Chassis Bracing

[Philostang]

...so we've both probably wasted more money on useless automotive doo-dads than we care to admit.

Terry, that's about the most honest thing I've read all week. Very cool, and glad to know I'm not the only one.

To the OP: Drive!

Seriously, once the car is on track you're going to find lots of time (I mean improvements in lap times) in getting the basic set up dialed in, and then TONS of time by tightening the nut behind the wheel with seat time. No chassis rigidity improvements that you could possibly make to this car are going to match the improvements you'll find in these other areas. The car really doesn't need much of anything more by way of stiffening to get started (beyond Norm's suggestion, which your car should already have). So focus on the big pay-off items (like seat time).

Sounds like it'll be a great track toy!!

Best,
-j

 

[Roadracer350]

Now im not sure? I was told it was a "S" but as I said it was stripped pretty much bare. It is completly seamed welded with a full cage and all the pics I have seen of the cage it is spot on with the "S". It did have the Miller Cup center switch pannel so I just assumed he was telling the truth. Are the tubs on the "S" & "C" the same?

 

[Roadracer350]

Terry, that's about the most honest thing I've read all week. Very cool, and glad to know I'm not the only one.

To the OP: Drive!

Seriously, once the car is on track you're going to find lots of time (I mean improvements in lap times) in getting the basic set up dialed in, and then TONS of time by tightening the nut behind the wheel with seat time. No chassis rigidity improvements that you could possibly make to this car are going to match the improvements you'll find in these other areas. The car really doesn't need much of anything more by way of stiffening to get started (beyond Norm's suggestion, which your car should already have). So focus on the big pay-off items (like seat time).

Sounds like it'll be a great track toy!!

Best,
-j

Yea after reading the posts from the fast guys thats what im going to do. Im just going to finish her out and hopefully have her on track by March-April!

 

[kevinatfms]

Now im not sure? I was told it was a "S" but as I said it was stripped pretty much bare. It is completly seamed welded with a full cage and all the pics I have seen of the cage it is spot on with the "S". It did have the Miller Cup center switch pannel so I just assumed he was telling the truth. Are the tubs on the "S" & "C" the same?

if its seam welded its either an post miller cup era seam welding or its a C model. does it still have the factory part number VIN?

if you read it off you can figure out which car it is. i believe the part number started with the FR500s or c designation then the build number. it should be where the VIN plate would be on the dash.

 

[Roadracer350]

I will look when I get home. When I bought it it was a bill of sale only. I am in the process of getting a special title so I can get it registered for limited street duty to drive it in parades and to and from car shows n cruise ins.

 

[Norm Peterson]

FWIW, a cage doesn't necessarily mean that the overall chassis stiffness has been increased as much as you might think. Keep in mind that the cage's first order of business is to protect the occupant(s). After that, the tubes can consider helping to resist the normal chassis loads.

Somewhere out there is a Cornell.edu paper that demonstrates that even a NASCAR chassis of a few years ago benefitted measurably by adding just a couple of tubes.


Norm

 

[ArizonaGT]

FWIW, a cage doesn't necessarily mean that the overall chassis stiffness has been increased as much as you might think. Keep in mind that the cage's first order of business is to protect the occupant(s). After that, the tubes can consider helping to resist the normal chassis loads.

Somewhere out there is a Cornell.edu paper that demonstrates that even a NASCAR chassis of a few years ago benefitted measurably by adding just a couple of tubes.


Norm

Totally agree, it all depends on the structure of the cage and attachment to the chassis itself.

 

[Roadracer350]

These pics show what the cage looks like on the inside. Of course these are not the actual pics of the car but the cage looks just like this.

 

[frank s]

Now if they could just get that kind of functionality hidden within the shell/tub itself, without too much weight increase, they'd have some safe cars, road or track.

 

[Norm Peterson]

These pics show what the cage looks like on the inside. Of course these are not the actual pics of the car but the cage looks just like this.

Looks to me like the pictures aren't all from the same car.

Tubes that end somewhere in the middle of another tube rather than at or very close to a "node" aren't nearly as effective as they could be. Any load that they do manage to pick up loads the tube they tie off into in bending, which is the least rigid "direction" to load a tube in.

I really don't like point-loading a small diameter tube into a large diameter tube (like I think I'm seeing in the middle picture for the diagonal between the halo bar and the main hoop). A taco gusset would be a better approach, and it's not like you'd ever have a useful reason to look through that little triangular opening anyway.

I'm sure that Fair or blainefab (over at corner-carvers.com) could go into further detail . . .


Norm

 

[DocB]

Norm,
My car has that same small tube you are talking about. I always wondered why they used the small tube and not just a larger one, or as you pointed out, maybe a Taco would be even better. Belive me, there is nothing to see looking out that triangular opening.

I'd imagine there was quite a few Ford and Multimatic Engineers on this project so I am still wondering what their reasoning was/is.

 

[zquez]

I will look when I get home. When I bought it it was a bill of sale only. I am in the process of getting a special title so I can get it registered for limited street duty to drive it in parades and to and from car shows n cruise ins.

If the guy you bought it from said it was a 2006 FR500S, he was lying to you. The FR500S was only mad in 2008 for the Mustang Challenge series. He may have made a copy to FR500S specs, but if its a 2006 its fake.

Easy way to tell is to look at where the VIN plate is at the base of the windshield. If there's a VIN its fake. Otherwise there would be a number for the chassis.

 

[Roadracer350]

It's got a black sticker with a bar code and says FR500S 070

 

[DocB]

If that VIN sticker is authentic, then it's the real deal.
You've got a good cage, and if someone went through the trouble to seam weld the chassis, then you have an even better car.
Good for you, now get the car together and run it!

 

[Roadracer350]

I'm hopeing! I am buying some more parts next week. I'm shooting to have it running and driving by march.

 

[OkieSnuffBox]

^COMMA or just HST?

 

[Roadracer350]

^COMMA or just HST?

Not sure yet. I'm doing some shows with it at first and when it gets warmer I will take it out to Hallett. I need to call Scott out their and see about doing some testing. He used to let me come out on the bike in the middle of the week all day for 150