I moseyed on up to Massachusetts last weekend and got busy working on Ed and Steph's 1G CRX they are building up for running in H-Production. The main goals for the weekend were to get the fuel cell mounting figured out and move on to making lightweight aluminum bumper cover supports that could take a bit of abuse. Bump drafting is a thing. LOL!
That diagonal bar caused us some interesting issues figuring out exactly where to mount the cell to still be able to get to it and fill it. Since this isn't a car where fast fueling is a necessity, we placed it as far back as practical while still allowing room for the mandatory bulkhead required to be between the driver and the cell itself.
You can also see where I took out the stock seat brace, which also left some patching to do:
After moving the cell in and out of the car twenty times, we got these angles tacked in place:
Since the floor is not very even going across, I added in these 1/4" spacer plates and welded everything together:
The front angle didn't need any spacer plates and was welded in, too:
The rear angle had one floor rib that came up too much to fit a 1/8" spacer, so we cut a piece of 1/8" bar stock and welded that in:
The floor was still wonky enough to allow the cell to rock quite a bit, so on the inner rear bracket, I welded in this bent piece of flat stock to provide a small but sturdy platform:
Since it is bad practice to rely solely on welds when they are in sheer, I cut a small piece of the same bar stock and welded it in place under the flat of the platform.
The cell now fits in perfectly, with just enough wiggle room to not make it suck taking in and out, and allowing for some expansion that will come with temperature changes. What I don't seem to have photos of are the outer angle and inner plate welded in to locate the cell from side to side, but it is really just the same as the two you see above.
The cell will be secured via steel straps and threaded rod, much like a large battery tie down. The holes will be drilled through the front and rear angles, with another reinforcement plate sandwiching the floor pan from below, front and rear. This will be very secure and not very heavy. The previous mount for the fuel cell was very well made from heavy wall 1x1 square tube, but man was it heavy! This solution is lighter and easier to get the cell in and out of if needed.
Finishing up the welding was easier to do from the driver's side instead of reaching over the door bars while the car is up on large truck jack stands. I found the easiest way to get into the car as through the windshield:
I've never entered and exited a car through the windshield before. LOL!
And . . . it seems I don't have any pics yet of the rear bumper support. I'll remedy that when I weld it up, soon.
This is a really fun project to work on, and I look forward to doing more with Ed and Steph as they get this car ready to kick some major butt this year!
You can also see where I took out the stock seat brace, which also left some patching to do:
After moving the cell in and out of the car twenty times, we got these angles tacked in place:
Since the floor is not very even going across, I added in these 1/4" spacer plates and welded everything together:
The front angle didn't need any spacer plates and was welded in, too:
The rear angle had one floor rib that came up too much to fit a 1/8" spacer, so we cut a piece of 1/8" bar stock and welded that in:
The floor was still wonky enough to allow the cell to rock quite a bit, so on the inner rear bracket, I welded in this bent piece of flat stock to provide a small but sturdy platform:
Since it is bad practice to rely solely on welds when they are in sheer, I cut a small piece of the same bar stock and welded it in place under the flat of the platform.
The cell will be secured via steel straps and threaded rod, much like a large battery tie down. The holes will be drilled through the front and rear angles, with another reinforcement plate sandwiching the floor pan from below, front and rear. This will be very secure and not very heavy. The previous mount for the fuel cell was very well made from heavy wall 1x1 square tube, but man was it heavy! This solution is lighter and easier to get the cell in and out of if needed.
Finishing up the welding was easier to do from the driver's side instead of reaching over the door bars while the car is up on large truck jack stands. I found the easiest way to get into the car as through the windshield:
And . . . it seems I don't have any pics yet of the rear bumper support. I'll remedy that when I weld it up, soon.
This is a really fun project to work on, and I look forward to doing more with Ed and Steph as they get this car ready to kick some major butt this year!
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