

[raceral]

The screws attach the plexi to the aluminum trim, Mv8's point is that there doesn't appear to be anything attaching the plexi/trim assembly to the round bits at the ends.

Now I see what you are getting at...

Al

[Whartonroadster]

Here is another view of our screens.

[JackMcCornack]

Thanks for getting back to us on this. I think the concern (as Mv8 and gregk have noted) is that the...let's call it the window assembly (the clear stuff and the two panels it is sandwiched between) does not appear to be securely attached to the grooved bushings (aka round bits). I can think of lots of ways to secure it, and some could be done without adding to labor or parts count (for example, the two aluminum panels could have a notch where they fit in the groove, and the groove could have a bump in the middle that fits the notch...or a bolt head could fit in the notch...etc etc). This being locostusa, where people share ideas to inspire other builders, answers traditionally include explanations, but if your technique is a secret you could say something like "I understand your concern and we've addressed it. The so-called "plexi/trim assembly" is securely affixed to the round bits by a proprietary process which we don't want copied by amateurs."

[Whartonroadster]

In response to your comments of our Aero Screens
Trunnion end assy, has a screw passing thru the screen assy.
to dismantle screen you have to remove 5 screws & two wing nuts.
Also I have yet to see a Locost 7 go so fast that the wind rips the Aero Screen off the car.
The Lexan screen is lighter & stronger then glass.

[Trochu]

In response to your comments of our Aero Screens
Trunnion end assy, has a screw passing thru the screen assy.
to dismantle screen you have to remove 5 screws & two wing nuts.
Also I have yet to see a Locost 7 go so fast that the wind rips the Aero Screen off the car.
The Lexan screen is lighter & stronger then glass.

The concern was that if the lexan screen is simply a friction fit, that it may be possible over time, due to vibration, age, and wind, for it to eventually work loose. It wasn't that wind would rip the whole assembly off or that lexan isn't an appropriate choice of materials. If you've got a screw passing into a notch in the lexan (or simply into the assembly and the three screws in the bottom physically pass through the lexan), and its physically impossible for the lexan to slide out without disassembly, awesome.

Good luck on what I'm assuming is a new business!

[JackMcCornack]

Trunnion end assy, has a screw passing thru the screen assy.
to dismantle screen you have to remove 5 screws & two wing nuts.

Thanks for answering, that was exactly the response being sought in January, when the question first came up. If we could see the screw through the trunnion and the screen assembly in your photos, the question might not have come up.

Also I have yet to see a Locost 7 go so fast that the wind rips the Aero Screen off the car.

13 years and a week ago, I'd never seen a Space Shuttle break up on reentry, but 13 years ago, I had. What we personally have seen has little to do with actual risk here and now (especially true when "here" is outside our range of vision).

The Lexan screen is lighter & stronger then glass.

Lighter? Yes. Stronger? Depends on the situation. In practice, I think the biggest issue with polycarbonate vs glass is the poly scratches easier...which is probably why it remains illegal for windshields in 50 out of 50 states. I'm told it passes the frozen chicken tests as well as safety glass.

[Trochu]

I'm told it passes the frozen chicken tests as well as safety glass.

"There is an urban legend that train companies borrowed the chicken gun for testing windshields for high-speed trains, and were shocked and confused at the amount of damage the gun did - the projectiles were not only breaking through the windshields but embedding themselves into seats farther down the train. When they asked the lenders what they were doing wrong, the reply came, "Gentlemen, thaw your chickens.""

[JackMcCornack]

Yep, Trochu, that's the punchline of that particular joke--NOTHING passes the frozen chicken test, thus all glazing materials have equal scores..

However, safety glass fails more realistic impact tests in a predictable and acceptable manner; a bunch of little pieces flying in loose formation (held together by the flexible material between the two sheets of glass, which is what makes it "safety glass") where various plastic in various conditions fail (or don't) in a variety of ways, sometimes bending, sometimes cracking, sometimes breaking into a small number of loose sharp pieces.

[raceral]

Yep, Trochu, that's the punchline of that particular joke--NOTHING passes the frozen chicken test, thus all glazing materials have equal scores..

However, safety glass fails more realistic impact tests in a predictable and acceptable manner; a bunch of little pieces flying in loose formation (held together by the flexible material between the two sheets of glass, which is what makes it "safety glass") where various plastic in various conditions fail (or don't) in a variety of ways, sometimes bending, sometimes cracking, sometimes breaking into a small number of loose sharp pieces.

Exactly, so bring on the goggles and a helmet.

Al

[Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F]

In response to your comments of our Aero Screens
Trunnion end assy, has a screw passing thru the screen assy.
to dismantle screen you have to remove 5 screws & two wing nuts.

I'm sure if you'd shown the back of the assembly, it would have been obvious.
Thanks for clearing it up.