1982 Cordoba Stock Car.
- Thread starter Diplomat_Wagon
- Start date
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
It's that stupid little bracket that holds the cruise control cable, I have yet to remove it.
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Got some more done, the driver's door bars are finished and the seat mount is almost complete. Please don't be to harsh on my welds, I'm not used to welding with gas and there is a bit of a learning curve. 
So they are a little on the big side so it's not going to fall apart.
All that is left to do with the driver's side is to sheet in the holes in the door bars with some pieces of 14ga sheet steel as per my rules.
Had some much needed help from my brother to get the start of the fuel cell guard mocked up and tacked into place.
So they are a little on the big side so it's not going to fall apart. All that is left to do with the driver's side is to sheet in the holes in the door bars with some pieces of 14ga sheet steel as per my rules.
Had some much needed help from my brother to get the start of the fuel cell guard mocked up and tacked into place.
Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
Uh, dude... did you ever see the welds on the LeBaron? I call them "gorilla welds"... they're not pretty, but they're strong. I did one "perfect" weld on that car, on the bracket that held the K-member to the frame. Everything else looked like a hatchet job. Thank God for flap wheels!
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Oh yeah I remember those welds. They are like these ones, not pretty but stronger then the pieces they attach.
I can weld very nicely with my flux core but this gas mig is totally different.
That's why I did the outside first, it will be covered with the anti penetration steel sheeting and the door skin. :dance:
I can weld very nicely with my flux core but this gas mig is totally different.
That's why I did the outside first, it will be covered with the anti penetration steel sheeting and the door skin.
:dance:
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Found out this weekend that M body and J body Saginaw tilt columns are NOT the same.
They are the same length, same firewall mounting and same shifter arm.
But the dash mount is different.
The J-body is mounted to the old B/C-body style mounting bracket assembly that is welded to the firewall and uses a narrow mount that is welded to the body of the column.
The M-body mount is a wider bolted on mount that bolts to the dashboard frame structure itself.
Who would have thought? :hmmm:
So now that M-body column I stripped down was for nothing as I had to go the the farm and take a column out of one of the J-bodies there. :doh:
I should be able to just swap out the outer shell over from the M-body column after I gut this J-body one.
They are the same length, same firewall mounting and same shifter arm.
But the dash mount is different.
The J-body is mounted to the old B/C-body style mounting bracket assembly that is welded to the firewall and uses a narrow mount that is welded to the body of the column.
The M-body mount is a wider bolted on mount that bolts to the dashboard frame structure itself.
Who would have thought? :hmmm:
So now that M-body column I stripped down was for nothing as I had to go the the farm and take a column out of one of the J-bodies there. :doh:
I should be able to just swap out the outer shell over from the M-body column after I gut this J-body one.
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Got some more welding done Sunday afternoon along with some other bits and pieces.
Have one welder running gas and the other running Flux Core for a hard to reach areas underneath.
Even had to do some welding by mirror, that's lots of fun.
The mirror didn't fair too well. :doh:
Seat mount is finished for now until I get some more bars positioned.
Added a support for the seat frame that is just tacked to the floor so it will break away in a hard wreck and the seat frame with stay with the cage.
Cut down and sealed off the main hoop and A pillar bar ends.
Since all my stock car has to do is be loaded on a trailer and driven about 2 miles from my house to the track I added some convenient tie down anchors for easy hauling.
Have one welder running gas and the other running Flux Core for a hard to reach areas underneath.
Even had to do some welding by mirror, that's lots of fun.
The mirror didn't fair too well. :doh:
Seat mount is finished for now until I get some more bars positioned.
Added a support for the seat frame that is just tacked to the floor so it will break away in a hard wreck and the seat frame with stay with the cage.
Cut down and sealed off the main hoop and A pillar bar ends.
Since all my stock car has to do is be loaded on a trailer and driven about 2 miles from my house to the track I added some convenient tie down anchors for easy hauling.
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Yeah, I was thinking something like welding a washer to the rocker panel.
A decal or paint would get destroyed.
A decal or paint would get destroyed.
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Got some more bars fitted for the car.
Got the first half of my "J" bar mocked up and ready to weld in along with the other half of the center cross brace but I won't be welding them in until I have the rear braces and the rear half of the "J" bar completed, just too hard to get into the back seat that way. I also still have to mount my seat belt tabs and make a box for my left foot to rest on.
No bars in front of the front firewall. Check!
I also added a leg bar just in case, can't be too safe. Added about 6 pound to the left side of the car.
I started round two of stripping down a steering column for this car. :doubt:
At least I can use the epoxy sealed off upper cover from the first one.
I have a quick disconnect steering wheel hub coming for it also.
I also picked up a dirt cheap race box to take to the track, $88 and came with a small socket set.
Got the first half of my "J" bar mocked up and ready to weld in along with the other half of the center cross brace but I won't be welding them in until I have the rear braces and the rear half of the "J" bar completed, just too hard to get into the back seat that way. I also still have to mount my seat belt tabs and make a box for my left foot to rest on.
No bars in front of the front firewall. Check!
I also added a leg bar just in case, can't be too safe. Added about 6 pound to the left side of the car.
I started round two of stripping down a steering column for this car. :doubt:
At least I can use the epoxy sealed off upper cover from the first one.
I have a quick disconnect steering wheel hub coming for it also.
I also picked up a dirt cheap race box to take to the track, $88 and came with a small socket set.
Stretch
Hey! There’s no easy button for a body like this!
Nice work Dippy! I would tie the J bar into the right side cage front upright bar. The one suporting the halo. I would run that foot bar out to the frame like your J bar. You cant go past the fire wall but the farther forward you can get it the better for chassies stiffness.
Remember stiff is good to a point. Don't add more than you need. More bars = weight high, That is bad for your cars roll center Do you guys have a minimum wight rule? Keeping the car as bult as much under that weight means you can add lead low and on the left rear in front of the left rear tire where the car needs all the help it can get.
Remember stiff is good to a point. Don't add more than you need. More bars = weight high, That is bad for your cars roll center Do you guys have a minimum wight rule? Keeping the car as bult as much under that weight means you can add lead low and on the left rear in front of the left rear tire where the car needs all the help it can get.
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
I thought you always run the J to the frame, I think attached to the trans cross member with the rest of the cage is too far back, all the street car guys run it through the floor to the frame just like that. :hmmm:
The reason for that was because it's more for energy transfer then to add reinforcement of the cage.
There is nothing tying the right front frame rail to the cage, I figured the upward force of the suspension would transfer across better if the J bar was actually attached to both the frame rails respectively.
The rear part of the J is going to be attached directly to the left rear frame rail, bringing the front bar down and over to the cage mounting point is going to put it at a pretty extreme angle compared to the rear portion of the J bar. I'm trying to keep the J bar as straight as possible so it transfers force effectively.
As for that leg bar I would have to move it inboard about a foot, directly under the brake pedal to attach it to the frame rail.
Where it is positioned now is directly above a boxed area where the rocker panel attaches to the front frame rail/trans cross member structure. It can also sit tightly against the door pillar this way.
The reason for that was because it's more for energy transfer then to add reinforcement of the cage.
There is nothing tying the right front frame rail to the cage, I figured the upward force of the suspension would transfer across better if the J bar was actually attached to both the frame rails respectively.
The rear part of the J is going to be attached directly to the left rear frame rail, bringing the front bar down and over to the cage mounting point is going to put it at a pretty extreme angle compared to the rear portion of the J bar. I'm trying to keep the J bar as straight as possible so it transfers force effectively.
As for that leg bar I would have to move it inboard about a foot, directly under the brake pedal to attach it to the frame rail.
Where it is positioned now is directly above a boxed area where the rocker panel attaches to the front frame rail/trans cross member structure. It can also sit tightly against the door pillar this way.
Last edited:
Stretch
Hey! There’s no easy button for a body like this!
As for the drivers side. Can you bend the bar to gain brake pedal clearance and still get it forward? Do you have axcess to a mandral bender to get that done? The farther forward you can get that bar hellps big time. Thats why your rules dont alow them past the firewall. Forward hoops help that much!
Last edited:
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
That is bar travels right through the transmission cross member.
Here is what the right front A pillar bar is attached to.
That's why I thought attaching the J to it would have it set too far back.
Oh wait, did you mean to leave the J bar where it is and then go from the bottom of the A pillar bar to the J bar and then up to meet my center dash/halo bar?
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
No access to a bender without spending big bucks to pay through the nose to have a welding shop bend it.
It is attached to a main forward structure of the car, it's right next to the frame rail.
It's attached to the end of the rocker that is boxed to the frame rail right here.
I just see it being really difficult to do since the frame is so far inboard. and the floor board is all new and reinforced on the drivers side to boot.
Stretch
Hey! There’s no easy button for a body like this!
Well get it as close as you can then. How about an exhaust bender. Tape one end of your tube closed with duct tape. Fill the tube with sand. Pack it in as tight as you can and tape the other end closed. Bend it in the exhaust bender slowly. You should be able to pull off the bend you need.
Diplomat_Wagon
Hiding In The Bushes While
Is a pipe with a 90* bend in it really that strong? I don't mean to be rude but that's what it will look like, It's only going to my about two feet long and have two feet of space to move inward about a foot other wise it will be outside the firewall.:doh:
The only exhaust shop we have in town with a bender big enough refuses to bend anything thicker walled then exhaust tubing.
I looked over that area of the floor/frame area and it seemed to be the best place for it and not to interfere with my left foot.
The only exhaust shop we have in town with a bender big enough refuses to bend anything thicker walled then exhaust tubing.
I looked over that area of the floor/frame area and it seemed to be the best place for it and not to interfere with my left foot.
Last edited: