unknown nosecone

[derekblankmccoy]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could identify this nosecone:
I've been told its got a Caterham side profile, but that the bit where the reg plate goes is too wide to be caterham.
Any help is appreciated

[TeflonTurd]

Well, the heritage is that this shape originates from either Activa, The Carbon Component Company or The Dog in the Park. I designed the shape with some advice from John Davis of Jordan GP in the pursuit of reducing front end lift - something caterham waited years to do with the nose "winglets". So the original pattern and moulds were made by me. The moulds got lost after Activa was sold - they first went to K9 Composites, then possibly to RiF, though I think DPS composites destroyed them in about 2005 by curing at the wrong temperature.

This part therefore must have come from this mould or it is replicated from one of the nosecones I made. Whatever is appears to be of simply awful quality - the carbon the originals were made from was in the main the best available type, latterly ACL LTM26. The layup for this is all wrong which is why there is a seam about 2" down each side. The proper ones were laminated out of a single sheet of carbon, and some were honeycomb lined for better strength and crash protection.

My own car has one of these noses made in 2001. See below:

[V7SLR]

TT, are you sure it's a seam down the side - the weave follows through the line so possibly where the edge of a race-number square has been? The area that has been wiped clean looks very much like my old DiTP CF nose.
Edited to add, just checked a photo of my old nose and it's not the same!

Edited by V7SLR on Friday 17th May 07:37

[TeflonTurd]

derekblankmccoy do you have a photo of the inside surface of the nosecone?

[derekblankmccoy]

TeflonTurd,
Its not a seam its just where it's been sanded. Its made out of 4 cuts, one for the top and sides, two for each side of the air intake and one for the bottom..
I have taken a photo of the reg plate gap I mentioned:



And here's the inside:

[TeflonTurd]

Hmm yes, don't think that's one I made, the layup is different, and that looks like a very heavy grade carbon (almost like Z preg) on the inside.

So its defo from a mould made from my pattern, but I can't tell you much more than that....