Blwalker105's 818C build

[Mechie3]

I want to see the door overlap. It was one big thing I noticed in the design that is lacking IMO. Sure, hitting a tree sideways will be fine, but an SUV that rolls over the lower frame is going to end up in your lap.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I want to see the door overlap. It was one big thing I noticed in the design that is lacking IMO. Sure, hitting a tree sideways will be fine, but an SUV that rolls over the lower frame is going to end up in your lap.

Bill,
You rear protection looks good. Are you going to do the same in front?
How did you bend the to tube?

Craig,
I agree totally on door protection. We are looking a side protection on our first car. It is morphing into an R.
Our second car may get a bigger doors that overlaps.
Bob

[ben1272]

As I am fitting my doors, I was just thinking to myself that it is unfortunate that the door frames do not overlap the frame but rather rely on the integrity of the hinges and the latch to stay put in a collision. Seems like more could have been done with the door design. I am pretty much resigning myself to the fact that I will be driving a glorified motorcycle and expect not much more protection than one offers.

[Blwalker105]

Craig,
I remembered our first conversation when I came over to see your car and it has stuck with me ever since.

Bob,
My neighbor has a manual (armstrong!) tubing bender but with only a 1 1/2" die, so my curved bar is 1 1/2" x 0.125"...very stout! We started in the middle and put in a 2 degree bend, then did more 2 degree bends every 8 inches or so. Eventually, we went to 3 degree bends for all of them and it turned out quite well. The down tubes are 1 1/4" x 0.125" and the horizontal tubes are 1 1/4" x 0.080". And yes, I became quite adept at fish-mouthing the tubes...fun but time consuming.

Ben,
I hope my system will see some definitive strides in overlap protection and if I am correct, the weight penalty will be slight, at around 7-8 lbs per side.


My approach is to build off of already-existing structure in the top square tube section of the door frame by welding onto it a 42" x 1" x 0.125" square tube on each side. This tube will enormously reinforce the frame and extend backwards all the way to the door skin and forwards 1 1/4" past the front of the door frame. The geometry of the front hinges will keep the extended structure from pivoting into the car's interior when the doors are opened. The front aluminum block-off plate will have to be trimmed to allow the tube to extend forward as will the front edge of the door frame.





Now that I have the modified door frames, tomorrow I plan to weld blocking plates at both the rear hinge area and at the front under-dash area. After seeing numerous pictures of finished cars, I plan that my rear blocking plates will a) not extend past my seat's shoulder pads, b) will be upholstered and should look like a normal part of the car. My front blocking plates will be triangulated into the outer dash pad frame structure and will hopefully be completely invisible to the finished product.

The idea here is that the blocking plates will be part of the frame and will provide an approximately 3" x 3" reinforced pad onto which the welded-in square tube will impinge in the event of a side collision.

[lance corsi]

Hello again, I was looking at your rear protection framing. It is somewhat like mine, however I have incorporated special fittings which allow for the easy removal of engine while still bolted to the mounts. I have a few items besides the framework to remove or disconnect first, of course, but with removal ofvstrut bar, I have yet another way to remove the engine\trans together. All together, 3 ways to remove, one with only a floor jack. Send me your email address and I can send you some pics.