IndyCar 2028 Bodywork Golden Scanning Fixtures

This thesis documents the development of golden fixtures to support dimensional validation of the 2028 IndyCar bodywork package during an internship at Dallara LLC. In this work, a golden fixture is defined as an inspection fixture intended to reproduce, as closely as practical, the real vehicle mounting points and local interface conditions of a body panel so that scan-to-CAD inspection is performed under representative boundary conditions. The need for such fixtures arose because the current quality-control approach is not uniform across the bodywork family: some parts are scanned only on request, many panels are checked primarily by visual or local dimensional inspection, and large semi-flexible parts can be difficult to evaluate repeatably when supported free-state or on temporary setups. The main contribution of the thesis is therefore methodological as much as geometric. A repeatable fixture-development workflow was defined that begins with identifying the ready-to-sell part number and its surrounding assembly context, then establishes the datum reference frame (DRF) logic linking the part, fixture, and machining setup, selects the most suitable fixture architecture and scan orientation, and screens the concept by a preliminary statistical stack-up review before release. Two complementary architectures emerged from this process: an aluminum structural frame carrying machined polymer interface elements for larger or more irregular panels, and a monolithic machined RAMPF WB 1256 fixture for smaller or more compact components. The resulting methodology provides gains relative to the previous inspection approach even where full physical validation remained outside the thesis timeframe. It creates a controlled and repeatable way to scan panels that were previously difficult or unreliable to inspect, reduces operator dependence and setup variability, supports physical go/no-go checks of selected gaps, flushness, and edge conditions, and introduces a reusable industrial workflow for part numbering, BOM definition, manufacture, refurbishment, and future validation. In that sense, the thesis demonstrates not only the feasibility of individual fixture designs, but also the feasibility of a standardized inspection-tooling methodology for regulated motorsport composite bodywork.