You have my respect BLS, i hope they remember you.

Had some time yesterday so i went back and redid the handle bar/bumper support in the DOM tube.

Decided to change it up a bit instead of doing 2 90*ish bends like the template. Came out pretty good. Still has to be fit to the plates, but the shape is on point. Did everything by eye on the first side, then used an angle finder to replicate on other side.

Front bumper peak thing comes out to a 22* bend. then a 50* bend to slope it back to the headlight bracket pick up, and then from there a 60* bend to get it straight on to the plates.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f741d809_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...87036437_z.jpg

Today will prob weld the needed tabs on and get it fit in place. Im not going to weld in place until the rad support is done

Fabrication is looking good. I would not trust the fender sheet metal to support everything. Whats the plan to tie that front bar into the frame rails?

Run 1" tube from the soon to be built rad support. something like this.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ae6d23bf_z.jpg

Tac'd the tabs to grab the bumper onto the tube to make sure its all good.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9551f379_z.jpg

Solid IG pic right there

Rad and stuff came in yesterday, then swung up by my buddy to get the mounting points and vent bung welded on.

Been struggling on how to get this thing mounted in the car, so i went with this way. Purchased 3 1/2-13 threaded aluminum bungs. Ground down a section of the channel at the top of the rad do they would sit out on the lip a bit, and welded them in place. Sadly they are 7075 aluminum, so they didnt come out as pretty. But itll get the job done.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c2e43a56_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1ba9826b_z.jpg

The 6061 welds much much nicer.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b15927c8_z.jpg

Mmmmhmmm.......dat brushed

Those three pieces are the only thing supporting the rad?

Yeah I would have made mounting points for the zip ties on the bottom, too.

Zip ties handle fatigue better than aluminum does. :bertstare:

No, it’ll sit in a channel with rubber pads at the bottom. These are just hold it from coming out of the channel.

There going to be some rubber bushings in those top mounts? If they're bolted solid, still going to be a ****ton of vibration transmitted to the radiator, as well as the expansion/contraction stresses of two different metals.

didnt plan on doing that, but if we can brainstorm a way to make that happen at this stage then id be for it.

There is a 30 page thread on tech of people swapping to stand up rad, i kinda just went off all those ideas and crafted it to make it work for me. Most people had the same weld on bungs, but instead of them sitting horizontal like mine, they were verticial in the middle of the channel.

EDIT: Looking back close at some of the pics, it looks like there are small rubber washers.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/ls1tech...d0baef401b.jpg

Maybe drill out the hole in the tab 1 size up and fit a rubber grommet into it? So then the bolt passes threw the grommet on the tab and then picks up the rad?

definitely agree with pals on rubber bushings between the top radiator if you keep those mounts. Even then, if those rad flanges fatigue you might crack open the top core row over time.

Make a separate bolt-on brace with rubber isolators for the top an bottom. I used aluminum U channel and haxors to cup the radiator
http://i704.photobucket.com/albums/w...pscd91bc55.jpg

Did some more work over the weekend. Actually got a lot done considering the amount of time i had.

Conveniently, this mach 1 mustang wheel and tire gave the rad a perfect height, so i used it as a stand for it while building.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...22500034_z.jpg

Bent up some tube to come off the frame rail and drop down to grab the bottom of the rad. Cut the top of the tube at a slight angle to pitch it towards the middle so there wasnt a 27" rad in a 35" space.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f1862e3a_z.jpg

then replicated it on the other side.



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cc9b9e30_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...20542f4d_z.jpg

Modified some rad brackets to bend around the bottom tube i will be using to support the rad. just used a piece of scrap tube and bend them around it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...824f4d4e_z.jpg

Then i notched up the tube that will run across. Notching without a notcher is a pain, but needed to be done.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3d963f58_z.jpg

then tac'd it, and the rad brackets, in place.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b798b556_z.jpg

huzzah.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6d490fae_z.jpg

Did I miss where the turbo is?

A brown box....

Knocked out some more work sunday. ended up having to redo the position of the tabs to grab the front bumper. Thankfully i only had them tac'd. In addition to pretty much finishing the main tube structure, i was able to get the headlamps fitted.

Main rad support is 1.75", bumper support cross bar is 1" and braces from rad support to bumper bar are .75"

as of now, the entire tube assembly is welded, and the tabs are tac'd on.

After shaking it vigorously, i stood on it and didnt budge. and i am a large being. So i think we are good to go here.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b8f7a449_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...065f73c4_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7c26d57f_z.jpg

**this pic just screams drift car to me. so excited.***

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e2d17df_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...17e54101_z.jpg

gaps are a bit off, but everything is slotted so it can all be adjusted when its completed.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...971c0c1f_z.jpg

Looking good man, glad to see it working for you

get that thing road worthy and bring it to the autocross event June 2 in PA. swap some wheels and tires and let it eat up some corners

:kneeslap: