Part I - Building the plug

5/16/04
I'm starting with a go-cart that I purchased from Sam's Club. It's a nice little 1HP gas powered "Hot Wheels" that was $500 but I got the display for $400. The body is going to have to be somewhat stylized to fit the existing frame but otherwise I plan on making everything I can as accurate as possible. I'm starting this log a little late as today's date is actually June 28th. I've been taking plenty of pictures so I am going to go through those to bring things up to date. I may skim through things until I get up to date so if I leave anything out or you have any questions just let me know.(tim@1989batmobile.com)

5/23/04
I removed as much of the existing body as I could and began building a framework around the car. I attached two 1x4's under the seat and one under the front bumper. I then added a couple 1x4's along the sides with cutouts that would allow the wheels to turn.

5/29/04
I obviously don't get much time to work on this. I mainly get a little time on the weekends and that's it, so far. The first picture shows my initial framing of the cockpit area, which I have since redesigned. The second picture shows an initial sketch that helped me see the overall shape and size. This was just a very rough sketch, many things are out of proportion and will be shaped much closer to the actual car. There won't actually be a canopy unless I make one as a cover when the car is not in use.

Below you can see a view from the other side and one with the sketch cut out. The last two pictures show how I modified the framework of around the cockpit and I've also added framework around the front wheel wells. At this point I am just trying to get as much framework added on as I can. I will eventually be covering everything with foam.

5/30/04
I added a plywood base to outline the front of the car. The second picture shows a second layer with a slightly different shape to fit the slope of the front end. I was kind of winging it here and have since changed my approach to the front end. I may have to remove the handle on the front of the car, but until I have to I am going to leave it alone.

5/31/04
The first picture shows a cardboard template I was working on. The second and third show the outline for the rear and side of the car. The last two pics show my second approach to building the front end. I've since scrapped this idea too...

Part I - Building the plug (...cont)

6/13/04
Finally adding some foam. There is still more framework to add, but I can go ahead and start adding foam to help know where I need more framework. The first two pics show the outside of the rear fender from both sides. The last two pics show my next approach to laying our the front end. I discovered that blue foam will bend with heat, so I bought a heat gun and experimented with a couple pieces of scrap. This was just a test to make sure it was going to work. I am very happy with the way this works. After I bent the piece into shape I added the top piece and did a little rough sanding just for fun.

6/17/04
Added some framework for one of the rear fins. This won't be the final shape of the fin. It's just the core that will be sandwiched with foam and then shaped and sculpted. I think I need to remove a little more off the front. As long as it's smaller then the final fin it'll be okay. The fin will blend into the fender better than it looks because the fender will actually be higher than it looks here. The blue foam is just the outermost side of the fender. It will slope upwards from there. The circle is just a piece I cut to better visualize how big the intake should be. I think it is probably close to the inside diameter. The black dot on the middle picture is actually a spider that I didn't even know was there until I was looking at the pictures - Hey, wrong super hero!

6/18/14
Now it's getting a little more fun. I started laying out the side panels. Once I was happy with the sketch I cut it out with the hot knife, leaving plenty of foam at the front to wrap around. Now It's really starting to look like something especially when I added a piece for the front of the rear fender. The lower part of the side will be cut our and recessed like it should be to make room for the mechanics on the side. By the way, if anyone has any good reference photos of the mechanics, please send them to me (tim@1989batmobile.com), thanks. The last couple pics show some blocks I added to give me something to attach the foam to as I bend it.

6/21/04
Here's one of the sides bent and cut. The curve is fine, but the front doesn't lean forward like it should. Could be the compound bend or that the jig/blocks weren't big enough to make a difference. I hoped that the heat gun would relax the foam into shape. What I plan to do is either cut off the front section and redo it with a new piece, or laminate on another piece of foam and sand it to shape. I will probably laminate another piece on top first, and if that doesn't work out then I can still cut it off and start with a new piece. I really just want to keep it simple since I have to do the same thing on the other side.

Part I - Building the plug (...cont)

7/13/04
Finally, I was able to put a little time in... and I do mean a little. After debating on where exactly to add framework for the top of the fenders, I decided to just put a strip of foam in place with some temporary coarse drywall screws (turned in by hand) and then fit framework in underneath where it seems necessary. After I had the piece in place I traced the outside edge but then decided to just cut it off in place with the hot knife. I made a cut in the front, as seen in the 3rd picture, and leaned it forward. I'll fill it in with a little spray foam (Great Stuff) and sand it smooth. It's not shown in these pictures, but I also sketched out the inside edge of the fender. Once I'm happy with it I will cut the inside edge and then remove it to trace out the other fender.

7/14/04
I cut the inside edge of the fender. I then traced out the other side piece, attached it and bent it around the front with the heat gun. I did the framing around the bend differently this time.  This was much easier and worked better too. I went ahead and made a cut in the front like I did on the opposite side to lean it forward. I then removed the top fender piece and traced it to make the other one. I think it's actually starting to look like a Batmobile. I know it looks a bit crude right now, but it's still early. I'm just trying to get the general shape and then I will shape it further with sanding and filling and sanding and filling and sanding and.... well, you get the idea.

7/16/04
I cut a piece for the inside of the fender, attached it with a couple screws and then traced the top edge of the fender. After cutting it out I decided it would be better if this piece were under the fender like the outer side piece is. I plan to cut it flush with the fender and then remove an additional 9/16" so it will slip under the fender. You can also see that I filled one of the gaps with expanding foam and then sanded it flush. In the third from the last picture you can see where I've begun to add some support blocks under the fender. The piece of 2" foam in the second to the last picture is a piece that I had cut earlier, but I think it will work well there so I will probably keep it. The last picture shows the inside fender piece that I need to make a duplicate of for the other side.

7/21/04
I added some support blocks under the fenders to keep the foam from moving around too much. These will also give me a place to put more screws to keep the fenders from moving in and out. I made the final cuts on the inside fender piece and then traced it to make the other one. I'll add some more blocks behind them so I will be able to screw them in place and make the curve in front with the heat gun.

7/23/04
I started working on the hood & jet intake by adding some more wood to the frame. I cut out the general shape of the intake and bent it with the heat gun. I cut the front a little large so I could shape it further when it's in place. Setting it in place, it looks pretty good, so I began forming the next piece using a large tube, the heat gun and a spring clamps. I then attache it to the back with expanding spray foam and let it dry for about an hour. Meanwhile, I finally decide that the handle on the go-cart was going to have to be removed so I cut it off with a cutting wheel (lots of sparks, would have made a cool picture!) Once the foam was dry I trimmed it up and added a second half.

7/26/04
The more I looked at my intake, the more I realized how wrong it was. The "tunnel" should go straight back into the car and when I positioned the intake I made that way (3rd picture), it was very obvious that there was a problem. I made a new one, pretty much the same way only this time I gave it more of a bend. When I made the "tunnel" I made it with one piece instead of two (although it ended up breaking twice, see pic #2) and I tapered it, making it a bit smaller in the back. I had to slice the front of it this time at an angle to fit properly against the back of the scoop. I made it with two layers of foam so I would have more material to sculpt the final shape. This version still needs some changes, but it's much better then the first one.

7/27/04
Made improvements to the shape of the scoop. I'm happy with the way this looks now.

7/29/04
Made the cutouts for the side mechanics area. I removed the top fender piece so add framework for the sides. I realized that the sides did not taper in enough towards the back, so the new framing will fix that and Ill trim the top piece after I replace it. I added framework for the upper and lower sections of the sides and then screwed the foam in place. Eventually, I will attach each piece with expanding foam & screws and then remove the screws when the foam has cured.

7/30/04
Tonight, I started to glue everything in place with the expanding foam. I laid the top fender piece back in place and trimmed the excess. I like this new shape much better. I'm staring to think that the area above the front tires is too tall. I may trim it down an inch or so before I replace the top piece.

Part I - Building the plug (...cont)

8/06/04
Not a lot to say here, just spent some time trimming the sides down about 3/4". Maybe that wasn't necessary, but I think it will look a little better. I also added the framework to the for the other side. Once It was all cut down I went ahead and glued everything in place. I kept having problems with the spray foam tube getting clogged between uses. I discovered that a better way to do it is to throw away the tube and just squirt the foam onto a board and apply it with a putty knife. I need to buy a box of those disposable rubber gloves, this stuff does NOT come off your hands...

8/08/04
Attached the top pieces. I filled the big cavity with expanding foam to make it a little more stable. After I attach the top I can add more through small hole (You can see that in the 3rd picture.)

8/10/04
Started a little late night work on the hood. I'm not getting enough sleep...

8/12/04
Worked on the jet intake cowl a little bit, curving a piece of foam and cutting it to fit under the intake. I then glued and screwed it together. After it was dry I trimmed off the excess and then glued it in place. As you can see in the third picture I got some rubber gloves. I wouldn't use spray foam again without it... plus they make great balloons.

8/13/04
Okay, technically these pictures were taken on the 14th but that's because I didn't get to start on the car until midnight and since I haven't been to bed yet, it doesn't count. I cut a new hood piece that fit better and foamed it in place. I discovered that the blue foam bends better in one direction than it does the other. This is actually the third piece I cut. The second one was cut the "wrong" way and cracked when I was positioning it. If you cover up the rear end of the last picture with your thumb and squint a little it almost looks like I'm getting somewhere.

8/14/04
Another late night, but I made some progress on the rear. I covered the engine and existing fenders with plastic to keep the spray foam off of it. I also cut out a block of 2" thick foam board that fits into place in the fender. I guess I forgot to take a picture of it. It fits into the fender and over the cross pieces. I'll try and get a picture of it tomorrow. The horizontal piece across the back will probably be cut down in height by half and the rear fenders stick out too far. They don't stick out to far off the back of the car, but the distance between the rear tire and the rear of the fender is too far as you can see in the 5th picture. I decided to go ahead and foam everything in place anyway since I can still trim it later. The black line is probably as much as I can trim off it.

8/15/04
I'm too tired to write anything tonight but here are some pictures...

8/18/04
I located the size and position of the exhaust/afterburner and then began working on the center profile of the rear. I first cut a piece to fit over the contours of the engine and then taped it in place. I then started sketching it out with a pencil (you can see the pencil marks in the third picture). I was originally trying to make it rather high, but that just didn't look right. I finally settled on a shape and traced it with a sharpie. I cut it out with the hot wire and there you go. I thought it looked pretty good until I stood back and looked at the over all shape with the whole car (last picture). It's still too high, but I'll have to work on it later.

8/23/04
I finally cut out the fins. They're not detailed of course, that will come later. I also re-cu