then we begin planning and finding seams...i decided to start in the rear.
then you get the welder dialed in and go nuts.
before you ask why...i'll give you this to read.
Stitch welding a chassis effectively increases the torsional rigidity of the car (reduces twisting), this allows the suspension to be easier to tune and operate the way it is supposed to. In an ideal world the chassis must never absorb energy from the suspension, the chassis is supposed to be a solid structure for the suspension to mount onto. By having a solid structure you get much more predictable handling since the suspension is doing all of the work. It is easier to tune a car when the suspension is the only thing deflecting and absorbing the impacts. It is much harder to tune a suspension when the chassis is flexing different amounts under different loads. Bracing a chassis with a front and/or rear strut tower braces and underbody braces are a good idea but these modifications cannot be fully utilized when it is still attached to a flexing chassis.
Prep the seam areas for welding and do spot welds with 1-inch intervals, alternating spot welds from the front to the rear of the car and also the left to the right to prevent any warping. Stitch welding strength doesn't come from the addition of welding wire, but actually comes from the fusion of the sheet metal panels. Overall the whole stitch welding process uses approximately two pounds of wire for a medium sized car. The torsional rigidity gained from the addition of two pounds of material is much better than any strut tower brace or underbody brace can provide.
After the stitch welding procedure the car will have a lower degree of twist under a torsional load, there is no guarantee that the degrees of twist will decrease by X% as every car responds differently to the stitch welding process. Some cars are very poorly spot welded from the factory, while others are done very well, Also the overall age/condition of the car will determine how well it responds to stitch welding work.
havn't started on them at all...i am waiting until jimmy and i both have the same day off at work to knock those out...we've pretty much figured out how we plan on mounting them. It just requires a lot of welding, so i practice by stitch welding the chassis and waiting till we have the same day off haha. I figure a stiffer chassis cant hurt right?
i'll be working on the wagon for the better part of the day if anybody is bored and wants to drop on by shoot me a text. errbody is welcome! 503.706.1778
i got the lower tube on...all thats left is connectors and then the outer tube.
here is what im going to do about the rear piece since the trailing arm is in the way of a full tube, i decided to use square tube to make the last connector.
then i fitted the bar to the connectors.
and then started welding the bar on the bottom. pain in my ass...i'd kill for a lift.
and one shot from the inside. i'm thinking im going to use angle iron to box the inside square tube to the chassis its self. weld the angle iron to the tube and then to the car....thoughts?
hahaha the flares are not mine. they're for a F-350 haha. they're far to big for the wagon....im still going to add out tubes and thenone more bar out the side next to the rocker panel for protection.
Got a bunch more work done today. Jimmy came over today and we went to town on the passengers side slider. Pretty much got them completely welded up. just some minor finishing stuff left, need to put some spacers under the inside bar so it distributes the weight further. Once we get it all buttoned up i'll pick up some durable paint to finish it off with! On to the photos.
incredible bro! do you think the side bars will catch on trail debris? I've seen it happen with some designs of sliders on jeeps, gaps are too far apart and will catch on stuff.. maybe some sheet metal to help slide?
i've already got the idea for the gaps. going to weld tabs on the inside of them and use some 1/4" rivets to secure some 1/16" plate steel inside them so nothing gets caught. We'll get to building a bullbar full front bumper after the sliders get finished. Once we get a design for the bumper we can start building it as well as mocking up a full skid plate.
Ever wonder if it'd be easier to just build a jeep or buggy? hahaha. definatly got the cool factor though, cant wait to see finished product...
too easy. I wanted to lift a wagon because nobody had done it before. I said i'd take a wagon where no wagon has gone before...(civic wagon)...and i plan to do just that.
Comments
then we begin planning and finding seams...i decided to start in the rear.
then you get the welder dialed in and go nuts.
before you ask why...i'll give you this to read.
Stitch welding a chassis effectively increases the torsional rigidity of the car (reduces twisting), this allows the suspension to be easier to tune and operate the way it is supposed to. In an ideal world the chassis must never absorb energy from the suspension, the chassis is supposed to be a solid structure for the suspension to mount onto. By having a solid structure you get much more predictable handling since the suspension is doing all of the work. It is easier to tune a car when the suspension is the only thing deflecting and absorbing the impacts. It is much harder to tune a suspension when the chassis is flexing different amounts under different loads. Bracing a chassis with a front and/or rear strut tower braces and underbody braces are a good idea but these modifications cannot be fully utilized when it is still attached to a flexing chassis.
Prep the seam areas for welding and do spot welds with 1-inch intervals, alternating spot welds from the front to the rear of the car and also the left to the right to prevent any warping. Stitch welding strength doesn't come from the addition of welding wire, but actually comes from the fusion of the sheet metal panels. Overall the whole stitch welding process uses approximately two pounds of wire for a medium sized car. The torsional rigidity gained from the addition of two pounds of material is much better than any strut tower brace or underbody brace can provide.
After the stitch welding procedure the car will have a lower degree of twist under a torsional load, there is no guarantee that the degrees of twist will decrease by X% as every car responds differently to the stitch welding process. Some cars are very poorly spot welded from the factory, while others are done very well, Also the overall age/condition of the car will determine how well it responds to stitch welding work.
SCCA guys do this all the time.. Good Idea!
How about the Sliders?? Progress?
http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles ... art-2.aspx
holes anybody?
under the car
umm...what?
here is what im going to do about the rear piece since the trailing arm is in the way of a full tube, i decided to use square tube to make the last connector.
then i fitted the bar to the connectors.
and then started welding the bar on the bottom. pain in my ass...i'd kill for a lift.
and one shot from the inside. i'm thinking im going to use angle iron to box the inside square tube to the chassis its self. weld the angle iron to the tube and then to the car....thoughts?
That outta take a little better beating!
& I see flares!!!
thanks!!
Got a bunch more work done today. Jimmy came over today and we went to town on the passengers side slider. Pretty much got them completely welded up. just some minor finishing stuff left, need to put some spacers under the inside bar so it distributes the weight further. Once we get it all buttoned up i'll pick up some durable paint to finish it off with! On to the photos.
Now you need man sized bull bar!!! hahaha
too easy. I wanted to lift a wagon because nobody had done it before. I said i'd take a wagon where no wagon has gone before...(civic wagon)...and i plan to do just that.
thanks! should have that side finished and the drivers side finished or close to finished.
thanks! should have that side finished and the drivers side finished or close to finished.