Project Stiffy - Tube Chassis Build

[SupaDoopa]

I wouldn't throw a VG in this car. Slap a VK56 in it. No balls.

[brentjj]

Originally Posted by SupaDoopa

I wouldn't throw a VG in this car. Slap a VK56 in it. No balls.

I'm happy with the VG. I wouldn't say they have no balls. 300 stock and easily bumped to 400 with out much work. I'm doing a full build any ways and will realistically just be running 450 reliable. The parts are abundant for VG's and there is a good group of tuners behind them. Plus for this car I'm focusing on handling more than power. That is why I chose the v6 to begin with instead of an inline, to keep the weight as far back against the firewall as possible. Arguably though I'm sure an alu block VK weighs about the same as the iron v6. But still, I'd like to keep the weight mid car and I'm not going to sacrafice that for a different engine. Especially one that doesn't have any more power potential.

You also have to keep in mind I'm just a student and don't have $10,000 to drop into a new engine to build and boost.

And Oakville, how cheap is cheap? I just want some thing to drop in for a bit so I can at least see how the car handles before I go too far with the chassis build. - *edit* I'll just pm you.

[Reece]

Jesus Christ. This is just insane.
VG 240s without a tube chassis are cool enough. Wow..

Subscribed for sure. This is just nuts, I've never seen someone tear apart a 240 like that. Great work so far.

[Grocery Cart]

Originally Posted by brentjj

You also have to keep in mind I'm just a student and don't have $10,000 to drop into a new engine to build and boost.

At this point I would just expect you to build your own!


Sub'd. You completely lost me on this build and that's what I like!

[PoorMans180SX]

Hey man, I like the spirit, but I hope you don't plan on lowering the car very far, that strut tower and rear bar will never work

[brentjj]

Originally Posted by Grocery Cart

At this point I would just expect you to build your own!


Sub'd. You completely lost me on this build and that's what I like!

Haha well I'm doing the engine build my self of course, but making my own engine would be pretty sweet too. Maybe in a few years

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

Hey man, I like the spirit, but I hope you don't plan on lowering the car very far, that strut tower and rear bar will never work

Yeah I have to trim up the outside edges of the front towers still as you can see in the picture the tires already hit. Once they are trimmed I'll have full travel in the front. The rear is fine as is though. The frame bottoms out on the ground before the half shafts hit the bars on the upper rear.

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by brentjj

Haha well I'm doing the engine build my self of course, but making my own engine would be pretty sweet too. Maybe in a few years



Yeah I have to trim up the outside edges of the front towers still as you can see in the picture the tires already hit. Once they are trimmed I'll have full travel in the front. The rear is fine as is though. The frame bottoms out on the ground before the half shafts hit the bars on the upper rear.

I mean that bar that goes rearward from the strut tower. Your tire is going to hit it at very shallow steering angles.

[brentjj]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

I mean that bar that goes rearward from the strut tower. Your tire is going to hit it at very shallow steering angles.

Oh I see, I see. The rear bar off the strut tower clears. It isn't any thing to worry about. I think it's just because of the angle I took the picture from. Keep in mind that the frame was sitting only about an inch off the ground when I took those pictures too. Ride height will be quite a few inches higher.

[dt racer]

Thanks for the link Brent. Subscribed

This might go under an "if I knew when I started what I was getting into" story you'll be tellin your kids one day lol.

Awesome progress so far, looks wicked. With the wide stance etc...Gonna be coming to a track near you n kick'n butt in the near future...

Ford

[kawitwofiddy]

damn man reading stuff like this makes me so inspired to do things to this level. Did you have to use a high grade steel for it all? I want to goto school for engineering but at this point im beyond sick of school, and want to make as much money as I can and do it all without "proper certification" for it. Ill be following your build though to get some more ideas good sir. Looking forward to the finished product!

[brentjj]

Originally Posted by kawitwofiddy

damn man reading stuff like this makes me so inspired to do things to this level. Did you have to use a high grade steel for it all? I want to goto school for engineering but at this point im beyond sick of school, and want to make as much money as I can and do it all without "proper certification" for it. Ill be following your build though to get some more ideas good sir. Looking forward to the finished product!

Glad I could provide some inspiration! It is all seamless 1-3/4" DOM tubing. It starts as solid bar then it's drawn over a mandrel that punches a hole in the centre and presses the tube out to the proper ID and OD. Forming the tube this way just makes it stronger.

And the money only gets you so far. Just make sure you can do what you love and you'll be happy.

[D.Adams]

Such a sick ass build.

Keep it up

[brentjj]

I dropped the engine in this afternoon to see how every thing lined up and to figure out the tranny mounts. so far so good. Firewall going in next.

[Keenan Galley]

Looking good dude!

[brentjj]

Updates! -kind of-

I took some pictures of how the car sits now. I had all 4 wheels bolted up a few days ago just to check fitment and every thing was good. It's rolling now aside from not having upper shock mounts in the back. Engine is fully mounted as well. The diff supports its own weight in the car with just the rear 4 bolts holging it -... surprisingly- but I still need to fab up the front mounts for it. I got the firewall x brace in as well as the C pillars. Looking at the car now with the c pillars; I think I'm going to make it a coupe.

Enough talk... here's some picture. ***edit*** sorry the pictures aren't the greatest. I just used my gopro to take them. I'll bust out a real camera for the next round of pictures.









Ignore the ghetto plywood floor. I just needed to throw a seat in the car to make sure I had proper head room with the main hoop.

[Reece]

God... This thing is awesome.

[bova17]

This thing is already badass

[Oakville]

A 240 coupe?

[ANDY black s13]

Such an Awesome build! I had to subscribe,
I hope it comes together without too many problems

[brentjj]

Originally Posted by Oakville

A 240 coupe?

Yupp. I don't think it's going to look much like a 240 in the end though. We'll see. I just got my fuel cell cage in and it is deff going to be easier for me to make a coupe. I'll be able to use less tubing and save some weight vs if I were to do a full hatch back.

[Oakville]

I prefer the coupes much more over the hatches..very nice. i'm still wondering how the body is gonna work on this, dropping a cut shell on top? If not, I can't picture what your body panels (firewall back mostly) will look like

[brentjj]

Originally Posted by Oakville

I prefer the coupes much more over the hatches..very nice. i'm still wondering how the body is gonna work on this, dropping a cut shell on top? If not, I can't picture what your body panels (firewall back mostly) will look like

I'm going to use regular 240 doors on regular 240 hinges. The rest of the body will be carbon fiber hopefully and drop on just like a nascar. The hard part is going to be making it air tight and having proper windows. I have yet to figure that out.

I have decided to do a front and rear firewall. So there will be a fire wall in the front in the normal location. I'm going to put a second firewall right behind the seats that will seal off what would normally be the trunk of the car. I'm going to leave the trunk fully exposed underneath and to the back of the car. Think of the rear end of a Zonda, same kinda thing. I think this will be the best way to go for me as it will keep my oil tank and fuel cell sealed off from the interior cabin.

[Tim_Zenki]

will be interesting to see how u go about the steering for this

[Lawrenceeeeee]

Subbbeddddddddd

[blo0d]

Subscribed.... Epic concept, I hope it goes all the way. get it done!

[unwtdhero]

Holy car batman

[crazywoody]

keep it up man! Hamilton is doing it big!

[brentjj]

Thanks for all the props guys!

I got the car all painted this weekend. I have alot more work to do on the chassis still but I just hated the surface rust that was going on. Wire wheeled the whole thing and gave it a few coats of tremclad. Once the chassis is don I'll get it sand blasted and give it a real spray job with the gun. I just ordered my fuel cell, a new rad and a bucket seat so I'll be able to start test fitting some components next week. I'm also going to re design the fron end a bit. As it was pointed out earlier in the thread, there is a but of a clearance issue with the tires deep in the suspension travel. It will probably be fine in the long run how it is now but I'll feel better once the issue is fully gone. The towers are staying where they are but I'm removing a bar from each tower, relocating it higher up out of the tire path, then cutting 3 or 4 inches of the bottom end of the tower off.

Pictures of some fresh paint!:

[HB_Alex]

great work on this, definitely subscribing! Keep up the great work

[rwtf]

sweet sauce, sub'd fo sho.