584 replies to this topic

[RX25SE]

Looks good.

I have never seen a cage tied to the center of the trans tunnel before. Nicely done!

[El_Freddo]

That is insane. Looks like you’ve got all the triangulations that’s humanly possible to be there. From my couch it looks like it’ll be solid

I can see you’ve left some length out the front - is this to tie in the steering rack and do that brace across the front of the engine (bolt in I guess)?

Look awesome as usual.

Cheers

Bennie

[JDWhiteWRX]

Just left some extra tube so I can cut it off perfectly flush once its all done. There will be a short length of tube joining these new tubes to the front face of the original frame rails.

 

The cage on the center of the tunnel is common with cars that have strut towers further forward in the engine bay, normally you would form an X back to the a-pillar but when the towers are further forward this is impossible as the engine is in the way.

 

Here's an example.

 

 

Attached Files

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[RX25SE]

Ah righto. So in that example, the two bars form a triangle cantilever type arrangement tied to the shock towers?

[JDWhiteWRX]

Ah righto. So in that example, the two bars form a triangle cantilever type arrangement tied to the shock towers?

 

The main thing is you don't want to just terminate a tube in the middle of another tube, you want a continues load path.

 

These tubes are strongest in tension so if you were to terminate that tube in the middle of the dash bar then the dash bar would be weak in both tension and compression. By continuing the tube down to the trans tunnel you provide a continual load path so now tension is pulling on the tunnel and compression is pushing on the tunnel.

[JDWhiteWRX]

New video showing the progress with the front end

https://www.instagra.../p/CSGkeSdH6E0/

[allpaw4]

Nice!

Will the tubes be welded to the towers etc in the finished product or are they going to stay 'floating' so to speak? Or is Sikaflex going to seal them up?

[JDWhiteWRX]

Nice!

Will the tubes be welded to the towers etc in the finished product or are they going to stay 'floating' so to speak? Or is Sikaflex going to seal them up?

 

Thanks,

 

I have decided to fill in-between the tube and frame rails with sheet metal, this will effectively link the strut towers to the tubes and roll cage which will make the frame rails even stronger and the added bonus of sealing the engine bay from the tyres.

[JDWhiteWRX]

Mega Update!

 

Lots of work has been happening but I've had trouble getting the photos to upload to Imgur off my phone so this update is a bit overdue.

 

The final pieces in the puzzle went in to the front end. These short lengths of tube join the new structure to the frame rails.

 

 

 

 

With that work done I needed to get my dry sump oil pump mounted onto the engine so that I could finish the bracing across the engine bay without any potential clearance issues.

 

If you recall I bought the dry sump not as a kit so I have had to fabricate my own oil pan and mounting bracket for the oil pump, this saves lots of money.

 

I started with a piece of scrap 6mm steel plate.

 

 

The alignment of the oil pump to the crank pulley is critical and there is a specific distance between the pulleys.

 

 

I used different clamps to the one in the photo above, a large square and lots of measuring before getting the final position. Once I was happy I used transfer punches to mark the holes out for drilling.

 

 

The final product had some attempt to reduce weight with a step drill and carbide burs.

 

 

The end result was spot on. Below you can see me test fitting some of my accessories before returning the engine to the car.

 

Of special note is the starter motor which was specifically designed for the Honda K-series by Carwood Brise. Compared to the OEM starter it is twice as powerful, 25% lighter and more compact. As an added bonus I was able to mount it with my BMW ZF320 5-speed without modification to the transmission as this starter runs a twin nose bearing design which means there is no large snout over the cog that would normally foul on a RWD trans configuration.

 

https://brise.co.uk/...a-k-series.html

 

 

I got the engine back into the car and everything fits perfect, no clearance issues.

 

 

The steering rack is close but that's how I designed it.

 

 

So that's where I'm up to for now.

 

My electric water pump arrived yesterday so I will be looking at places to mount that. I am going to start building the final brace across the engine bay which incorporates extra bracing for the steering rack.

 

I still need to order a turbo but I'm having trouble deciding which one to get. Turbo and steering column/shaft are the next two things that need to be ticked off as they both occupy the same space. Also the radiator/intercooler needs doing.

 

[RX25SE]

Nice how the tilt of the engine keeps the oil pump in a good position.

 

As usual, nice work!!

[El_Freddo]

Neat work as usual! The off-roader in me is concerned about how low and exposed the oil pump looks! But I can see why it would be that low - it’s where the oil drains to best...

Cheers

Bennie

[allpaw4]

Looking great! Can't wait to see this thing done!

[JDWhiteWRX]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[allpaw4]

Very nice! That's some top notch work there!

What's doing with all that lovely free space in there?

[JDWhiteWRX]

Very nice! That's some top notch work there!

What's doing with all that lovely free space in there?

Replacing it with something lighter than steel

[El_Freddo]

Replacing it with something lighter than steel

Air?

Bennie

[JDWhiteWRX]

ok one more photo

 

[El_Freddo]

Crikey! It’s looking like a real race car now! That must be both satisfying and motivating at the same time!

What’s next?

Cheers

Bennie

[JDWhiteWRX]

I just ordered the radiator and intercooler cores, I will need to fabricate my own end tanks and piping, they should be here late next week.

 

Turbo should be coming soon too.

[allpaw4]

That looks bloody amazing. Can't wait to see the handy work for the rest of it.