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She's up on blocks....again

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I have my baby up in the air again to accomplish several things. First, I took my roll bar out (faux roll bar) and welded in a window frame and installed a Triplex glass wind screen. Can't wait to get my camera back from my kid to show you all my handiwork. Too, I welded and moulded in a high third brake light at the top of the roll bar, works amazingly well. I should patent this! Pics in about a week or so. Anyway, while she is up, I am replacing the front oil seal (got one of those steel ones), pulling the head to have it shaved, ported and polished and installing a GoodParts cam. While everything is out to the shop, I have this great need to reinforce my frame in the rear with the body and suspension in place. My thoughts are to shape and fit 1/8" or 1/16" steel plate in an "L" shape along the frame where the trailing arm hinges. There is no actual structural rust here but the frame is showing it's age and I feel the urge to stiffen up the area. I know this will add some weight but it will be low-slung and shouldn't throw off my balance too much. The question is, who of you out there have done such a reinforcement on a TR6 frame in situ and will this work? All the articles and books talk about stiffening the frame out of the car. That ain't gonna happen here. Gotta be a way to do some good and make it better.

Bill
 
Bill,
Be careful, last winter I was doing the exact same thing with my motor... well I ended up talking myself into a nice engine rebuild....and a transmission rebuild.... and a new differential... and new hubs.... it goes on.

I'm not sorry I did those things mind you, but that shipwright's disease is a terrible thing! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BUT!!!

I was driving the old girl around Greensboro tonight. 76 degree weather, nearly a full moon. All is right with the world. Nothing can beat that feeling.
 
Shannon, the disease got me a long time ago. There is nothing on my car that hasn't been redone, save the compression and cam. I, like you, have changed everything from horns to tail lights, and everything mechanical in between. Just gotta do something to box that frame.

Bill
 
Some thoughts on reinforcement... I think all the problems usually occur on the inside of the frame, mostly between the spacers within the frame. Consequently, when you try to torque down the trailing arms the spacers get crushed and the frame is squeezed.

That being said, I'm not sure if you can really help things that much with the suspension on. What I would do is, since it really isn't a big deal to take the suspension out is to remove the trailing arms and cut a section out of the bottom of the frame and replace it with heavier metal. You could also weld a piece of metal to the top inside of the frame to strengthen that too.

It wouldn't be as good as a frame off, but it would be close.
 
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