seattlejester Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Some from my library, keep in mind, my braces aren't anywhere close to the best way to do it, and some people may frown on the bends in the main hoop. But it does sit really close to the roof, I could weld a bead to the gusset plate for the roof if I took the headliner out. And my seat sits forward of the hoop so 0 chance of interference with a helmet. But you can see how the box mount interferes with the seat in the first picture. Really does limit your ability to recline. I think I have 1 click of recline and 4 or 5 clicks of forward adjustment. I'm 5'10 and my feet are almost straight to reach the pedals, but my arms have a 135 bend to the steering wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Seattle - those pics help thanks - but from what I've seen on racing series specs I'm not allowed an adjustable bucket and I have to have those 6"x6" plates. I've put the hoop at a 9 degree angle back to try and gain a bit of room but I do have to get a fixed bucket to test fit everything before I make my A-Pillar arms. Hit up the shop today - got the main diagonal in. Before someone mentions it, I plan on taking the tacks off and cleaning up the weld joints next weekend before continuing the rest of the cage - I just didn't have any emery cloth today. Also finished up that lift plate. Buying some engine goodies this week hopefully come in for the weekend. I've decided on making a tubular front subframe - anyone have any good reference examples? It will hold my engine mounts, steering rack and control arms. Obviously not the wheels I will be running, however these 205/60/R16 have the exact same OD as the 275/40/R17 I have at the shop. Someday will be 315/35/R17, but I'll run the Yokohama 275's I already have first. The forward rear control arm mount is at 0 degrees centre of mount pivot to the centre of the balljoint at the ride height shown. This leaves 3.5 inches of wheel travel upwards from ride height once I cut out the wheel well and run extra wide ZG flares The rearward rear control arm mount is at ~5 degrees from centre of mount pivot to centre of balljoint at the ride height shown. Suspension experts: Is 3.5" enough wheel travel or am I leaving too much or too little of a gap before hitting tire into wheel well? The optimum parallel RLCA - is this to the front mount or the rear mount of the RLCA? All arms will be adjustable, but if I have to move my subframe mount up - now would be the time to do it. Also, made these braces up - will make the same for the other side of the engine mount bracket all the way to the firewall. Factory 2012 Camaro driveshaft with the isolator placed where my transmission flange will be: This means I can cut the second half of the camaro driveshaft off at roughly that weld line and weld a Q45 flange onto it for mating to my diff. I'll have a U-Joint, Slip yoke as well as the rubber isolator at the transmission output shaft. Picked up GM LS7 Lifters As well as GM LS2 Lifter Trays Everything in blue is done. I put the Z back on rotisserie today so if this week I can come to a conclusion about the subframe height I can continue on with the cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I wonder if the big rubber donut on the slip yoke has any advantage as an impact absorber for the driveline? In my 240z, there is no room for one anyway. Anything to protect the axles from the shock of clutch dumps. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 From the looks of it, I would say that the rubber donut with the flange on it is mainly for locating the center of the long driveshaft and helping NVH on the Camaro. The rubber spacer between the transmission and the driveshaft is where I see the main impact absorber for the driveline to be - it will only allow as much shock as the durometer of the rubber permits. I'm glad the Camaro driveshaft came with my TR6060 as everything will bolt up if I measure right and weld on a Q45 diff mating flange. From what I've seen, guys run 600+ whp through these driveshafts without issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 I am currently switching my rear subframe setup. The setup shown before was a 2.5" square tube mounted just behind the original mount. I am now going to a 1.5"x3.0"x.120" rectangular tubing. As I said in the last post, the 2.5" square tube allows 3.5" of wheel travel (5" max with clearancing) and the rear LCA had a 5 degree angle to the rear mount and a 0 degree angle to the front mount. From what I've heard, the rear mount should be parallel to the ball joint. I also figure it is easier to shim the subframe down from a 1.5" connector if I have to dial anything in rather than be SOL. Keep in mind this isn't finished, it is just as far as I got today. I haven't seen anyone do the rear rails this way but it made sense - complete clearance of the subframe, and can be triangulated. I'll sketch it up in Solidworks this week so it makes more sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Removed the old 2.5"x2.5" Crossmember. New 1.5"x3"x.120 cross member - just roughed for now since I didn't get the M20 Socket head shoulder bolts in time. Clearance to bulkhead. I added 3/4" angle to the bulkhead for strength in that corner, notched the bulkhead and the angle for the 1x3 horizontal piece. Brought a tube from the frame rail down to this at what worked out to exactly 45 degrees Also added 2" angle 6" long to brace the factory crossmember where this 1x3 meets it. Also picked up one of these for dirt cheap since the powdercoat was dinged on the front face as shown. 50% off for a pure aesthetic? Sold! 04-07 Cadillac CTS-V Brembo Front Caliper # Pistons: 4 x 40/44mm Total piston area: 8.61 sq. in. 5554 sq. mm Rotor Thickness: 1.26 in. (32 mm) Part #: (L) 89047727 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUNNY Z Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Good to see progress on this. I saw it over on LS1tech. Love the cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I'm thinking about the future need for a trailer hitch and/or a chute. I'm looking at your rear cage bars that go from the main hoop toward the license plate. Any reason why you located them there? Wheel tubs in the future? Hoping to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Thanks Sunny! RebekahsZ, I designed that bar to 1) support the bulkhead as it does hold a fair bit of rigidity of the unibody, especially since I was cutting out the two bins. I plan on tying in the two 1x3's (only one completed at this point), with basically the mirror image of that bar coming from the main hoop. I'll add this in to Solidworks and it should be a bit more clear. 2) My seat mounts are going to be two tubes dropped from this tube. Similar to this: Matt Powers 2012 S14 build on MotoIQ (below) has given me alot of inspiration. http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/2605/PageID/4852/Matt-Powers-2012-Formula-D-ride-Part-4.aspx 3) Like you mentioned, leaves possibility for a strong bulkhead in case I need to open up my wheel wells and tie them into the bulkhead. A trailer hitch AND a chute? Interesting combo for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Wow, I looked thru that whole link. Very cool. The chute would be for landspeed racing and the hitch would be for Drag Week. It's on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 I've been called in to work every weekend so this has not progressed all month Matched the DS fenderwell to the PS Turned these up on the lathe since I don't like paying $$$ for $3 in 6061 T6. Solid diff bushings - new to make a few more for the front of my Q45 diff. Started sketching my front knuckle to design CTS-V Brembo caliper adapter. Old setup: New setup - not shown but welded pipe nipples into the holes like the old setup to sleeve bolts/help crush. Opened up the subframe bushings to 20.25mm Tacked in place after measuring from a number of reference points. I'll have new front subframe mounts done next weekend and continue on with cage A-pillars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Soo this happened a few weeks ago So I was out of the game for a bit, but starting back into er now. Took this setup And stuffed it in here Had to chop the factory transmission mounts off the car to get the TR6060 to clear but there is plenty of room in there otherwise. The shift is about 2" too far back but that is no sweat since it has a 6" long bracket connected to a rod which can both be shortened. The steering rack is going to be an issue but ill deal with that after I make my mounts. Also, this is waiting for a rainy day. While I've been down with the ACL tear I had some powdercoating done by JP @ Strip Tech. My Cusco RUCA's as well as the LQ9 valve covers in wrinkle red. And to start rebuilding the RUCA's since it seems like the PO didn't know they were left hand thread.. QA1 XMR12 chromoly rod ends - I just need to turn up the 3/4 to M26x1.5LH adapter this week. Picked up a set of JDMFlares Wide ZG fender flares - 3.75" in the rear, 3.25" in the front. I'm not a fan of doing the usual sheet metal screw so I grabbed M8 nutserts and the tool to install them. The interior was pretty haggard from welding the rails and sitting forever. All seam sealer is gone, penetrating welds smoothed and all the remnants of sound deadening gone as well. Made these up for the front cage mounts Now that the front mounts are done, need to clearance the cowl a bit to allow a nice tight fit of cage to A-pillar. Also need to cut some tube with an ID larger than the OD of your cage, in an odd shape similar to the pic. I still have to finish up the cowl clearancing but that's it for today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaj2k5 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Hey guys, been a while since I've been able to get to shop. Picked up Contano S14 5 lug hubs Borrowed a buddies tube bender and bought a Princess Auto tube notcher. This is the biggest POS I've seen but it was cheap and I needed something asap. The blue bushing housing had a ton of play to the shaft and the hole saw adapter had huge runout so I made a new shaft assembly out of some spare bearings and milled a plate with a step to align them. Popped a 3/8" hex socket into the end and pinned it so it will never spin so I can adapt to any drill and the wobble of the drill will be taken up by this adapter. Bent up some scrap pieces of tube to get angles right without using the good DOM Bent up full A-pillar bars Halo bar notched nicely. Front view of today's work Next will be dash bar and halo to main hoop. Should I go straight back or X for the roof bars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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