The fabrication thread.

[Xracer]

Is the color of that Z royal sapphire pearl? aka RSP blue. Supra color?

[Andrew Bohan]

z33 daytona blue

[RUTH'LESSDET]

Originally Posted by vaughn4

better yet, send me some money and i will make you one just like it!!

pm sent!!!!

[babowc]

nothing compared to what you guys do here..
just made my fmic bracket out of brackets off the seatbelt assembly.
teehee..

[atutt]

Originally Posted by Xracer

That is some sexy tig work sir.

Originally Posted by GSXRJJordan

1) Luke, the Blu808 x Lab17 design looks tits... Can't believe how many layers though.
2) BMW is beast.
3) LS1 turbo setup needs to happen - it's too beast not to.
4) HOLY CRAP the Z looks good. Metal fender flare protectors are a nice touch too.

5) Atutt, those welds are incredible. I thought about you as a I grinded (ground?) down a weld today, actually.

Thanks guys.
Kinda strange that someone so far away was thinking about me, lol.

Vaughn's car make my genitals rise...

[GSXRJJordan]

Finally got around to hosting the pics of the deadbolt setup I came up with... credits to Russ (ProjectRDM) for planting the idea in my head.

This is in my g/f's 510, but I will be doing another set for the S14.

Here's the linear actuators I used, measured all the way in...


... and all the way out:


4" stroke, high speed (about 2"/sec @ 13V), with low capacity (8lbs max), perfect for me!

*Sorry for the shitty cell phone pics, cam was dead*

Then I made a bracket to hold the actuator in the quarterpanel behind the door - they come with the tiny aluminum bracket that attaches via a clevis pin to the stationary side of the actuator - I riveted this side in, then bent up some 1" x 1/8" flat stock and welded it onto the 2" x 1/8" back piece to hold the other side:




Welds are meh - I prep'd with acetone, but there was still a lot of surface contamination - I should have grinded it down I suppose, but just for shits and giggles I smacked it with a hammer as hard as I could a few times trying to break each of the welds, and it just left scratches in my concrete floor

Anywho, then I mounted the whole thing in the car, marked up my holes, and drilled through the B-pillar and then the door - after I had it all lined up (it took a little "finesse" to not leave gaping holes - chicks don't like gape apparently ), I welded the bracket to the body - bolt in versions will be available when/if I decide to sell these as a kit.

I couldn't get that foam out without destroying it, so I put an aluminum plate behind the upper panel while I was welding, worked great! No fires!





The body of the car was extremely dirty, and I didn't want to grind it down because it was so thin already - I ended up just hitting it with sandpaper/acetone, and two of the three welds came out great - top one was tough because even at the lowest power, I *vaporized* the metal on the body as soon as I'd start a bead. Anywho, it's in there strong as shit (I kicked it as hard as I could for fun, didn't move at all ), and the deadbolt setup itself gets very little force anyway (unless you had someone holding the handle, and kicked the door as hard as you could from the inside I suppose).

I'll try and put up some vids of it in action when I finally install her alarm (alarm activates deadbolt relay with lock/unlock ground signals).

[Jdm.I.Am]

Originally Posted by GSXRJJordan

I'll try and put up some vids of it in action when I finally install her alarm (alarm activates deadbolt relay with lock/unlock ground signals).

cant wait on the video, i am steeling this idea for my dad, he is bulding a 63 impala "rat rod/Hot rod" and wants to shave off the door handles inside/out..

rules:

my ghetto cut/ fold of my rear fenders.. sorry no pictures of them welded up..

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by Jdm.I.Am

cant wait on the video, i am steeling this idea for my dad, he is bulding a 63 impala "rat rod/Hot rod" and wants to shave off the door handles inside/out..

I think you're thinking these are door poppers - they're not. They're deadbolts that extend through the B-pillar and into the door, stopping you from being able to open the door. When you hit unlock on the alarm, they retract back inside the quarterpanel, and you still have to use the handle to unlatch the door and open it.

Door poppers can be done MUCH easier lol.

[240sxScores]

Whats the point of the deadbolt when you can just break the window glass and go in that way?

[cazman]

Originally Posted by 240sxScores

Whats the point of the deadbolt when you can just break the window glass and go in that way?

It makes life hard for them, cops would spot the broken window too. And how are you going to sell the car as a stolen goods when the windows are smashed and the doors wont open?
They have to cut open your doors or cut the actuators (provided they are welded on)

What i worry about is a failsafe? What happens if you get a flat battery etc?

I dont know why you didnt use door lock actuators, I had this idea years ago, but never did it for fear of it breaking down.

[Om1kron]

Originally Posted by 240sxScores

Whats the point of the deadbolt when you can just break the window glass and go in that way?

go ahead and do some electrical work under your steering column with your door shut. Especially if your ignition wont start with a screwdriver =)

try opening a door you just shoved a jimmy down the window to pop the locks open for to get into a car without breaking the window, try pushing a car with broken glass somewhere without making yourself noticeable.

[JRas]

is that legal for a street and or track car?

seems like it would be dangerous in the event of an accident.. or am I missing something?

[onepuff]

I don't think they will be in the locked position while the car is being driven so it shouldn't be an issue.

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by 240sxScores

Whats the point of the deadbolt when you can just break the window glass and go in that way?

Wayne (om1kron) had the same statement when I first talked to him about it... Why have any security at all, if your car can just be towed away regardless?

Because it makes it harder to steal. And as skill required to steal it increases, chances that it gets stolen decrease exponentially.

Originally Posted by cazman

What i worry about is a failsafe? What happens if you get a flat battery etc?

I dont know why you didnt use door lock actuators, I had this idea years ago, but never did it for fear of it breaking down.

The actuators are powered by their own circuit, and pulsed by the alarm - they'll still work (although much slower) on just a couple volts, and the alarm has it's own battery backup to make sure the deadbolt circuit gets its pulse.

I have a failsafe in mind that would work 100% of the time and be very secure, but will not be sharing it, except possibly with customers that purchase a kit in the future.

If you've ever actually felt a door lock actuator, you'd know that you could break one by pulling on the door hard enough - they also don't have enough travel to sit back in the quarterpanel and still reach into the door (need about 2" it seems, and that's with quite a bit of cutting).

Originally Posted by Om1kron

go ahead and do some electrical work under your steering column with your door shut. Especially if your ignition wont start with a screwdriver =)

try opening a door you just shoved a jimmy down the window to pop the locks open for to get into a car without breaking the window, try pushing a car with broken glass somewhere without making yourself noticeable.

Exactly - it's all just levels of deterrence. These cars are incredibly easy to jimmy and hotwire, but there's almost zero chance of being able to hotwire it with the door closed and an alarm starter-kill, much less an ignition/fuel kill switch.

Originally Posted by JRas

is that legal for a street and or track car?

seems like it would be dangerous in the event of an accident.. or am I missing something?

If you'd ever been in an accident where the doors have been hit, they don't open anyway

That's why firemen have the "jaws of life", to cut the A pillars and B pillars.

Originally Posted by onepuff

I don't think they will be in the locked position while the car is being driven so it shouldn't be an issue.

Eh, that too. But even if your doors are locked normally (like all new cars that lock your doors at 10mph+) and you get knocked out - someone can't open the door from the outside.

[GSXRJJordan]

So first of all, screw guys like Vaughn and Acidz for having such awesome cars and great fab skills - I'm totally cool with getting outclassed by "pros" like Luke and Bill W, but I always feel intimidated to step my fab game up by the pro-level amateurs.

So I started the tubs on the JEFE S14 today, since it's sitting on jacks anyway waiting for my new wheels. I've tubbed another car before, but didn't do the greatest job in the world (it was a track beater, and I wasn't getting paid)... so I wanted to do a great job on mine, and make a template that would allow me to repeat this awesomeness on others' cars.

First, the prep shots.

Measuring how much room I actually have to work with, because the intercooler piping comes to the very back of that cutout (I've got something creative to get around that problem)


Some minor rubbing on the passenger side (ride heights a little higher on this side I think):


MAJOR rubbing on the driver's side, and that's after I pounded it out a bit:


... then I spent about an hour taking my power steering system apart and marking everything off with painter's tape (even though I'm going to repaint the sides of the bay anyway), and eventually took the plunge with the grinder and my sawzall:



Oh yeah ~


Then came the 'template' phase, using construction paper from God-knows-when - got it measured out so there's equal clearance to the front and back of the hub (easily 12" in all directions) - it was flimsy, so it didn't hold the perfect shape unless I was holding it up:



And after a ton of time fussing with it to get it perfect, made the first cutout from the ~.018" steel (hope it's not too thin ) - just bent roughly to shape in the pic, not tacked anywhere


looks BOSS ~ will finish tomorrow or the next day and possibly host template designs.

[Mister.E]

that looks sick so far. cant wait to see how this turns out

[blu808]

Jeff. I hope your wheel tubs will not have any dead bolts. lol jk.

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by blu808

Jeff. I hope your wheel tubs will not have any dead bolts. lol jk.

Just because I dont see how it would be possible doesn't mean they won't find their way into the design...

... it'd be sweet if u were helping me, you could do all the welds in cursive or something.

[silviaguy240]

Originally Posted by blu808

i freakin love shades of blue like this on s30's

[INeedNewTires]

First off no hate from this post of mine, but i wanted to bring up something. What is your main purpose of doing fender tubs? Its supposed to be for more tire clearance right? bigger, wider, better tires. Well we all know they can only go inward so much because of coilover clearance, so then we get lower offset and wider wheels to push them outward. Then when we turn these much-larger-than-stock wheels they contact the fender wells there.

Okay i said all that to say this. The first thing that gets in the way is not the front of the fender well but the REAR. I dont know if you guys are modding the rear and not saying anything or really dont need the clearance and want to make pretty fender tubs so when you pop the hood its all 'Woah'.... Or maybe i'm missing something?

Now my car is pretty low and i have some steering angle mods so I know from first hand experience. I modded my car to give me more steering angle clearance by cutting a small portion off that pinch weld where the wheel was rubbing-On The REAR. Initially i tried just hammering it smooth, but the tire cought it at full lock and it chewed the shit out of the tire, so i cut it off, ground it smooth, and it seems to be working fine for now, until i get some modded spindles, then its back to the drawing board!

Anyway, keep up the good work, this is one of my favorite threads and GSXRRJORDAN your skills are great and your electrical understanding is beyond me! wish i knew half the crap you do about that... Your thoughts?

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by INeedNewTires

The first thing that gets in the way is not the front of the fender well but the REAR.

I don't know what kind of caster you're running, but after simply hammering the "seam" in the back flat (which it sounds like you did too), I have 12+" of clearance between the hub and anything on top or in the back... and you saw the pic of what the front looked like - definitely needed more help in the front than the back. Maybe you're running lower offset/higher backspacing wheels, or your caster is significantly different?

Originally Posted by INeedNewTires

...and want to make pretty fender tubs so when you pop the hood its all 'Woah'.... Or maybe i'm missing something?

It's WAY too much work to just be an aesthetic mod. I'm modding to fit 18x10+0 up front, with a 265/30 probably btw.

Originally Posted by INeedNewTires

Anyway, keep up the good work, this is one of my favorite threads and GSXRRJORDAN your skills are great and your electrical understanding is beyond me! wish i knew half the crap you do about that... Your thoughts?

Thanks? I still feel new to the 'car fab' world, all my experience has been in WERA/CCS unlimited-class amateur roadracing with GSXR1000s. Car stuff is easy and cheap in comparison.

[racepar1]

The tires always rub on the front of the fenderwell, pretty much never in the rear. I evantually plan on tubbing my front fenders as well. it's nice to see how easy it really is.

INeedNewTires: I hope you didn't grind that pinch weld off without re-welding the seam. That's a major no-no. You should have just hammered it flat.

[vaughn4]

Jordan, glad you see you jump right into it like that! 18guage is fine for what you are doing. It is what size i used and mine turned out ok. It is thin enough to work yet thick enough to not be dinged up by rocks.

oh btw . . . .

Originally Posted by GSXRJJordan

Oh yeah ~

GET SOME NEW GLOVES!!!

Originally Posted by INeedNewTires

First off no hate from this post of mine, but i wanted to bring up something. What is your main purpose of doing fender tubs? Its supposed to be for more tire clearance right? bigger, wider, better tires. Well we all know they can only go inward so much because of coilover clearance, so then we get lower offset and wider wheels to push them outward. Then when we turn these much-larger-than-stock wheels they contact the fender wells there.

Okay i said all that to say this. The first thing that gets in the way is not the front of the fender well but the REAR. I dont know if you guys are modding the rear and not saying anything or really dont need the clearance and want to make pretty fender tubs so when you pop the hood its all 'Woah'.... Or maybe i'm missing something?

I am running stock caster and tire would come in contact with the rear of the strut tower but at the very top.. only when the car was at full lock and loaded on that side. I move that top section up an inch and rewelded it.. sorry no pictures. My offset was good enough that i never rubbed the frame rail in the rear. I would hit the steering stop before that. However now i am running modded spindles and lca's.. and my tie rod end with touch the lca before anything!

[GSXRJJordan]

Originally Posted by vaughn4

Jordan, glad you see you jump right into it like that! 18guage is fine for what you are doing. It is what size i used and mine turned out ok. It is thin enough to work yet thick enough to not be dinged up by rocks.

0.018" is not 18ga - 20ga is 0.032" I thought... I'm like 28ga lol. It's thin, but I can't imagine cutting anything thicker without a 2ft-throat bandsaw - so I had to stick with something I could pick up locally in a roll and cut with shears - and .018" is about it, considering those two criteria.

Originally Posted by vaughn4

oh btw . . . .
GET SOME NEW GLOVES!!!

I'm poor Can you tell I've had those for a while?

Originally Posted by vaughn4

However now i am running modded spindles and lca's.. and my tie rod end with touch the lca before anything!

[keanu] Whoa. [/keanu]

That's crazy. I must be the only mofo running stock LCA/spindles/tie rods on the whole forum.

[SochBAT]

Those gloves are Mechanix, aren't they? ANY liquid touches it, and it turns into toilet paper. God I hate those.

[GSXRJJordan]

They're the cold weather ones, much beefier. I took this pair from the USS T Roosevelt in 2005, so they've lasted a while.

[DUFFM4N]

i love jeff

[twistex]

Here are a few things i been working on .

Lower control arms gusseted using the pbm angle spacers, also changed my location of tension rod to correct any geometry and or binding.







Some headers i made for my ls1 s13, with v bands for exhaust.





Here is the exhaust i made. It has a lot of bends in it but i wanted to tuck it up as high as i could because im going to be running my car low this season. I really wanted to run duals. i have seen a few people fab some super nice dual setups. I would have to relocate the tank most likely. I have stock 98 ls1 so duel to single 3 will be plenty for it. I dont have time to really mod the motor. Plus im happy with the power it has stock for drifting.



Thats it for now.

[twistex]

I have 18x10 -4 up front on a 235 40 18 strech. I had no rubbing issues really with about 7 degree caster with spl inner and outers with 5mm tie rod spacers. I now have the pbm angle deals and well i have yet to be on the road with it. I was going to do fender tubs in my car also. I was thinking of doing both front and beind of the struts. Only way i would think is to move all your brake and clutch stuff into the car. I also like how fender tubs look.

[GSXRJJordan]

^^^ I'm in the middle of tubbing mine, and at 7* of caster (I run 6*), I can't see any reason to tub the back of the front fender wells - I'm setting up to run 18x10 +0 on a 245/40, and have 12.5" of clearance from the hub to the seam on the rear, and that's before the seam was pounded/welded flat. I also have at least that much clearance to the bottom of the frame rail, but that will change once I drop it a lil more.