Rear cockpit vertical wall gap to frame??

[Brian76]

Fitment question for the experts. We've fitted the inside and outside corner panels and rear transmission tunnel cover with clecos. Everything fits well. We are now trying to fit the rear vertical cockpit panel and notice a significant gap between the panel and the chassis frame (the vertical and horizontal 2x3in frame). The amount of force to push the panel against the frame seems excessive. We've also noticed the seatbelt harness cutouts are low to the rear 1in frame rail.

Question #1: Is it normal to have the gap as shown in the picture?
Question #2: If yes, can you successfully rivet to the 2x3in horizontal main frame?
Question #3: Is it normal to have 3/8" frame tube above the cutout?

IMG_3168.JPGIMG_3169.JPG

[GoDadGo]

Brian,

I'm not an expert builder, but my seat belt holes are aligned pretty well and are within a 1/4" of the rear frame structure.
Also, I had ZERO gaps between any of my panels, but I had to move them around a bit to make them fit.
Wiggle them around a bit and be patient as you manipulate the aluminum pieces.
Good Luck & Use As Many Clecos As You Can Get Your Hands On!

Steve

NOTE: If you don't have CLECO fasteners you need to get them before you start this portion of your project.


Mine Looked Just Like Papa's Shown Below:

[Papa]

It's normal for the seat belt openings to be just below the cross bar, but not as low as the left side in your photo. Something isn't right there, as the wall should fit without forcing it. It should sit on top of the floor panels and should be installed after the trunk floor is in place to make riveting the floor into place easier.

Here is what mine looked like:





Dave

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Would want the sheet metal just below the crossbars so the belt does not rub on the sharp edge. I used CNC trim rings but without them think having the smooth cross piece is important.

Papa's gaps look correct.

[GWL]

Mine, 1st - Mk4, was worse than yours. I lifted the panel up for a proper fit for the seat belts as noted earlier. Then reworked the bottom for a better fit. Fitted spacers at the bottom as the difference was almost 3/8".

George

[edwardb]

I agree with others it should fit better than that. Both Mk4's I've done fit fine. Check to make sure you have all the overlaps the right direction. That's really important for proper fit. Also check you're not hanging up on any weld beads. In my experience, that's the most common reason things don't fit exactly right. Sometimes you need to notch the panels slightly (more than they often already are) or in some cases flatten the weld bead slightly. But proceed with caution there. Agree also with others that the shoulder harness slots not lining up is on purpose. So that the belts are on the 3/4-inch tube not the edge of the aluminum. But they should be lower than you show and parallel on all four. FWIW, here's the rear cockpit wall during my 20th Anniversary build. You can also see where I chose to put rivets. I don't recall having to do anything to the panel to achieve this fit and it was tight against the frame where you're showing a gap.

[Brian76]

Thanks for your responses. We went back and adjusted the outside corner panels so they would fit better against the upper 3/4" tube. This made the cockpit panel fit much better against the vertical and horizontal 2x3" tube. The panel should sit flush on the frame when riveted.

Also, our overlap direction is the same as Paul's above....

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Just something to think about & spend more money on. Mike Everson makes these trim plates for the belt pass through holes.