1 2 - Classic Ford

CFTech
Part
two of
two
how to: spaceframe the front
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We’ve shown you how to construct the main hoops
that support the strut tops. From there we need to
continue with the fabrication of the strut towers
then mount the body panels to complete the job.
How you make your strut towers is really down to
you but here’s the template that Gary has used to
produce a strong yet lightweight item. Look at an
original item to get an idea of size and shape.
3 4
How to
Spaceframe
the front end
If your classic Ford’s rotten to the core ahead
of the bulkhead, why not spaceframe it Here’s
the concluding part of our series.
Gary uses a local engineers to stamp out his strut
towers in 2 mm steel. If you’re doing this at home
you’ll need to trace the outline onto the 2 mm plate
then drill and cut out with a jigsaw or similar.
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The 2 mm plate will not be strong enough on its
own so stiffening ribs are added to the edges. Gary
uses some 12 mm steel tube which is bent to
shape using a couple of pulleys clamped in a vice.
Words and Photos Jon Betts
Last issue we took you through
the process of fabricating the
main suspension support hoops
and installing the strut tops with the
aid of your homemade jig. In the
second part we will be completing the
process by building the strut support
towers and hanging the body panels
back onto the car.
Due to the cost of good quality
replacement steel wings and steel
bubble arches, the owner of this car has
opted for fibreglass wings with integral
bubble arches. Once again Gary at
Retro Motorsport has come up with a
unique way of mounting these along
with the steel front panel and fibreglass
bonnet. Regardless of what material
your panels are made of, you can either
take Gary’s route or you can always
come up with your own.
By retaining the original location of
the strut tops and using the standard
Escort crossmember and anti-roll bar
set-up, all the original geometry will be
retained. This means your car will still
handle how it should do once it is
finished and back on the road.
Racing Pedigree
Due to Gary’s race car building
experience he has made a number of
adjustments to this particular set-up,
such as the fully adjustable strut tops.
He is also well aware of the need to
keep the weight down to a minimum,
even on a road car. So wherever
possible, items are given more than
one purpose, for example the front
panel fixing points. These also double
up as the towing eye attachment.
The same goes for the wing fixing
points on the scuttle as these double as
the mounting points for the bonnet
pins. This attention to detail is what
makes Gary’s creations so special,
Info
Cost:
Typical spaceframe
conversion costs from
£1400 including
bulkhead and camber
adjustable top plates
Tools Required :
Grinder, MIG welder,
spot welder, drill,
hole cutter, hole
flaring tool, hacksaw,
tin snips, pipe
bender, plumb line,
tape measure.
Time taken:
Couple of days to
a week
Contact:
Retro Motorsport
01279 452799
therefore by following his lead you can
turn your project into something
special as well.
Know Your Limits
One thing to remember when taking
on something as integral as structural
work. There is obviously a considerable
amount of fabrication and welding
required on a job like this and it is not
for the faint hearted or those whose
skills fall short of their enthusiasm.
Remember your life and that of many
other innocent bystanders may rely on
it, so know your own limitations and if
necessary seek the help of a
professional such as Gary before
commencing any work yourself.
Special thanks to Gary for again
allowing us into his workshop and
sharing some of his closely guarded
secrets, and Ben Szanto who is the
lucky owner of this Mk1 Escort.
Before you
start...
Safety FIRST
Always remember safety first when it
comes to using power tools and welders,
so that means goggles and gloves where
necessary, and a decent welding mask —
and don’t use a cheap hand-held one.
With power tools, remember to always
use the correct guards and clamp the
work piece securely.
contact
Retro Motorsport
01279 452799
retromotorsport@excite.com
www.retromotorsport.co.uk
The tube is used down the back of the tower as you
can see here. It doesn’t go all the way to the bottom
as the chassis leg gets in the way — test fit it on the
car before cutting to size.
7
Clamp the pieces together and tack weld in
position. The tower itself is clamped to the
workbench and then the small strip is manoeuvred
into position and then tacked every few inches.
On the other side of the tower Gary uses a 10 mm
strip of 2 mm steel. This is marked and then cut out
before being bent to shape to follow the contours
of the tower.
8
The same is done to the tube and then everything
is fully seam welded together. This needs to be
repeated on all four strut tower pieces before they
can be fitted to the car.
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how to: spaceframe the front
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Here you can see a standard strut tower compared
to the shape and design of Gary’s strut tower. They
are both very similar but I know which one I would
rather have on my car!
12
Once all four are completed you can then begin
fitting them to the car. Tack the top in position onto
the tube and strut top. You will need to flatten the
tub slightly so it all fits together properly.
13
Next tack the bottom in position using the marks
you made earlier from the original strut towers. The
towers should sit at right angles to the chassis rail.
Only tack at this time until all four are in place.
14
Gary has his own positioning for his strut towers
which differs slightly from the original position but
it’s best if you stick with the factory figures to retain
the standard geometry.
15
Once all four are in position and fully welded you
can then box the front of the towers off to tie
everything together. Gary used some slotted 2 mm
plate and also added a custom made strut brace.
16
This particular car is getting fibreglass wings with
the bubble arches already added so these were
lined up with the swage lines on the door and then
fixed to the A post with a couple of rivnuts.
17
It will take some time to get it all looking right and
you’ll also need the help of an assistant to hold the
panels as you line them up. Take your time because
if you get this wrong the car just won’t look right.
The front panel is positioned with some flat bar
bolted where the front bumper irons fit and then
clamped to the wings. A little bit of trimming and
bending is required here to get everything right.
Using an M8 bolt and some thick washer spaced
out with some 10 mm outside diameter tube, Gary
mocks up the first of the supports for the front end.
18 19 20
A similar length of tube is bolted to the wing lip and
then another length of 10 mm tube is fitted
between the two. You will need to profile the ends
and then tack into place.
A further mounting tube is then attached to the
lower part of the main hoop and forms a
triangulation between the three fixing points. Once
fitted all three can be fully welded into position.
This process will need to be repeated on the other
side and then a similar piece of bar is bent to the
same shape as the edge of the front panel and
fitted between the two fixings on the wings.
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CFTech
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Here you can see how all the tubes converge at the
same piece of tube which is then bolted to the
edge of the wing. This makes the whole assembly
extremely strong.
24
A strip of metal (1.2 mm) cut slightly larger than
required is then bent to the contour of the slam
panel. Lay it in position and then draw around it.
Also make sure that the bonnet clears everything.
25
Before cutting the piece to shape, Gary adds some
detail by filling it with lots of holes and then
swaging them with a hole flare tool. This not only
lightens the panel but also adds strength.
26
Once all the holes are done, the panel is clamped
back on the car so that you can mark round it again.
It can then be removed for final trimming with
some tin snips and then re-clamped to the car.
Gary uses a spot welder to attach the front edge of
the front panel to the new slam panel. If you don’t
have access to a spot welder, drill a series of holes
in the new slam panel and plug weld it in place.
Along the back edge its out with the Mig welder
again. No need to weld all the way along, just mark
off every inch and then weld an inch and skip an
inch all the way along the panel.
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With the front secure, next fix the wings at the top
edge. Gary designed a small bracket to be welded
to the top of the scuttle area, fixing the wing in
place and acting as the mount for the bonnet pin.
Having made a suitable cardboard template, this is
then transferred to some 1.2 mm steel and then cut
and bent to shape. A hole is drilled for the bonnet
pin and for a captive nut to secure the wing in place.
The completed bracket is welded to the car and
replicated on the other side. This almost completes
the fixing of the front panel work with just the lower
edge of the front panel to fix in position.
30 31 32
Next
Month
fitting a
weld-in cage
This is done with a towing eye (most modern cars
have this type so you’ll find one at your scrapyard)
and a length of tube with a thick washer welded
onto one end as well as the towing eye itself.
The front panel is then drilled to accept the metal
tube using a suitable hole saw inline with the
anti-roll bar bracket. Once the hole is drilled, the
tube is cut to length and welded to the front panel.
Drill a hole in the anti-roll bar bracket and weld a nut
that fits the towing eye’s thread at the back. Insert
the eye into the tube and tighten up to secure the
front panel. Then strip it all down ready for paint!
134 June 2010