Project "independence day"IRS and 3500 swap

[Purple pit]

Man what an update.

[ericjon262]

I thought about doing something similar with my fuel rail, my execution would have been a little bit different, but the outcome would have been the same.

[Driver_10]

Just seemed like the easiest way to accomplish the feat. A single -6 fuel line would not be able to move that much fuel.

[Mars]

Just a question, why not use a 3500 rail ?

[Driver_10]

Easy answer... my engine was never sent with one. I had to re-use my 3400 rails, which should work well.

I just made do with what I had. Besides... the 3500 fuel-rails would need to be modified also. And considering that the stainless 3500 rails are brazed, I wouldn't have been able to properly modify them for dual pumps anyway. (No oxy-fuel equipment for brazing in my shop)

[Driver_10]

Been quite busy for the last couple of days trying to get the structural work completed. The rear structure of the IRS cradle needed further reinforcement to completely tie it into the body of the car.

The roll-bar and rear cage had to be designed with the primary purpose of tying the new rear suspension cradle and stiffening the unibody of the car as a whole. It also had to be far enough out of the way not to make possible contact with my "very" larger head, and also provide enough clearance for normal seat recline positions while using a cross-bar.

Hell of a stout order... I started first my making a good anchoring point to attach the roll-bar to the rear cradle frame. The ears that would mount the bar had to have sufficient strength, so I cut a hole through the middle with the intent of channeling the roll-bar through it. this would strengthen the anchor point quite a bit.



Afterwards, I made my first attempt at building the rollbar. It was a two piece design that was simply butt-welded together to get the width correct and welded into the perch. This (as I was reprimanded about later) would not pass inspection at any track of any sort.



Cut failed roll bar and toss it...
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

Started building new one...
┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)

(leg angles are 42.5*, corners 45*, and 5* at the very top)

[Driver_10]

After bending and cutting the new bar, it was tacked in and the front legs were then bent. They had to fit around the stock doors without interfering with the seats and driving comfort. The tops of the legs are bent at 45 degrees while the bottom runners are bent at 30 degrees. The rear down bars have a slight 30 degree bend in them to give extra clearance for the cantilever mechanism (I havent started that yet)



It clears the seat really well too!


After the cage was assembled to satisfaction, I pulled it from the perch, fully welded all of the joints, and cleaned it up. I also made some pads along the running boards for the two front legs to saddle. They will bare a good deal of loading and have large pad area to spread the load while maintaining a low profile for the seat and adjuster handle.





I also found a clever spot for the battery to go. Its mounted behind the passenger seat on the cradle rail. It sits below floor-level so it should help with the weight distribution some.



I also got started on the fuel tank mount. It sits nearly level with the rear diff, so it will need a belly-pan and a cage to protect it from scraping the ground (Ill finish that by today). Here is the mounting pad for it. A rubber sealing gasket will be used later to weather tight the cab. It will have its own safety bulk-head as well when all the sheet metal is laid down.




More to come in the next couple of days!

[carbon]

Cut failed roll bar and toss it...
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

Started building new one...
┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)

[Driver_10]

Squeaked out a bit fabrication today. I cut out and prepped the spot to join the chassis to the rear bumper. I Isolated and cleaned the "stumps" left over from bumper support and began making the trek to join the two.




I then cut some extensions and welded them onto the main chassis and used small, 90*, lap-joint, to bolster the corners to reinforce the tubes.




I then stopped working on the chassis and shifted my attention to the fuel cell cage. Its got a safety cage and skid proofing in case of a nasty "bottom out" It looks heavier than it really is. The square tubing is only 14 gauge, strong, but not ridiculous.




With 26 gallons of fuel, I estimate that I can get 546 miles highway on a tank of supreme unleaded. Running un-cut E85, I could make it about 325 miles. (Only driving will tell what MPG numbers I actually make as Ive never tuned injectors as large as 85lbs before ) The test fit was a bit tight, but not bad.




It needs some tweaking, but Im moving along.

[Nick-G]

There is a black 94 camaro for sale locally and you are making me want to buy it.

[Mars]

I'm pretty sure your door bars won't pass any kind of tech inspection, way too low and don't go far enough forward. they usually end where your feet are not between your seat mounts. That doesn't seem correct to me at all.

Also, the "saddle" you built there, I don't know about that either. bar is supposed to be anchored to 6X6 plates welded to the floor only as far as I know.

Check thirdgen.org and ls1tech.com for cage / 8pt bar installs.

[Driver_10]

I'm pretty sure your door bars won't pass any kind of tech inspection, way too low and don't go far enough forward. they usually end where your feet are not between your seat mounts. That doesn't seem correct to me at all.

Also, the "saddle" you built there, I don't know about that either. bar is supposed to be anchored to 6X6 plates welded to the floor only as far as I know.

Check thirdgen.org and ls1tech.com for cage / 8pt bar installs.

Nope...

Regulation door bars, or for that matter, a "regulation cage" is dangerous to have in a street car. With my size, a moderate collision while driving would leave me with a broken arm, severe head injury or dead. This cage is not a race safety item and is designed to be low-profile and out of reach of any body-part. It is built exclusively for the purpose of anchoring the rear IRS chassis to the mono-body of the car.

I would have avoided building the cage just to prevent the extra scrutiny at a local track. Besides... I stand nearly 7 feet tall. I would be eating my knees if I tried to install one of those ridiculous cages.

[Mars]

Ahh I see what you did there. Sweet build !

[Driver_10]

This will be one of the last updates for this month. (Time to go make money)

I gave the cage and body some heavy torsion to check its rigidity and found about 2mm worth of wobble with me jumping my weight against it.. I decided to ditch the factory speakers and make some plates to block off the holes and strengthen the panel.

(Getting those patches of Dyno-mat off from the speaker enclosures was hell. It took me 4 hours to clean off all the goo before I could weld.)



After prep and welding in the block-off plates, I went ahead and welded in some pads in and lap-jointed saddles from the roll-bar to the roof-pillar of the car. This will help isolate and remove even the slightest amount of wiggle thats left and tie the bottom of the chassis to the roof pillar.



Next, I went ahead filled in the gap at the 45 degree section of the front door-bar to further increase rigidity. I will add a second tube to the bottom as well for extra insurance. There should be no issues with load stress.


Ill see what I can get done tomorrow. Ima clean up for now.

[3400-95-Modified]

This will be one of the last updates for this month. (Time to go make money)

What do you do?