OK, I know this is WAY off topic for a GT40 forum, but honestly... I see more quality fabrication here than anywear else I frequent. So here goes....
When I am not working on my Ford/Mustang projects, I rebuild/rehab S-series Saturns. Mostely for my 3 (driving) kids and an airport commuter for me.
Since moving up the the Chicago area, i have noticed a significant issue with these little cars. The front sub-frames tend to rust out and cause issues with the motor, tranny and LCA mounts.
You can drive down to Florida and drive back a used subframe, but thats a big hassle and I see many project cars up here in the rust belt that could be saved with a decent replacement option.
So a project I have been wanting to try out is to build a tubular replacement subframe that could be used as a stock replacement.
I know some might consider this a waste of time/effort, but my son is about to take a welding class and I have been wanting to get into welding/fabrication too. So, this would be a relatively easy project (I think) to start with. And: BTW, I currrently have two SC2 cars that would benifit from this project. Who knows how many I might need down the road.
Who knows when I will get to start working on building what i really want, which is a full build like the Apex or a 40(eventually).
I plan to start by building a wood jig to get all the stock mounting points locked in. From there I would work to duplicate the factory design, trying to improve the strength and reduce weight wherever possible.
I see no reason to change any of the mounting points, although raising the steering rack by .5-.75" might not be a bad idea. 1.4" lowering springs are pretty common for these cars. Espectiall the SC2 (coupe) version. So... I would probably keep mounting dimensions the same for now.
It seems like mild steele is a typical material I see used for this. Any thoughts??
When I am not working on my Ford/Mustang projects, I rebuild/rehab S-series Saturns. Mostely for my 3 (driving) kids and an airport commuter for me.
Since moving up the the Chicago area, i have noticed a significant issue with these little cars. The front sub-frames tend to rust out and cause issues with the motor, tranny and LCA mounts.
You can drive down to Florida and drive back a used subframe, but thats a big hassle and I see many project cars up here in the rust belt that could be saved with a decent replacement option.
So a project I have been wanting to try out is to build a tubular replacement subframe that could be used as a stock replacement.
I know some might consider this a waste of time/effort, but my son is about to take a welding class and I have been wanting to get into welding/fabrication too. So, this would be a relatively easy project (I think) to start with. And: BTW, I currrently have two SC2 cars that would benifit from this project. Who knows how many I might need down the road.
Who knows when I will get to start working on building what i really want, which is a full build like the Apex or a 40(eventually).
I plan to start by building a wood jig to get all the stock mounting points locked in. From there I would work to duplicate the factory design, trying to improve the strength and reduce weight wherever possible.
I see no reason to change any of the mounting points, although raising the steering rack by .5-.75" might not be a bad idea. 1.4" lowering springs are pretty common for these cars. Espectiall the SC2 (coupe) version. So... I would probably keep mounting dimensions the same for now.
It seems like mild steele is a typical material I see used for this. Any thoughts??