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REMOVABLE RADIATOR FRAME WORK
Now onto the front radiator frame work on RED, my non-streetable BP engine drag racer.
Instead of just re-inforcing the radiator frame, I decided to do a major rework of the entire front end and to make the frame work removable. I looked at pictures of other front end strengthening projects and picked the parts/construction that would work best for me.
Since RED is non-streetable, I did not need headlights, running lights, turn indicators, etc. This freed up a lot of space where I could move other components, so quite a bit of weight went in front of the front axles – good for traction.
Before starting to cut, I leveled the car and took numerous measurements – mainly to see if the car changed dimensions when the front was cut off. Long story short, nothing moved at all!
Taking a page from Charlie, I welded a 1/8” thick plate onto the forward bumper mounting bulkhead that the main frames fasten to. This gave me a solid structure that I could attach things too and greatly re-enforced the frame ends – which I had previously cut and boxed.
I used a piece of 2” x 3” x .120” wall rectangular tubing for the new lower radiator support beam. The size was very similar to the stock support beam, but it had far thicker solid walls, not flimsy composite sheet metal walls.
I clamped it roughly in place and then started looking on how to best secure it to the car. I ended up using the original sway bar mounts as they made a great triangular shaped mounting base. I fastened these back onto the main frames with the original bolts and now had a “shelf” for the new lower radiator support beam to rest on – which happened to be the lower radiator beam’s original location.
Once clamped in place, I drilled the needed six ½” holes to thru bolt the new support beam in place to the 1/8 inch plate and four for securing the new beam to the original sway bar mounting piece and then bolted it all together. Incredibly strong!!!
Once the new lower radiator beam was in place, the big decision was how much of the upper part of the forward bulkhead (where the headlights mount) should be re-used. After a lot of consideration and trial and error fitting, I decided to cut it off along with the upper radiator/hood latch support bracket and build new.
For the new construction I used 1” x 1” x .120” wall square tubing. This was way heavier than the thin sheet metal structure it replaced, but was much stronger. I made two vertical support beams and welded them to the new lower beam. I then ran a single piece of tubing across where the old upper support had been
and welded it to the vertical beams. I wanted the new upper beam to be secured to the original sheet metal so cut a short section of 1” x 1” to fill the gap. It is a very tight fit and once welded to the upper support beam it stays in place! A single hole in each end piece takes a ¼” Grade 8 bolt to secure it to the remaining bulkhead.
The radiator frame work is now incredibly strong – and yet is fully removable !!!
Since I have room in the new front bumper (an Aspire rear bumper cover) I made a mount for the battery I plan to use (a Group U1). The fuel filter and fuel pump will also live there. The one gallon fuel cell lives where the right headlight use to be.
I am not going to use a front sway bar but rather a couple of “traction bars” to locate the lower front suspension (another reason the lower radiator beam had to be strong).
WEIGHTS
This got a little vague with the subtraction and addition of metal over a period of several weeks.
The new radiator frame work weighs 24.6 pounds without the battery box or bumper securing brackets. Probably about 26 pounds with them.
All the sheet metal and headlight assemblies I got rid of weighted about 10 pounds. The old upper and lower radiator support beams weighed about 9.8 pounds.
So all the new parts weigh about 6 pounds more than the old parts. Since they are in front of the axles, the added weight is good for traction.
FRONT BUMPER
In another write up I mentioned about my going to use a 1996 Aspire rear bumper for REDS new front bumper. I had test fitted it and it looked good and lined up well. So now was the time to get it to actually fit.
I secured it to existing fastening holes in the fender well and then fabricated up a couple of brackets that will go from the lower radiator support beam to the inside of the bumper cover.
I ran a piece of 2” wide 1/8” thick aluminum inside the cover and bolted in in place. This both stiffens the lower edge of the new bumper and makes it strong enough to be bolted to the new brackets.
A couple more brackets have to be made to secure the bottom ends of the cover but this is pretty straight forward work. But in the meantime the bumper is in place and is allowing me to figure out where the fuel filter, fuel pump and battery holder should be installed.
The only thing left to do is fabricated fill in places on top of the new bumper. I’m planning on making the center portion of the upper fill in piece removable so I’ll have access to the battery and the fuel filter.
More pictures on next post.
Now onto the front radiator frame work on RED, my non-streetable BP engine drag racer.
Instead of just re-inforcing the radiator frame, I decided to do a major rework of the entire front end and to make the frame work removable. I looked at pictures of other front end strengthening projects and picked the parts/construction that would work best for me.
Since RED is non-streetable, I did not need headlights, running lights, turn indicators, etc. This freed up a lot of space where I could move other components, so quite a bit of weight went in front of the front axles – good for traction.
Before starting to cut, I leveled the car and took numerous measurements – mainly to see if the car changed dimensions when the front was cut off. Long story short, nothing moved at all!
Taking a page from Charlie, I welded a 1/8” thick plate onto the forward bumper mounting bulkhead that the main frames fasten to. This gave me a solid structure that I could attach things too and greatly re-enforced the frame ends – which I had previously cut and boxed.
I used a piece of 2” x 3” x .120” wall rectangular tubing for the new lower radiator support beam. The size was very similar to the stock support beam, but it had far thicker solid walls, not flimsy composite sheet metal walls.
I clamped it roughly in place and then started looking on how to best secure it to the car. I ended up using the original sway bar mounts as they made a great triangular shaped mounting base. I fastened these back onto the main frames with the original bolts and now had a “shelf” for the new lower radiator support beam to rest on – which happened to be the lower radiator beam’s original location.
Once clamped in place, I drilled the needed six ½” holes to thru bolt the new support beam in place to the 1/8 inch plate and four for securing the new beam to the original sway bar mounting piece and then bolted it all together. Incredibly strong!!!
Once the new lower radiator beam was in place, the big decision was how much of the upper part of the forward bulkhead (where the headlights mount) should be re-used. After a lot of consideration and trial and error fitting, I decided to cut it off along with the upper radiator/hood latch support bracket and build new.
For the new construction I used 1” x 1” x .120” wall square tubing. This was way heavier than the thin sheet metal structure it replaced, but was much stronger. I made two vertical support beams and welded them to the new lower beam. I then ran a single piece of tubing across where the old upper support had been
and welded it to the vertical beams. I wanted the new upper beam to be secured to the original sheet metal so cut a short section of 1” x 1” to fill the gap. It is a very tight fit and once welded to the upper support beam it stays in place! A single hole in each end piece takes a ¼” Grade 8 bolt to secure it to the remaining bulkhead.
The radiator frame work is now incredibly strong – and yet is fully removable !!!
Since I have room in the new front bumper (an Aspire rear bumper cover) I made a mount for the battery I plan to use (a Group U1). The fuel filter and fuel pump will also live there. The one gallon fuel cell lives where the right headlight use to be.
I am not going to use a front sway bar but rather a couple of “traction bars” to locate the lower front suspension (another reason the lower radiator beam had to be strong).
WEIGHTS
This got a little vague with the subtraction and addition of metal over a period of several weeks.
The new radiator frame work weighs 24.6 pounds without the battery box or bumper securing brackets. Probably about 26 pounds with them.
All the sheet metal and headlight assemblies I got rid of weighted about 10 pounds. The old upper and lower radiator support beams weighed about 9.8 pounds.
So all the new parts weigh about 6 pounds more than the old parts. Since they are in front of the axles, the added weight is good for traction.
FRONT BUMPER
In another write up I mentioned about my going to use a 1996 Aspire rear bumper for REDS new front bumper. I had test fitted it and it looked good and lined up well. So now was the time to get it to actually fit.
I secured it to existing fastening holes in the fender well and then fabricated up a couple of brackets that will go from the lower radiator support beam to the inside of the bumper cover.
I ran a piece of 2” wide 1/8” thick aluminum inside the cover and bolted in in place. This both stiffens the lower edge of the new bumper and makes it strong enough to be bolted to the new brackets.
A couple more brackets have to be made to secure the bottom ends of the cover but this is pretty straight forward work. But in the meantime the bumper is in place and is allowing me to figure out where the fuel filter, fuel pump and battery holder should be installed.
The only thing left to do is fabricated fill in places on top of the new bumper. I’m planning on making the center portion of the upper fill in piece removable so I’ll have access to the battery and the fuel filter.
More pictures on next post.
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