Cage, Door Bars and Gussets - The '76 Dart Lite Build

Some new updates... just pulled what the PR guys are doing on another site.

When we last saw the Hotchkis Performance East Project 76 Dart the transmission tunnel structure was built and welded into place with reinforcing plates and the sheet metal covering has mostly been finished.







More pics of the transmission tunnel here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hotchk...7642564086195/

Radiator

Now that the engine bay bars have been built and the engine placement finalized, it was time to focus on the cooling system. Obviously for the rigorous racing that Project Dart was going to be used for an OE-spec radiator just wouldn't do. Instead, we opted for this robust all-aluminum unit from BeCool that will offer great reliability and tremendous cooling capacity. After we bolted the unit into place, it was time to secure it from the top to keep it from rocking back and forth. Rather than creating a simple two point brace, we fabricated an entire cooling tray secures the top of the radiator to the upper radiator support and also creates an air dam both in front of and behind the support to maximize the air flow through the radiator and prevent air from escaping over the top.













More pics of the radiator install here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hotchk...7642567217623/

Fuel Cell

Safety on a race car doesn't end at just the roll cage and racing seat. A properly mounted fuel cell must also be installed to make sure that the supply of volatile fuel remains safe and leak-free in the event of an on-track collision or off-track excursion. One other important factor when building the fuel cell is to make sure that the unit is level so that your fuel pickup(s) can get as much out of the cell as possible before it runs dry. If the compartment isn't level with the vehicle, you will have an accumulation of fuel on one side of the tank away from the pickup, effectively reducing the usable amount of fuel in the tank.











More pics of the fuel cell construction here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hotchk...7644400355381/

Mini-Tub

Obviously one of the major keys to traction is how much rubber you can put in contact with the ground, and the easiest way to stuff as much tire under the rear end of a classic muscle car is to mini-tub it. Now because Project Dart will remain a leaf spring car, we didn't need to go to extremes to widen the wheel wells. We just needed them to be opened up and free of any potential obstructions.













More pics of the mini-tubbing here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hotchk...7644414804724/

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Thanks,

Kevin Wesley

Some other pics of the action...

Cleaning up the firewall. Section to the right is for a ex-Cup second hand Tilton pedal assembly.



Rear tubes and fuel cell



Sealing up the trunk floor

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Thanks,

Kevin Wesley

Getting closer...

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Thanks,

Kevin Wesley

Rear shock mounts...

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Thanks,

Kevin Wesley

Good googley-moogley, That thing is going to be far to pretty to crash when your done!

Quote
bknblk2
Good googley-moogley, That thing is going to be far to pretty to crash when your done!

Not really... the thing is cheap to fix. All the panels are readily available in either steel, or fiberglass. They are even repop'ing the rear frame rails, torsion bar mounts, inner fenders... just about everything.

Hotchkis had a big open house at the start of Hot Rod Power Tour and that's why the car is all cleaned up. I still haven't finalized the plans for paint yet. The way the body looks now is exactly how I bought it in 2006 for $3,500.

Yes, there is some decent money in fabrication. But, I would much rather repair this than a new STI and RWD is way more fun.

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Thanks,

Kevin Wesley

Exactly!!

all that beautiful fab work, and the shock mounts are single shear?

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KF7RWG
http://www.utahrallygroup.com

Quote
Aaron Luptak
all that beautiful fab work, and the shock mounts are single shear?

Beat me to it, so yeah, WTF are they mounted in single shear??

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SteveL
This is the point in the killing spree when you really should turn the gun on yourself

Quote
SteveL

Quote
Aaron Luptak
all that beautiful fab work, and the shock mounts are single shear?

Beat me to it, so yeah, WTF are they mounted in single shear??

That must be some provisional mounting...nobody in their right mind would voluntarily mount shocks on a set up like that when they could simply rotate the top 90* and weld 2 simple D shaped tabs on and have it in double shear so it must be a test fitting..

Of course I cannot imagine that that is the final design since an unsupported bar like that is going to bow and boing if there is ANY compression damping in those shocks.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Single shear on both ends it seems. Bottom looks a bit stouter but still not the best. Now would be the time to fix it.

Well, that's one of the reason's you post this stuff.

The top mount is a duplication of the factory mount, just relocated and replaced with the bar instead of the floorboard. So, I'm sure that's why it's like that.

Bottom is a 100% stock mount, so that's staying that way for the time being.

Flying down there tomorrow to review everything, so I'll talk to them about it and get it sorted.

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Thanks,

Kevin Wesley

Quote
kwesley
Well, that's one of the reason's you post this stuff.

The top mount is a duplication of the factory mount, just relocated and replaced with the bar instead of the floorboard. So, I'm sure that's why it's like that.

Bottom is a 100% stock mount, so that's staying that way for the time being.

Flying down there tomorrow to review everything, so I'll talk to them about it and get it sorted.

AA Mfg has tabs to weld on for pennies. already radiused for welding on to tubes.

http://www.aa-mfg.com/tabs/radius-tabs/radius-tab-fits-1-3-4-tubing-1470





RADIUS TAB FITS 1 3/4" TUBING

SKU : AA-560

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AA-560-C 3/16" STEEL, 1/4" HOLE
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AA-560-D 3/16" STEEL, 3/8" HOLE
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RADIUS TAB
FITS 1 3/4" TUBING

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Quote
john vanlandingham
nobody in their right mind would voluntarily mount shocks on a set up like that when they could simply rotate the top 90* and weld 2 simple D shaped tabs on and have it in double shear so it must be a test fitting.

I'd agree. Never a good idea to mount a shock (or anything for that matter) in single shear.

Although I will add that my bug has both the front and rear shocks mounted in single shear. Stock mounting. Never had them break (so far)

Not a photo of my car, but you get the idea. Top it is mounted in single shear, bottom it is mounted in double shear. I guess the Germans thought this would be a good idea.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/09/2014 02:45PM by johnhuebbe.

Brandenburg lost a rear reiger strut due to the single shear design at stpr.