Bruno's 87 Mustang build

Rocker bars , door bars, and rear bars in. Will get things welded up , seal up cracks and prime the cage. Next up rear spring bar, upper and lower tq boxes ....

Looking good. Make sure it’s ready for the race in June!

jbozzelle wrote:Looking good. Make sure it’s ready for the race in June!

haha ... i doubt that .... but certainly trying !!

hey Bruno! you are moving out on the new project! keep up the good work!

Need to bars to go down to the upper suspension points and I’d also add an x the the back bars

Looking good Bruno and like John said June is getting closer.

dfree383 wrote:Need to bars to go down to the upper suspension points and I’d also add an x the the back bars

yes once i get the upper tq boxes in they will be tied in to the cage.X-bars Above that center bar or below ?

None of mine have an X brace. Mine are like yours with the hoop triangulated to the rear down bars instead of adding an X... Just food for thought.

I would add both the down bars & the X bars. The down bars (red) will support the wraparound loop, and the rear facing X bars (blue) will support the shock crossmember (green) if a shock crossmember is used. The X bars also help transfer the anti-roll loading diagonally to the main cage structure.



Also, if it was my car I would tuck the windshield bars in a lot tighter to the A-pillar/posts to get them out of the field of vision.

yes , i will be changing the upper and lower tq boxes and most of the new upper tq boxes comes with a tubular top bar that i will tie into the cage , but was thinking about tying it into the main hoop ?? i will be adding a cross member for the new shock location. As far as the front a-pillar bars yes i was pretty disappointed about them being that far out. This is a "pre-notched" deal from team- z

nitrous.f wrote:hey Bruno!  you are moving out on the new project! keep up the good work!

thank you bud

DILLIGASDAVE wrote:I would add both the down bars & the X bars. The down bars (red) will support the wraparound loop, and the rear facing X bars (blue) will support the shock crossmember (green) if a shock crossmember is used. The X bars also help transfer the anti-roll loading diagonally to the main cage structure.



Also, if it was my car I would tuck the windshield bars in a lot tighter to the A-pillar/posts to get them out of the field of vision.

Dave,

Where would you tie the RED bars into the chassis at? Just a plate on the floor or tie them into the upper torque box that Bruno will be adding?

jbozzelle wrote:Dave, Where would you tie the RED bars into the chassis at?  Just a plate on the floor or tie them into the upper torque box that Bruno will be adding?

Either way would work depending on how it's done.

If the down bars land somewhere on the replacement upper TQ box structure that would probably work OK as long as it didn't cause the down bars to end up at a crazy angle.

If the down bars drop straight down and land on the stock frame/floor I wouldn't just add a plate to just the sheetmetal floor without also tying the plate to the underlying stock "frame". I would wrap a plate across the top & down the sides of the factory frame to fully box the factory frame at the down bar attachment point.

As for adding even more bars to better tie/brace the upper TQ boxes directly to a part of the main cage structure (like say the main hoop, or the subframe connectors), I think the angle the upper control arms push/pull on the TQ boxes has to be factored in. As an example if you add an X brace running from the upper TQ boxes up to the top of the main hoop IMO it should make the top of the main hoop stronger, but because of the steep upward angle it won't help the rearward pull loading as much that the upper TQ boxes see.

A better Idea for the upper TQ boxes IMO would be to run triangulated bracing from the upper TQ boxes forward/downward to the subframe connector/main hoop diagonal attachment point area, and also forward/upward to the main hoop/seat cross bar attachment point area (if it will clear the w/tubs).

I guess it also depends on who's TQ boxes you use. Some out there look kinda flimsy and probably really need all the help they can get. While other brands are really beefy looking. IIRC the Team Z upper box assembly comes with a crossmember giving you a direct attachment point for additional tie-in bracing.

I really want to stick with everything Team Z, but i really dont care for the way you setup the settings for the bars, i pefer the "holes" rather than the detents ....

cage is welded in , finishing up the work on the frame notching and the tubs

Looks good Nick. What kind of welder are you using?

Mike R wrote:Looks good Nick. What kind of welder are you using?

im using a lincoln pro mig 175 , my buddy who is doing all the final welding is using a matco welder

bruno wrote:I really want to stick with everything Team Z, but i really dont care for the way you setup the settings for the bars, i pefer the "holes" rather than the detents ....

The detents allow fine tuning for the real high HP deals. I really like these torque boxes...

https://www.jcrchassisworks.com/

This looks like a sweet deal, uppers and lowers package deal https://wildridesracecars.com/shop/ford/new-upper-lower-s-box-combo-package/

jbozzelle wrote:

bruno wrote:I really want to stick with everything Team Z, but i really dont care for the way you setup the settings for the bars, i pefer the "holes" rather than the detents ....

The detents allow fine tuning for the real high HP deals.  I really like these torque boxes...

https://www.jcrchassisworks.com/

yes i have spoke to him and Tim Lyons on his boxes....

Mike R wrote:This looks like a sweet deal, uppers and lowers package deal https://wildridesracecars.com/shop/ford/new-upper-lower-s-box-combo-package/

yes the price is right no doubt , but i still like the idea of a tubular brace across the boxes , plus it will be easier to tie in to the cage

Got a little primer on the bars. Gonna be a couple of weeks before the rest of the rear suspension shows up.

Not trying to be a smart ass at all. Just asking to learn something. Why not just go full on tube chassis? Looks like you’re leaving a lot of extra weight in it by leaving the factory floors and inner quarters etc. I see a lot of guys do this so there has to be a good reason. My first thought is to retain the stock front suspension/ steering.?

stanger68 wrote:Not trying  to be a smart ass at all. Just asking to learn something. Why not just go full on tube chassis? Looks like you’re leaving a lot of extra weight in it by leaving the factory floors and inner quarters etc.  I see a lot of guys do this so there has to be a good reason. My first thought is to retain the stock front suspension/ steering.?

Not at all. I probably am leaving alot of weight with leaving the floors in , but i have a budget on this whole deal , and the main thing is i wanted to do all or most of it myself. Once i get the tubs finished and the rear suspension tied in i will remove all the unnecessary metal. Same goes for the front once i get the factory frame rail stitched welded and tie it in to the cage i will remove all the unnecessary metal. My goal is to have the car at 2650 race ready with driver !!

bruno wrote:Got a little primer on the bars. Gonna be a couple of weeks before the rest of the rear suspension shows up.

Looking good Nick keep the pictures coming after you take them!!!