The 34 students involved on the project have already organized themselves into groups to work on different sections of the car.  The engine department is the largest group with seven students. There is also the suspension and brakes group, the paint and body section, the fabrication and the electrical group. Each group will have a budget to spend on parts of the car necessary for the conversion.  Local corporations have already agreed to donate some of the parts, including the windshield.

 Jason Glennon, professor of the school of Transportation and Building Trades and creator of the project, said he proposed a race car because “racing has pushed the envelope for technology.”   He also said the idea behind the project is to give students the opportunity to look at every aspect of the car and create a valuable experience.

Barry Takacs, coordinator of the project, said students had a similar assignment more than a decade ago, “but this is new again and is good.”

Sarah Perarman, leader of the paint and body section, said “We want to fix [the car]. We want to learn quick tricks here and there.”

The race car, expected to be ready by the middle of August, will have the signatures of all the students who worked on it and will be exhibited in the S building for generations to come.