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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 13286
Location: North Carolina
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 Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 2:00 pm Post subject: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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I finally got around to completing my Thing style torsion housing truss. I made it using a piece of scrap that I welded together but it could easily be made out of a section of 2”x4” rectangular tubing. The two piece route seems easier however due to the fact that the two sides have very different profiles even thought they are only 2” apart.
I got a EMPI universal skid plate which pushed me to fab my planned torsion truss.
This thread is made up from entries from my ongoing thread.
| TDCTDI wrote: |
I also decided to try fitting the skid plate...
And yes, it looks like I have already used the engine cage for it's intended purpose.
I realized several things, the first is that the carriage bolts supplied with the kit are not accessible when you have an engine cage, so I need to weld in some nuts to the transmission bracket to bolt it in from underneath.
Second, the skid plate comes with brackets to bolt it to the engine case, WTF good is that going to do?!?
I also realized that the front mount requires bolting or welding to the transmission tunnel right around the front transmission mount. This required me to finally get around to mocking up my Thing style torsion housing truss.
I started by making a template out of cardboard..
Once satisfied with the fit, I removed the template, and proceeded to carve up another piece of steel that that I had squirrelled away. This piece was perfect as it already had a folded edge, I will use the other edge to make the forward piece of the truss.
And whittled it down to an acceptable size...
I then used a hole saw to clearance for the frame horns in the transmission tunnel, & bent the steel to wrap around the tunnel.
I then laid the template over the truss-to-be & transferred the pattern to the steel.
After an hour or so of tweaking, notching, cutting, & carving, I got the truss to fit closer to the desired position.
And yes, that jack stand is only supporting the truss with all four wheels on the ground.  |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
Anywho, I started making another template for the other half of the torsion housing truss.
Initially, I thought I could modify the first one to make the second but the engine mounting horns change pretty drastically in the two inches where the truss will be attached, here’s the two of them together.
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
WE NOW RETURN TO OUR PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING
After hacking away at a section of donor steel & paring it down to the desired rough shape...
I used my templates to transfer the pattern to the steel & started by drilling holes to clear the frame horns.
Then I continued whittling away at them & bending them ever so slightly..
Oh, hey! I apparently have landed on that pan a few times. 
Once they were close-ish, I fitted them to the housing, lined them up & marked them so I could make them one with each other.
I then tacked them together & then ran a bead down the inside...
After that, I flipped it & stitched up the other side. Unfortunately, it seems that I could not make a straight line. 
Screw it, that's what the grinder is for.
I then drilled a drainage hole in the center.
And finally, I took it over to the press, set it on a large socket & used a smaller socket to make a dimpled low spot in it...
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Speaking of making more work for myself...
I decided to toss the Pet back on the lift & finish fitting the torsion housing truss.
After getting it fitted, I cleaned it up...
And began laying a bead on it.
Ah, what the hell, while it's up, it's a great time to fit the skid plate that I got several months ago.
And now the Ghiapet has some underpants.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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rayjay
Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2008
Posts: 1590
Location: Buford GA
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| Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 6:38 pm Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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| Having a lift is cheating !! I was going to comment on overhead welding and overhead welding while laying on your back but then I saw the lift arms.... Truss looks good. Maybe in the future you could tie in the front trans mount one day when the trans is out. |
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tobiism
Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2004
Posts: 504
Location: Chandler AZ
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| Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:34 pm Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
I finally got around to completing my Thing style torsion housing truss. I made it using a piece of scrap that I welded together but it could easily be made out of a section of 2”x4” rectangular tubing. The two piece route seems easier however due to the fact that the two sides have very different profiles even thought they are only 2” apart.
I got a EMPI universal skid plate which pushed me to fab my planned torsion truss.
This thread is made up from entries from my ongoing thread.
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Looks awesome!
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"There has never been a genius without a hint of madness."
-Albert Einstein |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 13286
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:36 pm Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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Tie in the front trans mount?
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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dustymojave
Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007
Posts: 5820
Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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| Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:10 am Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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For the skidplate...Do NOT EVER mount the skidplate to the engine block!!!! That was a 1960s idea of the original manufacturer. The original 1970 HP Books "Baja Prepping VW Sedans And Buggies", which was the fore-runner of Jeff Hibbard's "Baja Bugs & Buggies" HP book told readers not to mount the skidplate to the engine.
I mounted my skidplate much like yours using the kit hardware 'L' brackets turned outward, instead of inward, and putting a bolt horizontal through the short leg of the bracket and through the bumper cage under bar. Still using the same skidplate 45 years later.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 13286
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:47 am Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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Yes sir. I too thought that mounting the skid plate to the block was a bad idea, & I did the same as you described and welded them to the engine cage. You can barely see the supplied brackets welded to the cage in the last pic.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 13286
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2019 5:40 am Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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| tobiism wrote: |
Looks awesome! |
Thank you sir.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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cbeck
Samba Member
Joined: January 14, 2014
Posts: 2562
Location: high ridge, mo
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| Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2019 6:52 am Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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Nice. Glad to see I am not the only caveman with a cold chisel and flux welder. Those guy's with the neat tools make it look easy.
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My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779 |
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dustymojave
Samba Member
Joined: January 07, 2007
Posts: 5820
Location: Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
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| Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 6:08 pm Post subject: Re: Thing style torsion housing truss |
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Yeah...We felt sorry for you and let you alone about using a flux welder on your buggy. 
We hope the practice doesn't spread though... 
As a Technical and Safety Inspector of race cars, I won't accept a roll cage welded with a flux welder (if I can tell that it's done with flux core). I've seen some excellent welds done with flux core welder by professionals. But since most home welders don't have quite enough amperage for a good weld in a roll cage, and most home welder operators are not good enough to ensure there are no flux inclusions in the welds, you just can't trust that it's all done properly. Stick arc has the same issues. MIG and TIG are preferred.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet. |
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