Added some tubes, comments welcome Options

[phillstek]

I had some strut braces and plates fabricated that I hope will make the car a little tighter.
Used chrome-moly and made them removable as car is not street legal with permanent bars in those sections.
The pic of the bar underneath the front suspension ties the control arms togrther and also protects the front mounts from being damaged by offs at the track.
I also re-inforced the lower windshield posts with plates and tubes and will post pics later.

In the meantime.. what do you think? Bear in mind car is for road use mostly with occasional track days.

Phil

[draganc]

Phil,

I don't know if it will help/work but but you made it at least look very good. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

Dragan

[neilca]

I don't understand how adding tubes will make it lighter, stiffer/stronger yes. Also you say it is illegal for a street car to have extra stiffening in Oz? I don't understand that law. I see extra tubes from the main bulkead and back to the shock towers that are welded in, are these legal?

I also see you have a stock gas tank in a RHD 914, is the bottom changed to allow for the foot box?

Over all very nice fab work, I like the ends of the bars being a socket, reminds me of some formula cars I used to work on.

Cheers,
neilca

[charliew]

Nice fab work. Maybe when you turn out the lights the white car and the yellow car will breed.

[rick 918-S]

It is my understanding there is very little to no stress in the rear towers and transmission mount area. The weak point in where the rail joins the tower on the inside of the engine bay. They stress crack there. The factory built a stout crossmember between the towers on the inside of the engine bay but failed to make a stout connection to the towers. You only need to add a small patch there to change the stress path. It looks nice though.

[ConeDodger]

If you could tie the front and rear bracing to a cage inside the car you will have really accomplished something. It looks good though...

[URY914]

Phil,

I don't know if it will help/work but but you made it at least look very good. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

Dragan

It does look nice but they really won't help much.

[J P Stein]

To my way of thinking it's necessary to tie in the front towers to the rear......if you want stiff.
At risk of driving the old timers here to distraction....again....here's some pics.
There are better ways of doing this.....lighter & stiffer, but the cage just sorta morfed into its present state.....but the general idea is there. In a street application it's kinda iffy.....don't ever use the roof & you'd be OK. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

The last pic addresses the long to tower tie in. There is some fab beneath the plate.

[phillstek]

I don't understand how adding tubes will make it lighter, stiffer/stronger yes. Also you say it is illegal for a street car to have extra stiffening in Oz? I don't understand that law. I see extra tubes from the main bulkead and back to the shock towers that are welded in, are these legal?

I also see you have a stock gas tank in a RHD 914, is the bottom changed to allow for the foot box?

Over all very nice fab work, I like the ends of the bars being a socket, reminds me of some formula cars I used to work on.

Cheers,
neilca

That's TIGHTER not lighter (must be my aussie accent (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ) Yes, any bars outside of cabin area are deemed chassis mods and require a full engineering report and approval by an RTA authorized engineer. Hence need for removal when inspection required for road registration. No point in arguing it's the law here.

Welded in stuff consists of: a main hoop with bars through bulkhead to rear towers, repro rear sub-frame re-inforcements and stuff around the windshield/dash area. Pushing the legal boundary but the main hoop stuff is OK.. just.

The dash and trim will hide windshield stuff and by painting the bars that go from towers back body colour, I'm hoping to get away with it.

Yes tank has been modified to suit RHD conversion.

I realize the rear removable brace is virtually useless but I reckon it looks pretty cool.The front bars will help keep that section together though.

Also have diagonal door bars (not shown) from main hoop forward to longs.

Thanks to all for comments and opinions.

Phil

[bandjoey]

That's going to be some great car when it's on the road. Keep is posted as it's finished.

[URY914]

Adding bars front to back will do more than side to side.

[sean_v8_914]

the fab work looks nice, good skills but....how much does that weigh?
since you asked us what we think and my fellow board members are obviously "pulling their punches" I'll say it: you are adding alot of weight that does you no good. you are stiffening the front and the rear with no connection in teh mid section. its like two stiff ends connectedd in teh middle with a ladder frame (the longitudinals). now all teh flex normally distributed throughout will be focused in teh mid section

you have bars in places where the chassis is already stiff and no bars where it is known to be the weakest.
a bolt in cage would do miracles for this car given that you stiffened everywhere else.

[phillstek]

Thanks for all the feed back.

As far as adding weight is concerned, the tubes are thin wall chome-moly totalling around 20 kg including main hoop and through bars and by using fibreglass bonnets and bumpers this will more than compensate for the additional steel.

I realize a full cage would be much better but I just don't want to do that. All I really wanted to do was try and minimize inside front wheel lift off during hard cornering and stop cracking windshields.

I've added door bars that go as far forward to longs as possible with big plates that triangulate longs to main hoop that should contain twisting to some degree.. all in all it has to better than nothing.

Phil

[realred914]

damn fucking governmnet regulations, that bracing illegality is senceless when are these fuck head in charge going to let up. you add more strength, adn they require an engineering evaluation, yet if you dont add more strength it is ok, no inspection, what the fuck. that is as bad as californazias stupid smog equipment rules, damn fucking buarocratic bullshit, that really pisses me off, off with their fucking heads!
i just got done talking about trying to register a special contrustion car in californazia, what bull shit, I have had it with these bastards!

I am damn mad for you.

good luck, nice car, that takes some effort to convert to right drive. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[J P Stein]

There are other things other than chassis flex involved with front wheel lifting.
Windshield cracking (or having it pop out) however is chassis flex.... the 914 GTs were good at that. Stopping that is not an "I don't want to do that" situation. You have a hot rod and the "piper" wants his due. I paid him for mine.

[charliew]

Isn't chassis flex really the result of making the suspension stiffer than the chassis?

[Downunderman]

Mine has a welded in hoop and a bolt in front section which picks up the screen pillars. It is so much stiffer with the front section in I just left it in there. That was about 8 years ago and I have only been pulled up once by some over zealous highway patrol fuckwit who wanted to know why it didn't have the original seat belts in it. Maybe it was because it was built before the ADR's (Australian Design Rules) commenced. That was kind of lost on the FW.

If I own it much longer I think I will put it on historic plates and avoid the angst. Nobody seems to ask any questions with those plates.

If you want it stiff you have to put a cage in. Everything else is pretty much a waste of time.

H