Over the weekend, I decided that the big battery box in the front could really use some lateral cross bracing. So Tuesday I went about designing, cutting, drilling and painting some cross bracing that will mount to the steel we've welded in place, and the battery tray it's self. Only 1/2 lb of steel added, but it will add a lot of stability to the structure.
Wednesday I went about designing a pan to fit under the motor in the engine bay. It will do a couple things; 1, make the under side of the car a bit more aerodynamic, and 2, give me a place to mount a few of the components that I've yet to fit. I made a cardboard template, cutting, fitting, cutting, fitting, cutting some more... you get the picture. There is a "x" shaped cross brace that mounts to the chassis and the front sub-frame of the car. The idea is to shape the piece to sandwich between the brace and the car. Lots of trial and error and I got the cardboard just right, so I went and bought some aluminum plate.
Thursday was spent cutting the sheet of aluminum, shaping it and bending it to fit in the place I'd envisioned. I'd never given much thought to having a 10 ton press break in the garage, but I can tell you it would have been handy the last couple days. Instead, my work bench, some angle iron, clamps and a rubber mallet had to suffice. It took a while, but I got it to work out real nice!
In the top picture, you can see the passenger side of the motor and the aluminum plate underneath it. This space will hold the blower that will force air into the motor for cooling. In the bottom picture, you can see (although just barely discern) a box on top of the aluminum plate. This is located on the drivers side and that box will hold the vacuum pump. Which brings us to what I did today. I cut and shaped the aluminum for that box this morning. I have to do just a little adjusting to it before the vacuum pump is ready to be mounted into it, and then it to the plate.Man, I can't wait to finish!
No comments:
Post a Comment