Tim Brownell

Name: Tim Brownell
Major: Mechanical Engineering - Graduating in June '08!!!!!!

(That when I met Jesse James when I went to the Baja 1000)

Role: Machinist/Design Reviewer
I do most of the general machining and all of the CNC machining for the team. I also do a lot of design reviewing and get a lot of "Hey Tim, do you think this is ok?" Which is cool with me. I was also the Team Captain for the 06-07 year.

About me: I am generally the thought of as the craziest guy on the team. Usually if there is something dangerous/reckless/potentially-life-threatening that needs done, I am usually the one doing it. This has included but has not been limited to: water/flotation testing the car in 40 degree weather (twice), sticking a file onto a part spinning on the lathe to remove burrs (more times than I can count), using a grinder on a piece that is also spinning on the lathe (I needed to remove a fair amount of material and the piece was hardened so regular machining wasn't working so well), and I'm sure many more things that I can't think of. The picture below is another example.

We have a lift table that we use to raise the car up off the floor to remove the tires/suspension components. Since the table was purchased at Harbor Freight, it is not exactly the highest quality and has a tendency to suddenly release and drop. When it is lowered, it stands about 7" high. In this picture, I am trying to figure out where the leak is coming from in the gearbox. I am currently laying under the car, with my head under the lift table directly under the sticker that says "Do NOT put your hands or feet under the table." But hey, I was too busy trying to find the leak to read some silly warning label...

Random Story to be posted later... I have to go open another beer with a pair of needle nose pliers since my bottle opener just broke...