Making their own car!

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 11, 6 August 1985, Page 1

Making their own car!

Four innovative Ruapehu College pupils are presently constructing a car to be entered in the BP Build A Car competition in October, and are looking for sponsors to help them complete the project.

The pupils, who are members of Mr Laurie Knight's sixth form certificate technology class, have been working on the vehicle for most of the year with the help of Mr Knight, who was previously a mechanic. The college has a limit of $300 to buy materials for the

car, but the pupils are allowed to use additional donated items and accept sponsorship. The boys have made the steering system and Mr Knight has provided tyres, but they are in need of a motor. Designer of the vehicle, pupil Ian Wier, has made a model of the car, which will bend in the middle and have the engine at the back. The youngsters have also had to limit the size of the vehicle because the college's engineering room only has a single door and if the car is made too big they won't be able to get it out to enter in the competition.

As well as teaching during the day, Mr Knight takes a car maintenance and engineering night school class, which has proved to be a very popular course. Mr Knight has made and raced small vehicles and is in the process of building a small four-cylinder front end loader tractor "to show the boys how easy it is to design and build vehicles." But the car is not the only project technology class pupils are currently working on. Also under construction at present are a paint-spray-ing compressor, safety windows for the college's computer room and an umpire's stand for the tennis courts.