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Posted by: Gigamight Jun 27 2010, 06:16 PM

So I had to remove my tunnel to repair everything inside that was broken or rusted. Now I am thinking about just making a custom tube frame tunnel that will make it easy to get inside to do any work later on down the line.

Has anybody done one before? If so, do you have any pics? I am looking for ideas, and suggestions.

Posted by: FourBlades Jun 27 2010, 07:03 PM

I would be careful not to change the height of the shift console or your shifting
action is going to be screwed up....

John

Posted by: bandjoey Jun 27 2010, 09:34 PM

I'd cut the entire top off and piano hinge it back on. Or fancy paint the inside loaded with neon lights, and put a clear plastic top on.

Posted by: brant Jun 27 2010, 10:34 PM

the tunnel adds structural rigidity on some level. These are unibody cars. I'd make sure any replacement was torsionally strong.. I'm not sure a top hinge would give them same strength as a closed box

b

Posted by: Mikey914 Jun 27 2010, 10:43 PM

I concur on the idea of not hinging the tube. I would go to a thicker sheet, and add ribs to it to allow for larger acces panels. You could add an additional panel or two using a rib doubler for extra strengh if necessary.

The idea of making a replacement tube that has more access is a good one ( especially if you have to remove it anyhow.

Posted by: arkitect Jun 27 2010, 10:47 PM

I've thought of doing the same thing, because of the rust I can see thru the rear access hatch. Adding multiple ribs across the width with access panels in between would probably be a good aproach.

Dave

Posted by: Loser_Cruiser Jun 28 2010, 11:11 AM

What perfect timing! I've been thinking about this recently as well. I went for a ride in my friends new elise and really like the center tunnel design they got. I don't think this would be ideal for a stock, rod shifter, car, but if you had a cable shifter it might be good. Does anyone else think it would provide enough strength? would the perpendicular rectangular bits, just in front of the seat mounts, need to be widened like the elises?

Posted by: Gigamight Jun 28 2010, 11:19 AM

Well, I have a friend who is an automotive engineer (well, that's what he went to school for, now he is an engineer for Bridgestone), I have asked him about it, and he says he will work on something for me, but he says that it shouldn't be hard to keep the shifter location stock, improve the functionality, and increase rigidity. I am going to draw something up with him, but if anyone has some ideas for a design, throw them at me and I will see how it fits in the mix and hopefully I can design something with him that will work for all of us that want to improve it.

I know this will inspire the wrath of the originality buffs, and so I apologize for the sacrilege of this modification. However, I want something better than original, if possible.

Posted by: Mikey914 Jun 28 2010, 07:35 PM

As far as originality goes, I wouldn't do it to a 6, but if it's bad enough that you had to do it any how, it would be the least of your worries. You would also be looking at floorboard pan / pans. If you were add in is support for A/X on the sides, then why not.

Posted by: Britain Smith Jun 29 2010, 10:36 AM

Raising the entire shifter assembly won't change the shifting action...I mean move the entire sheet metal up.

-Britain

Posted by: charliew Jun 30 2010, 11:19 AM

I disagree, moving the shifter up will require a lot of changes to the shaft. It will need a ujoint in the tunnel to come out at the same place in the rear firewall and the bushing at the rear will need to be a lot better. If the shaft is angled that additional angle will wear the bushings more rapidly and the front to rear motion will change.

The fiero also has a large tunnel with the fuel tank in the tunnel and a cable shifter.

Posted by: tat2dphreak Jun 30 2010, 11:28 AM

I've wanted to re-locate the e-brake to the middle... where it belongs.

Posted by: McMark Jun 30 2010, 12:13 PM

Did you do the repairs wrong? Why are you going to have to get back in there? Are you planning on parking it underwater?

IMHO, you need to think about what kind of life this car had to make it so bad, and then think about what kind of life it's going to have after you're done with it. You're going to go through all this effort and then never use it.

If you did all your repairs right, you're wasting time and money.

Posted by: moparrob Jun 30 2010, 01:35 PM

Man, I'd love to re-locate my e-brake to the center so that I can fit my 993 seats in with less problems. I wonder if anyone has tried an aftermarket like a Lokar, or anything else?

I have a mig welder, so bracketry shouldn't be a big issue...

Posted by: charliew Jun 30 2010, 01:40 PM

944 e brake lever bracket and cables are my game plan.

Posted by: Gigamight Jul 1 2010, 11:28 PM

The problem is, now that the tunnel is out, I am realizing how much trouble it will be to get it back in properly, considering I don't really want to be welding with brake/fuel/wiring inside the tunnel. If I make a custom tunnel, I can fab the tunnel and then install everything that goes inside.

I do see the possibility of getting back inside, since every last vehicle I have done has had some custom functionality-focused electrical modifications, and I like to hide most of it in the center console where it isn't so obvious and has a lot of room for me to work in. I am already installing a built in Homelink module and I am working on some slideout lighted cupholders. I am going for an updated interior.

I hadn't even thought of the e-brake! Thanks guys, I am working on adding that to the drawings tonight!

Posted by: john rogers Jul 2 2010, 01:02 AM

The #22 Wayne Baker car and several other IMSA "tube frame" type cars all had the complete floor with tunnel and cross box section removed, the boxes on both sides were cut with lots of lightening holes and then thin walled chrome molly tube was added at each side and down the center on both sides where the tunnel would be. There were cross tubes and "X" tubes run to strengthen the floor and finally covered underneath it all with aluminum sheet. The shifter mechanism and all cables were exposed for ease of maintenance and replacement at the race track and since these were full out race cars and expendable if they fell apart after a year was okay.

As for relocating the e-brake handle, rally 914s in Europe had the handle in the center.

Posted by: jaxdream Jul 2 2010, 06:23 AM

I have an E-brake handle out of a 964 I plan on installing. Just gonna drill a couple of holes just above the top of the tunnel on the back firewall , mig in a couple of small tubes for the cables , mount it to a plate aand then mount the plate to the tunnel. I have thought about the tunnel being removable also , reason for my interest in the thread.
Gigamight , I'd say go for it if that's what you want, as for mine I am going to leave it there as the car body is in too good a condition to do the mod , heck I don't even want flares , just hate to cut up a very good very low rust body, if it needed a bunch of rust repair , I wouldn't think twice about doing the tunnel mod.
YMMV.....

Jack / Jaxdream