This is all being done in order to have everything complete so I can finally build my custom firewall. It is turning out that the firewall will be the last thing done to complete the shell - when I initially thought I could have completed it much sooner.
However - I've made some useful progress recently as evidenced by the following photos....
What you'll see above (once you look past the very nice RRS strut) is the reasonable degree of "triangulation" happening that stops the top of the shock-tower deflecting inwards (wanting to at least) when the suspension loads up. This custom system does away with the normal Mustang "Export Brace" that would otherwise take room away from big-block induction system in the engine bay.
The RRS gear is sensational quality and bolted right in. I have no hesitation in recommending their products in terms of "fit" as well as great service. I'm confident the performance will match the early impressions - and in case you are wondering, I'm not being sponsored by anyone! Just my actual observations so far!
I done away with the export brace not just to make more room, but also as the export brace is just a pressed piece of thin steel plate that can flex under compression. My system (when under suspension load) comes under tension along the external brace and compression only along the short inner (25mm X 50mm box-tube) brace.
My theory (just my opinion) is that my short inner brace will not flex under compression and my external brace will not stretch. Hence the need to have that solid box-tube section welded in place right across the firewall (see my previous post). I have gone down this path to ensure I have a solid foundation to handle the big-block torque output in combination with the advanced suspension setup.
Lastly, my vehicle engineer suggested I do not weld all this bracing to the shock-tower in place but bolt it in where possible. This allows for some flex to make sure welds aren't prone to cracking over time. And it can all be removed if required.
Here are some shots of how I got to this point.....
This (above) may look simple, but it wasn't. The outcome is that I've braced the firewall support box-tube that you can "end on" at upper left. The painful part is that I had to perform significant rust repair at the window pillar and along the lower edge of the outer cowl to make things solid, as well as build in a drain for the lower cowl. You can see the drain slot (a drain "tube" actually) cut into the upper brace.
This (above) may look simple, but it wasn't. The outcome is that I've braced the firewall support box-tube that you can "end on" at upper left. The painful part is that I had to perform significant rust repair at the window pillar and along the lower edge of the outer cowl to make things solid, as well as build in a drain for the lower cowl. You can see the drain slot (a drain "tube" actually) cut into the upper brace.
The shot above shows the mounting points for the custom bracing being done as well as the "load spreader" plate bolted on top of the shock-tower. Note to young players - install the rear engine bay aprons after doing such work - you'll have much more room. D'oh! Thankfully I had only done one side by this stage.
Above is a shot of the custom bracing that is completely removable. Things to note are that the mounting bolt holes that run through the bottom of each piece of bracing (when looking at the photo above) are sleeved with 1/2"o.d. tube - so that 3/8" high tensile bolts slide nice and snugly through them. Also, the load spreader plates are made from 6mm steel plate & have their tabs bent to face as directly as possible along their lines of "load". Lastly, the three holes drilled into the load spreaders plates match the template created by the RRS strut mounting plates.
The above photo shows the bracing partially complete and gives you an idea of the degree of "triangulation" I was able to get. Quite a bit as you can see. Not much will get in the way of the big-block now!
I have a few more things to do with the front suspension like run the brake lines and tidy up unused holes in the engine bay, while I wait for the RRS under-dash pedal assembly to arrive. It is only then that I can "dummy up" the motor & transmission as well as the pedal box & steering column to fabricate the firewall correctly.
Just so you know, I've decided not to install a firewall from a modern Falcon as I'd need to chop it to pieces anyway (plus it has a resin sound deadening layer sandwiched within it that would catch fire when welding to make welding a real pain). So I'm making the firewall from 1.5mm zinc coated steel sheet and will shift the big-block back as far as possible in the engine bay. This should make the custom firewall quite a contorted piece - but all the recesses & bends that it will need to have will also make it very strong (as it will attain a kind of "3D" shape). So it wont be just a simple shallow "cone" pressed in a flat steel sheet as is done for a normal firewall.
Just so you know, I've decided not to install a firewall from a modern Falcon as I'd need to chop it to pieces anyway (plus it has a resin sound deadening layer sandwiched within it that would catch fire when welding to make welding a real pain). So I'm making the firewall from 1.5mm zinc coated steel sheet and will shift the big-block back as far as possible in the engine bay. This should make the custom firewall quite a contorted piece - but all the recesses & bends that it will need to have will also make it very strong (as it will attain a kind of "3D" shape). So it wont be just a simple shallow "cone" pressed in a flat steel sheet as is done for a normal firewall.
Of course all that will be detailed in upcoming posts.....
