Removing Bodywork

Overview

Removal of the front and rear clips is best done by 2 people, but with practice can be done single handedly.

Removal of either the front or rear clip requires that all AeroCatch fasteners are unlatched. This is done by pressing the moon shaped segment at the wide end of the fastener, which will release the handle. GENTLY lift the handle until the pin can be seen to have released from the hole in the mounting rod. If it’s sticking its best not to force the handle but slightly jiggle the body work to release any load. A flat ended screwdriver can also be used to move the mounting rod sideways if necessary.

With the AeroCatchs unlatched there are a total of 14 Quick Latch fasteners that hold the front and rear clip to the car. These are released by pressing the button in the center. These work well when there is NO load on them. Oftentimes they are under load, and the body panel will have to be pushed or lifted to release the load on them before the button can be pressed and the latch released.

Front Clip

The car is shipped with the front strobe lights disconnected, as most people will unknowingly remove the front clip and immediately pull the wiring from its connector. Before removing the front clip, look through the right-hand air inlet in the front bumper and ensure the cable is unplugged from the socket, in the right-hand chassis side plate.

Front clip removal is easiest with a person either side holding the wheel arch and the front light relief.

1. Release the four AeroCatches.
2. Release the quick latch fasteners. It can help to pull up on the bodywork while you do this with your other hand.
3. Lift the rear of the clip upwards, tiling the clip forward like opening the hood on an old Jag E-type! Once the AeroCatches are clear of their mounting rods, hold the clip at that angle, and slide the whole clip forward to release the splitter supports.
4. The whole clip can be placed on the ground on the splitter, but something should be placed under the rear edge of the hood to support the weight at the rear, or you will cause damage to the fenders around the wheel arch.

Note

If you are alone, a very low-profile dolly can be placed under the front splitter. Once all fasteners are released, simply push the front clip forward after lifting it up to clear the AeroCatches. A 2” dolly is enough.

Two other ways owners carry the front clip alone. Stick a suction cup to the hood and use it as a handle, which makes a one-handed install straightforward. Or lift the clip by the AeroCatches themselves, which are anchored to the panel and give you a grip that will not flex the fenders.

Splitter wear pucks

The pucks under the splitter are a consumable and the plastic ones do not last. Once a puck is gone the metal washer behind it becomes the slider, which wears the splitter itself.

Fit the UHMW wear puck. It lasts considerably longer than the plastic pucks it replaces and is the current answer to this.

Caution

Do not fit metal pucks. Many tracks ban them outright, because a metal puck dragging on pavement throws sparks and starts grass fires. Owners have run aluminum and titanium pucks in the past under a submitted Technical Variance, and that allowance is track-by-track and tightening.

Rear Clip

Rear clip removal is easiest and can be done single-handedly or with a helper.

1. Remove the two AeroCatches by the wing.
2. Remove the quick latches. It is helpful to start with the two at the rear diffuser (as these are easy to miss!), then work your way to each side. On the sides, the middle catch may be easiest to release, then release the bottom catch by the floor and the top catch by the airbox.
3. Get ready to lift the rear clip. This can be done with one person on either side holding the clip by the side of the ducktail and the edge of the fender that mates with the sidepod, or with a single person holding the wing.
4. Lift the rear clip straight upwards to clear the cooling duct mount and radiator. The straight upward movement will also allow the rear fenders to clear the roll hoop front edge. The rear clip can be stored in the vertical position standing on the back edge of the ducktail and the rear wing. If doing this, put something down on the ground to prevent scratching. Also be aware that wind can easily blow this over!

Note

It is best not to store the rear clip on the ground horizontally (i.e., as it sits on the car). This can cause the edges to bow out over time and may make it harder to attach.

Rear clam latch kit

A bracket kit secures the front triangle latching point of the rear clam to the nerf bars, so the rear clip cannot lift away from the car at speed. We call it the premature evacuation kit.

It will become spec-required. Fit it when you can rather than waiting for the season it is mandated.

Note

Installation documentation for this kit is being written and will be linked here. If you have received a kit and need to fit it before then, ask whoever sold it to you for the templates, and call RAW or your dealer if they cannot supply them.

Suggestions

When not mounted to the car, we prefer to sit the front and rear clips on bodywork stands to prevent bending. You don’t have to spend much! We find that the Harbor Freight Portable Work Stands (approx $23 each) work perfectly.

Stands matter more than they sound like they do. A clip left flat on the ground bends slightly, and it does not take long. You will meet that bend again as a panel that no longer lines up with its latches.

NACA duct cracked at the fender

Uncommon, and repairable when it happens. Heat the corner of the duct before you tighten the bolts: the flange is flat and the fender is not, so heating lets the duct take the shape of the fender instead of being stressed into it. Broken pieces bond back with a small amount of body filler and wet sanding.

Rivnuts instead of nuts and bolts

Owners ask about converting panel fasteners to rivnuts. We do not disallow it, but it is easy to get wrong, and rivnuts into fiberglass are trickier than they look.

Do it only if you know what you are doing, and keep thru-bolts where a joint carries real load. Whether it passes is up to the rules of the events you enter, not up to us, so read them first: where a Technical Variance is required, get it before you install rather than finding out at scrutineering. See Technical Regulations.

Protecting the paint under the bodywork

The clips rub where they meet the side pods and the roll structure, and they will scuff paint and powdercoat over a season. Apply clear PPF to those contact areas. It is the same material a wrap shop puts on a road car and it handles this well.

See Wrapping Your Rush SR, which covers the same protection for a wrapped car.