Pickard’s rigorous focus on aerodynamic physics and legal compliance elevates a simple body modification into a masterclass of functional engineering. It is a refreshing antidote to the superficiality of modern car culture, prioritizing genuine performance over mere visual aggression.
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Deep Dive
Project Mosquito Spoiler Alert! : Episode 182
Added:Hello. Hello. And welcome to the workshop. Let's make a chin spoiler.
>> [music] >> A K20A2 from a Honda. Getting more and more like a car every single day.
We've built a 600 horsepower chassis for a 250 horsepower engine.
Hey, good.
>> [music] >> Noodley, but surprisingly resilient.
I want [music] this car to be able to sit next to some of the most beautiful cars ever made and outshine them.
One of one. This is project mosquito.
Yes, that's right. It is actually a chin spoiler. Yep. So, it's not an air dam.
>> No.
>> It's not a It's not a a balance.
>> No.
>> And it's not a splitter.
>> not a splitter cuz it's too too high.
>> Yeah, it's too high off the floor cuz we have actual ground clearance cuz we live in the real world, not on a track. And its job is basically to escort air that isn't going into the mouth, but we do want it to foie gras air into the radiator. And the air that's not being foie gras'd into the radiator, we want to escort it round and not into the wheels cuz wheels are like the worst thing for aerodynamics. Read a lot of people being like, "Are you going to put like Caterham style cycle wings on it?"
>> Nope.
>> No.
>> No, that's a waste.
>> No, that's really vertigo territory. You want to stay as far away from that kind of thinking as possible.
Um but [snorts] the the car has changed since the previous episode.
>> Has it not? It has. We actually made it 20 20 mm shorter.
>> Yes, we've shortened the nose by 20 mil.
Um the reason is the distance between the front and here was too big. And last week we were staring at it, "Well, it's not quite right. It's not quite right."
We didn't know We didn't know quite how to get the the scale right to the drawings.
And we figured it out. So, in between episodes we've shortened the nose.
>> And uh and we've actually lowered it as well because we've we've removed uh part of the the top of the hinge.
>> Yeah, so it is the height that it was when it was here.
>> Yeah.
>> Um but we've managed to move it back while keeping it that same height because we've now got clearance for the bonnet hinges.
>> So, we need to make a basis to make this chin spoiler off cuz it's hard as this.
>> It is, yeah. We've been scratching our heads for the last half an hour trying to work out how to actually say how to do it. We know what we want to do, but actually doing it is a different different kettle of fish.
>> Yes.
>> I think we need to put something in underneath the underneath the lights, don't we?
>> Cuz we need to get this radius in.
And we need to be able to get this in.
And then we can bend it out after.
Yeah?
>> Mhm.
>> And then we've got a top and a bottom.
>> Right, we literally make a open back box.
>> This week's conundrum is that the inspiration for our chin spoiler is Dan Gurney's Lola T70 Can-Am car from like 1967. So, it is kind of sort of period correct in its in its shape, right?
However, Dan Gurney's T70 was basically a V8 powered glass scraper. And it was just a big [laughter] sharp piece of aluminum.
And you can't do that cuz that's murder-y. So, um >> [snorts] >> Yeah, you can't you can't you can't do that. So, we have to make a road legal version. A road legal version has to have 2 and 1/2 mil radiuses on all surfaces.
>> At least, is it?
>> yeah. Minimum 2 and 1/2 mil. Better than better if it's more.
Um the problem we have is obviously all our MDF is just flat it's just flat sheets and we want to produce a curve.
>> Yeah. That starts kind of flattish in the in the front, but has space for an animal blade which we mentioned last week. And then as it comes around here, we want it to actually curve gently up and as it becomes um what do they call they call them canards. Some people call them canards, some people call them dive planes. Are you a canard person or a dive plane person?
>> Uh well, being French, we'll call it a canard.
>> I I like the term dive planes because it reminds me of like submarines, you know what I mean?
>> Yeah.
>> So, our first thing that we're going to do, we're thinking, is to make some boxes that fit under the lights and then we've got a back to work from too cuz this is our front and we need a back. Um and to add complexity to our challenge, we used all the MDF last week to make the trim spoiler. So, we've only got a little bit of material to work with.
So, we're playing it on hard mode this week.
Into the offcuts bag it is.
>> I'll just uh >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I'll set and then we'll put a side on it then we can build from that side up this way, yeah?
>> Yeah.
>> So, we put a a front on it that's angled then.
Just take that off.
Bro, you know that went in.
>> [laughter] [music] >> What is it?
>> Yeah.
>> [music] >> If it was kind of a racing car, right? I would actually extend these out like that. That's very um GT1 style it.
Like Mercedes and stuff did with their mouth, isn't it? Yeah. But because it's kind of little badass rally car style it.
It gets pushed in and it does make a difference.
It uh every This is what the thing All the tiny little bits, they all add up.
Right, so can you see now how this goes this follows that.
This follows that round.
>> Yeah.
>> When that's angled properly.
Right. So, I'm wondering now if we need a button here on top.
And then we can start making our angle pieces.
Yeah? Yeah?
>> Yeah, no problem.
>> And we might have to have to cut a piece of this out when we fit our button, yeah?
Might have to cut that square and then later on >> Yeah, blend it in.
>> Blend it in.
What we're going to attach it to here.
Yeah?
>> Mhm.
>> So [music] >> It's going to need three pieces, aren't they?
>> And now we'll cut the wheel center.
Cuz it's only in proportion to the wheel center.
>> [music] >> We've only got that much to the wheel center, aren't we?
>> Yeah.
>> And this is just for the back, isn't it?
[music] >> Yeah, but that's your tallest piece on it, your back one.
>> Yeah, but the the back one fits on top.
>> [music] [music] >> We have a rather silly problem. Because we designed the headlight placement with the car the other way around and we're using the floor as a guide to hold the lights up. There's a hump in the floor here and it's causing the headlights to be out.
>> Yeah.
Yep.
Bottom one.
>> So all of this is going to get ground back, obviously to be at an angle. But this part of the Smart can you tell has this radius on the bottom? It's very hard on a flat car.
But we need to be able to carry that radius into this.
And so we need a button to sit in front of each light.
And we need to bring it in until it's 18, yeah?
>> Yep.
>> Yeah, we actually kind of slightly stuffed up last week cuz they were supposed Well, well, whenever we cut the smile out, you were doing your best, I know. But they're supposed to be a slight rise here.
We've talked about this in the past. Um this is gray boxing.
So, yeah, what we're doing is making sure there is material where we're going to need material, basically.
And then that way, when we can when we cut it back, we'll have what we need where we need it.
It's a bit like PlayStation 2 graphics.
>> [laughter] >> No, it is it's PlayStation 2 graphics the the building method.
It's literally inspired by how they make stuff in video games.
>> [snorts] >> So, we're going to try and glue it all in place now and not use screws. Might use a couple of screws just hold it in place temporarily some of the stuff.
Uh but ideally want to open grind into stuff, don't we? Yeah, so.
>> All right.
>> No, no, no, no, need to. Once it's got a grip, it'll uh We had two more pots of glue.
But in the heat wave, they've been upstairs in the attic.
They've gone solid.
So, that's all we've got.
Even this glue is half like half set.
It's horrible.
Can you see what you're doing?
>> No.
>> [laughter] >> Can't see nothing.
>> In fact, if we so wish, now we've now we're all like boxing stuff, right? We could bracket this onto here and bracket this flip this round and bracket it down at the bottom if we wanted to.
Get them off here completely.
>> Yeah.
I'll just get this first. Pull that this bit down and then we'll uh I'm just saying.
>> And then that would that would allow us to get that out of wind and mix them rigidity. Cuz currently this is just held up by jacks.
And uh It were right for concept.
>> Yeah.
>> But it's it's not so good for reality because floor's not level. And we did it with the car the other way around and they're a bit Oh, it's all shelf brackets and stuff.
They're They're not Like shelf brackets aren't even 90° cuz you don't want stuff falling off your shelves. So, they're designed to be slightly tilted back. So, they're like slightly over 90. So, these actually lean backwards just slightly. That's annoying. It's okay when everything's floppy nebulous, it's all right. But as soon as you start getting stuff kind of located properly, you look at it and you're like, "Flip it out. That's far out." But you know, it is what it is. You just Like it's like these. You As you go, things get more specific.
Happy?
And if you want.
>> [music] [music] >> That's your one.
All right. This is a force bit if you've never seen one.
And unlike a spade drill, they don't blow the back out. When you get to the other side, they don't rip a massive hole in it. And uh they're a bit hard to work.
>> [snorts] >> But they're better, aren't they?
>> Yeah. Unfortunately, Dad and I drilled through an oak beam about that thick, a 400-year-old oak beam. Um and it was that thick, we had to use socket extensions from a ratchet set.
>> And uh >> [laughter] >> We did eventually, but the tips on this thing are blue. They're that They're that worn out. It's like drilling through steel.
But we managed to get through the MDF eventually.
Thing is, we wanted it tucked out the way, really.
You always do, don't you, with indicators?
>> Yeah.
>> But at the same time, they have to pass the test, so So they have to be visible 45° I think.
Off the top of my head.
And it bears repeating, these Prince of Darkness units are not what's going on the final car, because uh >> They aren't E-marked. They're too old.
>> So I'm going to have to find something that's E-marked and pretty. I've got an idea.
Bolts. I just haven't got them yet. It's on the list, but the list is long and and full of many priorities.
Good morning.
>> Morning.
>> Indicator number two.
>> Well, mock-up indicator.
>> We couldn't bring you these videos each week without the amazing support of our subscribers over on Patreon. And our slicks and core fans like get a shout-out mid-video, and you can too if you become one. So, I'd like to say thank you to Neil Fuller, Derek Green, Noah Matheson, Mike Satke, Steve Shreeve, and Rick Wells, who's upgraded from being a slick. And our slicks, Alex Bottomley, David Flaherty, Old Goat, Brian Marshall, Robert Middlewood, Justin Perkins, Logan Pillsbury, Rob Podmore, Liam Quinn, Daryl Roth, Tim Richard, Joshua Glynn, Andy Wood. If you would like to be awesome like them and help us make these videos and you can check out patreon.com/oliverpicard for which you'll get an extra episode in your week, shout outs and all that kind of thing. So make sure that you check it down in the description.
Patreon.com/oliverpicard and thank you. Back to the episode.
>> And I know what you're thinking and you're thinking flipping out looks horrible.
Right? Well, this isn't the actual finished car. This is just the sort of groundwork. This is a This is a thing that's like when you build a house, this is the foundations. Do you know what it is? It's chin spoiler bones.
>> [laughter] >> That's No, that's what it is.
It's Now we're going to build the chin spoiler off it.
>> Yeah.
>> Cuz you can't build stuff in midair.
It's I What were we talking about last week? It's all right to look at a floor a point floating in space and being like, this is going to be a rough weather. But how do you get there?
>> Yeah.
>> And how do you get there? With MDF.
>> Yeah.
>> And that's the question you have to ask.
>> And they could have been a I was We could have We could have put foam in.
No, we could have actually built it up in foam and carved it all out.
>> The The problem with that >> That's not what we're going to do. It's cuz I really don't want to scoop.
>> Yeah.
>> Right? And it's very easy for this to turn into a scoop. And we must at all costs avoid the scoop.
Cuz scoops look all right on some cars, but scoops are very 70s.
>> Yeah.
>> Is it Is it like the IMSA You know what I'm thinking? Like the IMSA Mach 1 and Mustangs and stuff with the with the scoop front valances and the BMWs as well. The five the group five the E21s and stuff. The uh >> Yeah, the Batmobiles.
>> Yeah.
Um yeah, really don't want a scoop. It has to be a blade, but it can't be a blade because it has to go through safety uh inspections and stuff and it has to have the correct radiuses it, so it's a safety razor.
>> Yeah.
>> [laughter] >> It's like early learning safety scissors.
>> [laughter] >> It looks like scissors, but won't actually cut anything. The two things we have to avoid, I think in order in order for us to to keep our kind of dive plane aesthetic rather than a scoop. One is radius.
>> Yeah.
>> Right? But you can have a radius dive plane of course, you know, canards outside of the car.
>> Well, they are they are they are radius, yeah.
>> Radius, but they're not and they're radius inwards like a scoop, but they you won't look at it and go that's a scoop. You'll look at it and go that's a dive plane.
>> they're flat, yeah.
>> Yeah.
But also it's directionality, I think. I think a scoop the contour goes out, whereas a dive plane comes in.
>> Yeah.
>> And I think I think that's the actual difference.
>> Yeah, so we're going to join this this straight edge there rounding a curve >> Yeah.
>> to this to meet it with this radius.
>> If it was a scoop where you have your radius goes round, it would scoop out.
Yeah? Whereas if it's a dive plane, it would scoop in.
>> Yeah.
The first one can be straight.
>> I'm going to miss.
I think we need to remember to be always at an angle even if it's slightly.
>> Because then you are building.
>> Yeah.
Yeah?
>> Yeah.
>> And that avoids you that avoids you a scoop versus scoop versus dive plane issue.
>> [music] [music] [music] >> Fortunately, there are a bunch of people out there that have developed cars and spent multiple millions to sort out your problems out for you.
And it's very nice of them. And so if we look at our reference, you'll notice, right, that when we look at our reference, we notice should we say that it doesn't matter whether it's a McLaren F1 or whether it's a super touring car or it's a GT3 911, right? You you they've all used the same kind of canard slash dive plane and the all the angles of them all end within a very small margin of the center of the wheel to the top of the PCD, don't they? Yeah. And that's because the best part of your extraction happens kind of in this area and that's what they're trying to create a low pressure area for, yeah? Yeah. Um and so that gives a and then we need a complimentary angle to our wing cuz it has to look pretty.
So I'm just keeping track of all dimensions so I've drawn us a a little diagram of the mouth and obviously both eyes and then the and then the dimensions and that way when we start sanding, we don't lose where we're at.
And we can easily reinstate.
>> How do you get that one out and we can't get the we can't get the other one out?
>> one down.
>> Ah. Oh yeah, we took the bit off cuz it was 40 mil off.
>> Yeah, cuz the floor is wonky.
>> [music] [music] >> Top of PCD, yeah?
>> Yeah.
>> I end up needing a wider piece of wood.
Cuz this [music] is going to move it a long way, isn't it?
>> Yeah.
>> [music] >> Are you joking?
>> Huh?
>> Are you joking?
>> All right.
>> Let's >> [music] >> Let's get your angle.
>> How much?
>> How much?
>> You can try You can try that.
>> [laughter] >> It might not look like a lot happened, but it's now considerably later.
>> It is.
>> Because the reason why we're making this before we do say the front arch or this or any of that is because this angle is quite possibly the most important angle on the entire front of the car. Because that we are making that's not this, right? Because it frames the light pods, it frames the wheel arch line that runs runs back and it sits pretty much everything. Um and we've got it flat and straight to the front of the car.
But as we discussed earlier, that's not what people do. They angle them in a bit, don't they?
>> Yeah.
>> And uh and that way the air sticks to here and then empties out and goes past your wheel arch. But it's tricky. And so we've got it We've got it straight and we've been looking at it and thinking, "Oh, is it is it good enough? Is it good really want it to be good enough cuz it's well complicated. Um but it's not, is it?
>> We're going to tip it We're going to tip it in.
>> We're going to tip it in slightly.
>> Yeah.
And so that means adjusting this back angle down. It means adjusting >> Both of those angles.
>> some of the back of this angle, which will then tip this bit in, so then this angle has to change.
So, after spending ages to get it all right, um we're going to change it all. But, it on as a side note, and this is how much it affects everything, right? The indicators.
The distance of our indicators from this board, that's why we put it on a piece of tubing, we've adjusted and managed to push them in because we've checked our legality, and we've got more than We've got more visibility than we thought.
>> Yeah, we've got more wiggle room. So, >> yeah, our indicators are now at a >> We could They could actually go further in, but the tape won't let them.
>> [laughter] >> But, they are now at a legal position, which means our lenses are a really >> really good.
>> Cuz obviously, if they had to be further out, your lens has to be further out, which means your wheel arch has to be further out, which messes your >> And all of them means by a lens, a financial Perspex cover that runs all the way across to encapsulate them all.
>> Yes. But, if these were further out, like like snail eye stalks >> at currently.
>> Um if they were further out, then obviously that pushes the cover further out, which changes your body work here, which changes >> This this angle, yeah.
>> And so, we've had to check our indicator legality in order to do our front change final.
>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> That's a lot of wood now.
I'd be in snow.
>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Well, we're about halfway there.
>> Yeah, unfortunately we've run out of time yet again.
>> In fact, we are past >> time cuz we're a day late.
>> late. These things cannot be helped. Um but I'm really really happy with it and I hopefully you can see what's happening here. You see, there's a common thing with wide body cars, isn't there?
>> Yep.
>> Where they end up with hamster cheeks.
You you you get your car and you add width, but you just like add a bit on the end and uh RX-7s are particularly bad for it.
>> Yeah.
>> And they cuz obviously pop-up lights and the the little fog lights end up looking really in board and they they get hamster cheeks, bless them. And so what we're trying to do is we're trying to like cheese it by basically having the light pods gives pulls the front end and it makes it look smaller.
>> Yeah.
>> And having a front balance or a front >> chin spoiler >> chin spoiler, thank you very much. Um that's kind of all the front bumper >> [laughter] >> and kind of pulls it in and and hopefully will make it look more stealth-like and smaller while hiding the fact that it's a foot bigger.
>> Yeah.
>> But obviously we're still a long long way to go, yeah?
>> Oh, yeah.
>> It's it's still it's a bit like doing origami with 80 mm thick paper. Um because it it it's it's tricky to use.
>> The geometry on them was really hard because it all aligns up a bunch of places. Um it um we had to get our indicators in the right place and know where this goes to know where this goes because the angle of this also corresponds to the centers of our wheels, but it also has to line up beautifully with the wing profile, and everything leads into everything else.
>> Yeah, so it might seem a bit strange doing this kind of thing now, but it leads on to much bigger and better things.
>> it literally points to everything else, and so it tells you where you're going.
Um and our front lip is I can't remember the numbers. How many degrees away?
>> Uh >> 16 16°.
>> It just shy of 16°, which under 16° is really good for an appro- for um the front of a wing, basically. Um for delamination of air and stuff like that. So, to say we still have a way to go, >> Yeah.
>> and we are within margin, which is great, cuz if we get no turbulence on the way in, then obviously our radiator can get like force-fed air.
>> Yeah, it gets force-fed a full volume of air.
>> Roughly smooth air, as well, which makes a big diff- It's a big difference is smooth air to rough air. Like engines don't like um rough air, do they?
>> No, no, on the intake.
>> And a lot of um a lot of engines want to make more power once you fit an air filter.
>> Yeah.
>> Or people take air filters off cuz they think it's a restriction, but there are a ton of especially old carbureted stuff makes more power once you add a filter just because it's all traveling in straight lines.
And so it goes through the heater core better, and it goes in your engine better.
>> Yep.
>> So, yeah, really happy with it.
Absolutely superb. And >> So, tell us what you think.
>> Yeah. Do you like it?
>> Do you do you like it? Is it coming on the way you thought it would?
>> Yeah. I I'm I'm well happy. But it's and it's it's like I said, pointing the way forward.
>> Yeah. And we're not we're we're not we've still got tons to do.
>> Oh, yeah, of course. It's an never-ending thing, though. It's It is what it is, Dad. Yeah.
The There is never enough time. You never get We said this last week. You never get as much done as you want. But, last week I felt a bit frustrated with it, if I'm honest, at the end, cuz it wasn't kind of I couldn't see where it was going in the same way as I can now.
So, yeah, really happy with it. So, if you've enjoyed this episode, do not forget to click the like button. It is free and for nothing, and it helps this video reach more people, tells YouTube that you've enjoyed it, and hopefully YouTube will then show it to more folks.
But, if you'd like to take that into your own hands and share this video with your friends, then we would be massively appreciative. And if this is your first Mosquito episode ever, or your second, or third, or whatever, and you're just not subscribed, what are you doing? What are you playing at?
Make sure that you smash that subscribe button.
Uh a huge thank you to all of our Patreon members.
>> Yep.
>> And we'll see you all in the next video.
Please be awesome to each other.
>> Bye-bye.
>> Bye-bye.
>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music]
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