Friday, March 4, 2011

Down the Stretch it Comes!!

The picture to the right is the second upper shock mount that is being fab'd currently to mount in the rear of the NISMO Stuff race truck.

Below is how the other mount currently sits fully installed.  Not only is it mounted to the down brace but it is also fully welded via the 1/8 plate to the frame itself, creating a super strong mount and additional strength for the rear part of the cage.  It will be painted black to match the rest of the cage but this is how it looks for now.

In the underneath shot you can see the Radflo shock fully installed and at the midpoint of its travel along with the Deaver race leafs and new stainless steel brake lines.  The lower mount on the passenger side has been flipped from the front of the axle to the rear and will be identical.

All the adjustments on the shocks will be easy to get to and the hole in the floor will be fitted with rubber to ensure a clean look as well as having the bed around where the cage passes through the floor of the truck replaced to clean that up to.

The dash is nearly complete.  The insert, as you can see below is almost done, the TIG welding 90% complete needing to have the welds ground and smoothed before the gauge cluster goes in.  At that time the intercom and GPS will go in as well.







9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That rear shock mount looks like a problem to me. It looks to me like you will be putting a significant torsion into the long cage brace regardless of the flat piece tying to the frame.

spalind (Dan Spalinger) said...

Possible...the suspension will be receiving hydro bump stops to transfer all the shock of any drastic compression into the frame itself, thus preventing any massive loading of the downbrace. Additionally it will receive limit straps to prevent any drastic shock on the down stroke. I do appreciate the constructive feedback. I have considered installing an additional brace from a point on the rear downbraces to the inside main hoop of the cage...we will see...

Anonymous said...

I would run a thick walled tube across both of the shock mounts to tie them together and replace the flat straps to the frame with tubes and call it good. Simple is best. I used to have an 05 Fronty. Good luck with your build.

Anonymous said...

What is the wall thickness of that tube?

Anonymous said...

That will undeniably and most certainly bend. A hydraulic bump stop will do nothing to help the loading on full bump. At a minimum you should put a plate across the front or rear to tie the horizontal plate into the vertical bar. The only support that has is the strength at the bend and that ain't much. Make a right triangle out of 1/4" plate where the two short sides are the length of your horizontal plate and weld it up both sides. That's the minimum you should do. It is only supported in single shear and that is a no-no for reliability and should be looked at seriously.
How does Nissan feel about you putting their name to stuff like this?

spalind (Dan Spalinger) said...

tubing sized is 1.75 x.120

spalind (Dan Spalinger) said...

The bumps will prevent the shocks from ever getting to full bump, that's part of the point is it not? All the shock load will be absorbed by the bumps and the frame. The shocks will NEVER be fully compressed...Thanks for the feedback though with your last question I have a feeling you come from Sepcial Stage and have little interest in my site or vehicle--Thanks for looking out for Nissan's concerns though!

Anonymous said...

you still definitely need a brace on those rear shock mounts connecting the both of them. otherwise the shock mount will break reguardless of having a bump or not.

spalind (Dan Spalinger) said...

OK, I've heard the concerns and taken them to heart. The builder has felt to this point that the 1/2 inch steel used to create that horisontal section on which the top of the shock will mount is sufficiently strong to support the normal stress generated by the normal cycling of the shock.

That being said, neither he nor I can predict what potential stresses may arise during racing conditions and have now decided to link the mounts to each other with a section of 1/2 inch steel that will connect to each side. Additionally the center of this brace will be connected vertically--down to the cross of the cage down bars and incorporate the spare tire mount as well.

Thank you all for your input. The vehicle will be better off and more reliable for it.