152 replies to this topic

[sonikk4]

Aaahhhh Snap on snobbery!!!! you can't beat it. That welding looks the dogs danglies.

[valve bounce]

nice project its looking good, also glad to see some one else with a snap on addiction

[minisi35]

Love the welding, my aim is to be as good as that!!!
My next step is to do the seat rails, i see your using tubes can i ask how you will be mounting the seats onto it?

[CaptainBland08]

is all that welding out of a mig???? if so thats an amazing job!

also will the xbrace across the turrets be enough to compensate the structure lost from the parcel shelf and rear bulkhead?

Chris

[TopCatCustom]

Thanks guys!!

Minisi35 I will be welding some brackets on for the mounts, I have them but not folded them up yet, I'm thinking about making up some kits for people to put these in specific to minis as the bars are slightly longer than usual because the tunnel is so small, and you need folded plates for either side, which we have the machinery for.

Chris I will be putting a smaller tube across the the turrets like a strut brace, most likely with a bracket each end so it is removable, this will provide extra strength and give a mounting point for my spare wheel. Yep it's all using a single phase mig, I was going to TIG everything but my set isn't very portable as I made a water cooler for it and is in our main workshop which is a drive away, so decided to just stick with MIG.

I'll upload some pics of my fuel tank later!

[minisi35]

Thanks C4NN0N, is there any advantage using tubes rather than square section?

[TopCatCustom]

I don't think so, apart from you get the fun of having to work with round stupid angles etc instead of nice easy square ones! Square would be stronger in that type of application in theory, but you never see it in race cars, everything is always round- maybe because it looks better but could also be because you don't get corners to hurt yourself on with round tubes.

TC

[minisi35]

right square it is!!!!, just need to work out the distances between them.

[TopCatCustom]

A couple of pics of the fuel tank- It's going to sit on mounts on top of the subframe, and the boot floor will be raised/humped to accomodate it. This way it is outside the cabin and I do not need a firewall where the rear seat back was. The main idea was to make it to keep the unavoidable weight of fuel as low as possible.

Top:


Bottom:


You can see I have incorporated 2 small surge tanks underneath, Each one will have a pump and pre-filter which should completely obliviate any fuel starvation, and if one pump fails then I should happily still be able to run on one. I'm reasonably happy with the outcome, I would make it slightly differently if doing it again which would reduce the warping produced when doing some of the welds, but it's sound and will do the job just fine!

p.s. the capacity is about 43l, which should be plenty!

Edited by C4NN0N, 28 June 2011 - 07:39 AM.

[TopCatCustom]

Done odds and sods lately but nothing major, just getting the shell ready for painting really.

I had both subframes sand blasted and have been repairing the rear one, cut the rotten base off and made a pair of new ones from 1.5mm CR steel, bent them up and welded in, as well as seam welding some of the other joints and popping a couple of triangles in. Will do the other side tonight!


(I chopped the hole out so matey could blast the inside as well)

[J_1275_O]

I like it , welding looks nice!

[TopCatCustom]

Just a couple of small additions this evening, couple of small triangulations in the rear shock turrets and some nice brackets 

Edited by TopCatCustom, 22 February 2023 - 09:40 AM.

[minisi35]

Very nice work, im still aspiring to your welding

[TopCatCustom]

The last few bits have been way off the mark welding wise so don't go by them! You look like you're making good progress on your project too!

[minisi35]

it is but slowley, have just the passenger floor and sill to sort , then get the cage in, then paint, give me 6 months lol