NS F355 Project (Page 9/73) Bloozberry DEC 06, 04:26 PM I don't know... 1 month and one day since the last post... it's awful quiet in this thread. Time for some progress! Yarmouth Fiero DEC 06, 09:36 PM Hi Blooze, I know what you mean. I was commenting on Corpsmen Ed's thread today and realized I had fallen back to page 15. We have been busy cutting out the rocker sheet metal on the passanger side, building the new passanger side chassis reinforcement as well as looking at the required extended windshield mods and scratching my head till it hurts. That little sub-project is going to have to wait a few months. We've also been finishing off the sheet metal on the chassis extension. That takes alot of welding and grinding to make it look almost factory finish. I've also been designing a suitable method to rotate the chassis upside down to assist in welding the underside of the chassis reinforcements. While it's upside down, I will touch up the chassis underside in the fuel tank area. I am also thinking about installing a flat panel bottom atleast in the area of the cabin and as far forward as possible. It won't be as extensive as the F355 but I think it would look pretty cool none the less. I have been test cutting various thicknesses of UHMW sheet and adding a tongue and groove joint where panels meet each other. I think black UHMW with large head countersunk SS bolts mounted flush would look pretty slick. I'm thinking 3/8" thick panels and while the weight may be significant, it will be very low on the car and as we know, the CG of the car moves towards the additional weight. This plan will require adding a few threaded pads under the chassis to secure the panels too. It will be easier to finalize the design once the car is upside down. To Corpsmen Ed, keep up the great effort on your project and don't be discouraged if you can't keep the momentum of interest going every night of the week with the boys. When there is something interesting to see or do, they'll be more than interested to help out. We all know how hard it can be at times to push ahead when a task seems daunting or progress is slow. And don't listen to the nay sayers. I have never built a car in my life but there is a huge resource of experienced builders on this forum that are more than willing to share their wealth of knowledge. Just keep posting your progress and include lots of pics along the way. Yarmouth Fiero JAN 01, 07:54 PM Well I guess since it's the first day of the year, it's time to post an update. The drivers side rocker reinforcement is welded together and ready for sandblasting and priming before final welding to chassis and the passenger side is almost tacked and ready for welding. To help provide a secure welded attachment to the chassis in the area of the A pillar, I decided to add a flange to the frame. This will bridge the gap as the A pillar sheet metal actually angles away from the new frame. I designed a flange using 3/4" x 1/8" flat bar and formed it to match the shape of the frame and the A pillar. I don't think the Fiero chassis has a 6" stretch of straight sheet metal that hasn't been given a stamped bend, dimple, hole, flange or boss. This really becomes apparent when you try to measure and drawing a part or fasten a flat surface to some portion of the chassis. I think the chassis designers must have been paid a bonus for every change in sheet metal orientation they could incorporate in the final structure. Here is the flange design. And here is the final flange tacked to the frame. And here is the final rocker frame in place on the drivers side. Here are a couple shots of us welding. My youngest son claims he's the better welder. I think he is just more flexible. Next step is to get the passenger side rocker frame done..... when its not -10 degrees C in the garage. Bloozberry JAN 01, 09:13 PM Wow. Super clean looking fabrication Yarmouth. I can't wait to get back to metal fabrication again... drawing on the computer is getting old. Yarmouth Fiero JAN 02, 08:13 AM Thanks Blooz. I agree, while measuring and drawing can be rewarding and a great way to learn the intricate details of a car, actual fabrication is much more satisfying when you can stand back afterwards and admire your work ( or be disgusted with the results and rip it out to do over...ha-ha-ha-ha). Sage JAN 02, 07:47 PM Flange is a great addition! Really makes the stiffner an integral part of the original structure. "Extreme gusset" you might call it? I'm not an engineer so don't know the technical term for it, but it just looks like it "belongs" there to me. I expect your finished chassis will have no more flex than a factory stock space frame...maybe less! Nice work! HAGO! fieroaddicted JAN 02, 08:02 PM NIce work! The car is looking great! Can't wait to see more progress on this. Also nice to see there are a couple other nova scotian's on PFF as well. Have a great new year. Troy Yarmouth Fiero JAN 02, 08:54 PM Thanks Sage, I'm really hoping that the chassis atleast retains the original strength/ stiffness once the roof is off. I know the key is to get a strong connection between the chassis and the additional frames so hopefully the little details like gussets and flanges will do the trick. Hi fieroaddicted, I guess there are a few NS members here now. We'll have to organize a valley get together when things defrost this spring. Along with the chassis upgrades, we'll start work on the V8 Santa brought us. Its only 12" long so maybe I can do a longitudinal installation afterall. fieroaddicted JAN 02, 09:19 PM quote We'll have to organize a valley get together when things defrost this spring. That sounds great! let me know if and when. Bixby (wade) is in Truro. I talk to him a lot, but have never got up to meet him yet. He has quite a few parts (if you are looking) and has done a few swaps. Troy Bloozberry JAN 02, 09:44 PM Troy: PM sent. Yarmouth: I'll try to round up a few mice to power that V8.