About the Car Club
The car club is one of the most unique clubs Jesuit has to offer, featuring the unique opportunity to get hands-on experience working on cars and to better understand how they function. It currently has 27 members and its moderator is Mr. Von. The club also receives help from Mr. Kennedy, a Jesuit alumni who serves as our engineering mentor. There are currently three projects that the car club is working on. This article aims to give information and insight about the primary project.
Specifications of the Vehicle 
The largest project the car club is currently working on is a Ford Daytona kit car which the club received in 2014, according to Mr. Von. A kit car, in simple terms, is a bundle featuring multiple prebuilt parts like an engine, gearbox, chassis, and panels that you must assemble yourself. Such kits are often modeled after expensive classic cars like the Daytona so you can drive one without spending all your life savings. Their performance is often on par with their original counterparts meaning you practically get the same car though it may lack an original’s prestige. The car the club owns features a 350 horsepower engine making 350 pound feet of torque, revving to 6000 revolutions per minute. It features rear wheel drive which means the power from the engine is delivered to the rear wheels. It has a manual 6-speed gearbox.
Work That the Car Still Requires
Much of the car has already been completed by this time but there are still things to be done. According to Mr. Von “most of what we have left on the Daytona is sheet metal and body work. Unfortunately it is a very slow process. Most panels are yet to be fitted. This is often a difficult and time consuming task. Mr. Von says that the club has “been working on fitting the hood which is going well but requires a lot of tender, loving care”. Other than the things mentioned above, the car needs to get a new paint job and the club is currently waiting for the AC tubing to be crimped so it may be installed. These issues will be dealt with on a later date. Unfortunately the club cannot paint the car on their own because they lack the necessary tools so they’ll have to send it to a paint shop. Mr. Von has stated that the goal for the finish date of the project is
“early Fall 2025 depending on the consistency of members showing up to meetings.”
Beau Bureau-Mitchell sanding the hood in preparation for it to be fitted (Credit: Author)
