mdrburchette wrote:The top of the shock tower is so low into the engine compartment, I don't see how you can really make a brace for it. Making a brace from the firewall to the shock tower, then from the tower to the radiator support is on option. Here's another idea that may help on this racecar:
I am not quite so sure I agree. I think one could make an interesting construction that could provide the reinforcement one wants and fit within the constraints of the engine and the existing compartment. I agree that triangulation to the firewall would also be very beneficial.
So it always helps to think about what we are trying to solve and then what do we have that can be used.
So we are trying to link the upper spring perches/shock mounts to each other across the engine bay. Unfortunately there is an engine in the way. However there is already a cross structure across the bottom of the engine compartment which although not a perfect object is a substantial element. We also know that we will add a brace across the top of the engine compartment. Conceivably we now have three points we can link together, the top brace, the cross member and the upper shock mount the element whose position we want to control the relative position of.
Now think about a beam, constrained at the bottom to the cross member and at the top to the cross brace. The load on the beam will be the upper shock mount at about mid point between the two fixed points
So, what I am thinking of is an object much like an A arm/wishbone. The bottom (wide part) of the wishbone attaches to the lower crossmember, curves up towards the hood opening where the two legs intersect and attach to the cross bar. Near the mid point of the wishbone is a bracket welded to the two legs that reaches into opening for the upper shock mount. The shock's threaded rod goes through a hole in the bracket and then bolted down.
The attached images show one way it might be done. In the illustrations the lower mount is a C bracket (10 ga) attached across the bottom of the cross member and then run a bolt into the bottom of the "wishbone" (a welded cap at the bottom with a tapped hole) through the C, drawing the "wishbone" down. Additionally a cross brace could be added where the cross member is bolted to the body just just below the shock mount opening.
Clearly what I have shown is very simplified and there would likely be a need to open up the hole into the shock mount to get a substantial bracket into that space. One might also want to attach the top of the wishbone to a bracket attached to the inner fender on each side. Triangulating to the firewall would likely need a bracket to be added to the light gauge beam running above and behind the engine with a cross bar going to the top of each of the wishbones.
In any case its an idea which might lead to a real solution (no doubt different from what I have described).
edited because there is always a better idea...
