Wounded Wheels “Restoring Heroes and Hot Rods”
Wounded Wheels Restoring Heroes and Hotrods Wh Who a o and nd Wh What t We We Are • A federally recognized 501(c)(3) public charity • Modifying iconic American muscle cars • Intended recipients are paraplegic/tetraplegic and bilateral above-the-knee amputee/multiple amputee combat vets • We are applying engineering and design concepts to commonly available resources that provide accessibility for disabled veterans in new ways The manifestation of some of these concepts are demonstrated in a 1970 Chevelle SS • We want to create a forum for bringing together people, concepts, innovators, needs, and solutions to pave a way into the future for creating products and features that have never been created for the betterment of our disabled veterans • Our wish is to provide a vehicular mobility degree-of-freedom similar to individuals without disabilities and profoundly change the lives of these selfless heroes by returning to them the ability to drive the car of their dreams.
Wounded Wheels Restoring Heroes and Hotrods WH WHY • Enemy use of IEDs results in increased numbers of major-limb and multiple amputations The effect of these injuries is far-reaching and long-lasting • Current options for transport sacrifice the “ WOW ” factor for functionality • Typically a stock van is modified to accommodate a wheelchair Two configurations o Config 1. Occupant drives in through the rear hatch via ramp or lift – Wheel chair acts as passenger seat o Config 2. Wheel chair occupant transfers into vehicle seat – Wheel chair loads separately • Ingress / egress is time consuming and strenuous • Not a preferred vehicle for styling / appearance
The Pros and the Cons Cons ns of the e Muscle cle Pros of the Muscle Car… Car… • Not everyone wants one For The Individual • It’s not as convenient as a mini-van • It provides a sense of what was • Headroom during ingress and • It returns them to a better time • It creates some normalcy in their life in egress and degree of difficulty are suboptimal ways unavailable to them before now • No airbags For The Car • It has poor gas mileage • It’s powerful and sexy • It’s not a family car • It’s fun in ways that a minivan can’t touch • It isn’t as comfortable as other cars • It’s an iconic American muscle car • It may not be great in bad weather • It’s heavy For The Future • It’s blazing the trail for new ideas • It’s the first in a future of product developments that pushes the envelope • It’s creating new avenues for better ways of life
Wounded Wheels Restoring Heroes and Hotrods Cu Current ent Prot ototype otype Car Modifications • A standard component system that will be integrated into a modified car chassis with factory quality and includes: Hand-operated vehicle controls Power wheelchair docking base Folding wheelchair ramp/ floor modification Modified power wheelchair • All controls are operated independently by the wheelchair occupant • Designed to allow ingress / egress in approximately 2 minutes
Third Door and Ramps Problem: There was not enough room to get a wheelchair into the Chevelle with the current door configuration. Solution: We cut into the driver’s side rear quarter to create a third door. Problem: How does the wheelchair get into and out of the Chevelle? Solution: We added a servo-actuated ramp and it took a several attempts.
In the drIver’s seat Solution: Problem: We cut into the floor and created a modified There was not enough floor section and platform to lower the height in the Chevelle for wheelchair into the driver’s spot. our chair to fit in the driver’s spot.
System Integration Several other modifications were made to the Chevelle to make it complete. They include a new door latch for the third door as well as the driver door and interior controls for the third door and the ramp. We’ve had many challenges in creating this amazing vehicle, but if it were an easy thing to do, someone would have already done it.
Wounded Wheels Restoring Heroes and Hotrods The Future After building the Chevelle, we learned many important lessons. You can read more about them in our essay “On Building the Chevelle”. Our current project is a 1972 Dodge Challenger. We are modifying this vehicle to be accessible and drivable by a tetraplegic or multiple amputee veteran. This will require significant design reconsiderations from our first prototype. We hope you will continue to support us in our endeavors and our efforts to make others consider what might be possible to make the lives of our wounded veterans a little better.
Wounded Wheels Restoring Heroes and Hotrods Thank you!
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