Picture For Now
There’s a lot that’s been happening, so much in fact that I’ve really been slacking with the blog. In due time, for now, picture….
Closer Still
Made some strut tops, cut out some templates to start closing off the rear firewall and bent some tube to help brace the rear structure and create a more stable area for the rear struts.
Step Back
I found today after moving forward that I have to go back. In order to design the rear cage section and mock it up I need the rest of the cage completely in the car. SO, I cut all the tacks I had in place and started finish welding everything forward of the roll hoop. I should be back to the truck conversion/rear section this weekend.
Back To Business!
Gone for two weeks of business trips in the midwest and a weekend with the family, I came home and went HAM!
I decided that as a practice car, the Fleur De Lis really doesn’t have to conform to any specific rule book as it will never see professional competition. As long as I can go a foot deep into a wall and only damage tail lights and easy body repairs I’m happy.
The fuel cell will be located right after the rear firewall which should also help some with weight distribution. Don’t know where to put the nitrous bottle yet though…
A couple more bars and a lot more cutting and this bad boy will be ready to touch the ground again!!! Smash Brothers Unite!
Good Saturday!
Got an early start today and accomplished enough to make myself happy. That damn tubing notcher from Harbor Freight is designed to wear out quickly I swear. I can already tell I’m gonna have to make one myself with ball bearings and such. Brass bushings just dont cut it when trying to burn through DOM tubing. Anyway, I fixed that shit….
So the thing is made for a 1/2 inch arbor and comes with an adapter to go to 5/8. I’ve gone through two adapters now as I went back and bought another kit. When the second one fractured I just said screw it and got busy…
That’ll teach her to break on me!!
Anyway, after overcoming that little obstacle I got the passenger side door bars done, the harness bar done and the diagonal brace. Tomorrow is the driver side and I may start cutting into the rear for the truck conversion. I still have to figure out how I want to brace everything back there before it get’s too flimsy.
More Bars
Finally got around to cutting some more bars for the cage. I’m finding lately I don’t even touch this thing during the week and try to get as much done as possible on the weekends. Some of the other aspects of this business are starting to pick up. Thank you to anyone who has come to visit my site thus far. This kind of started as a journal I could look back on when I’m older but it may turn into something far greater, hopefully. Anyway, pictures!
Cage Work
Front down tubes that go over the door and down by the a-pillar…
Boxes getting tacked in so I can trim the bars to size…
Lesson Learned
It’s okay to fail as long as there is a lesson learned. Last time I learned the importance of practice material and understanding how a radius adds to length. This time I learned that I should use the tools available to me. I forgot I had a digital angle meter. The meter is very useful when calculating angles of B-pillars and uprights to horizontal bars. Finished product has been deemed acceptable for crashing!
Doh!
Lesson learned = Less bender, more measuring tape. Mr first attempt at the roll bar ended up two inches too long on the horizontal section.
