Hey Lee
....don't operate heavy machinery or sign any legal documentation after you've been reading Tamai's book , you may be best doing it with a "buddy" in case you drop off and drown in your own drool , it's real heavy going ....good luck.
Hey Doc that book is like reading a comic book
, nothing to it if you have a PHD in math and physics
. I can't get through most of the formulas, but the summaries at the ends of the chapters are a little easier. It is a good book though and I've picked up some things I would have done differently and hope that it helps me.
Ok Lee I have some comments on your drawings. Hope you have a thick skin and as always these are only my views and suggestions and it is "your" car.
I think you will have plenty of traction if all your weight (motor/batteries) is ahead of the rear axle, so on the first picture I would move the back batteries forward or will the electric motor run in either direction? If so could you turn the motor/transaxle around so the motor was behind the axle. Now I would only recommend that if the motor is lighter than the batteries you were going to put back there. The weight forward is going to help keep your center of gravity ahead of your center of pressure.
I like the second car but think the area for the driver is optimistically small/short. You have to package the front axle and tires in there and that looks like it would only leave about 5 feet for the driver and if the car is only 2 foot tall (your scale) you are going to need at least the drivers height, plus some for the cage. I've tried to get the height of my car as low as possible and a 30 inch height (not including ground clearance) has been about as low as I can seem to get and still provide helmet clearance under the top roll bar and the bars under me at the bottom of the car and still be able to see down the track with my head inclined and I'm not too large. I think Rick's red streamliner (Costella body) might be under 2 feet, but I'm not sure.
Be sure and remember room for the fire extinguishers. Plan for about a 6 inch by 3 foot tube for one chute.
Since these are plan views only it is a little hard to comment on aero at this point.
It is good to see you getting started and you have to start somewhere. Are you going to speed week this year? It really helps to look at the cars. Maybe you have already been.
c ya, Sum