Spaceframed SR20DET RWD Nova

So to update...

I’ll let the pics do the talking but basically:

1) I finished all the framing on the tubing on the rear end bar a few finishing touches and an x brace on the large centre piece. I’ve not bothered to make any more panels out of steel at this stage, knowing/hoping it will all be carbon anyway.

2) Remove the outer sill on passenger side.

3) Refitted engine & box.

4) Started to think where my new floor needs to be, especially around drivers feet with wheel clearance and gaining whatever space I can! I might drop down a tyre size I think, just to give me a little more room.

5) Build a dolly jig so I know the new floor will be level to all the main pickups. Principle is 70mm box on same size wheels as rotisserie, so the two go together and also separate - is modular the right word? I then cut loads of smaller 70mm cubes that I can stack for consistent height. Front subframe is to be the lowest point and also the floor level so I can then go flat right the way through. Subframe is 3 cubes high off the jig (210mm). Once floor is built there is a very high chance I will be redoing the front chassis legs/subframe pickup points, probably out of tube. Floor will be made out of the 25x50mm box.

6) Attach car to jig [emoji41]


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It’s been so much thinking, staring, head scratching and pondering to figure out how best to move forward, but mounted everything squarely to the jig tonight and see my cubes actually work was a real feeling of achievement and progress.

Now to plan removal of the old and in with the new!

p.s. ignore the rotisserie at the rear and its support through the middle of the car, they are turned to one side, so not running down the cars centre at present!

Nice.

Go on The Simps!! Good to see this getting some love

So quiet week this week but got 3hrs in this afternoon.

After lots of checking and re-checking that everything was stable and won’t collapse on me, I made a start at removing the remaining sills and floor sections...

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You can now see with the sleeved extensions where the new floor ends up.

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Need to scollop the sleeves around the horizontal tubes for a better fit and to have more of the pillar posts inside the sleeve. Will also make 1 or 2 uprights and a diagonal piece at the rear. Like this...

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The front will also tie into the front subframe area but will do that when I come to redoing the front chassis rails etc.

Hopefully will get some time for progress evenings this week [emoji4]

Being a financial adviser, this week was not exactly quiet at work so no Neva project time. But put in a shift this afternoon and got the drivers side sill/floor and supports made and reading for tacking.

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Looking good Si.

Glad to see your still on with it mate

Wow! Still building it! Good going
.

Thanks fellas.

Being stuck at home I’ve put some good time in this week and nearly finished the main part of the floor structure, removing all of the old...

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Should have the front part of the X welded up today. The floor is 25x50 box and there will be additional supporting 25x25 box where required, such as around tunnel. Pedal box area will obviously have a well supported structure too.

I will then need to add a small trapezium shape section that will run between the rack and bellhousing like so...

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Then its engine & box back out to start thinking about the redesign of the front end, particular the chassis legs.

Really enjoying being back on this [emoji4]

Spot on at least the lock down is having a positive impact somewhere lol

Coming along nicely mate. Good to see everyone working on their projects just now!

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Front part of the X made & welded in. Time to chill for the rest of the day [emoji4]

This things nuts, I'm really looking forward to seeing some panels back on it and looking like a nova again.

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Made the gearbox mount today subject to welding in the floor support and making the adapter bolt to the floor, but it’s enough for now.

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I’ve got room to fit a crush tube in the centre of the adapter (trapezium shaped part) which I may do yet.

I then spent a couple of hours tidying up ready for engine to come back out, hopefully tomorrow!

Engine came back out today. Now ready to rework the front end. Just need to decide how I want to do it before I start hacking away! [emoji23]

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What tube bender are you using?

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Originally Posted by Aron 6pot

What tube bender are you using?

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I don’t, thats why everything is straight pieces where possible! Lol

I think from memory, other than the initial custom cages main hoop, windscreen/roof bar, and a pillar posts, the only other bent tube is around the front turret tops and bulkhead to front cross member. Those I had to get bent for me.

Gear box mount looks good.

Ok, so it’s been a month since I updated and I’ve been working on it most days.

I had a good offer on my Nissan s14a donor shell so needed to crack on getting remaining bits off I needed, but more importantly, making a new, better jig of the front end. What I discovered is that I had my tension rod brackets in the wrong alignment - glad I caught it now before I redid the front end! While changing the front end to correct that, I also decided I wanted to redo the turrets. I never liked where they sat as I had to take a chunk out of the wings like so...

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So I did some trig and worked out that moving the turrets inbound 30mm will take my camber from -1 to -4, about where I’ll likely run it. My top mounts of choice then have 3deg either way, so well within scope for what I need. So cue one over engineered, adjustable jig! (It’s made out of offcuts and scraps as getting more steel has been challenging!)

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And some one-piece cnc’d turrets currently being made...

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So jig done, I started lopping pieces off the front end, first creating room for the footwells.

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And here’s where I’m at as of today. I have the new front half of the floor basic structure in place and the upright tubes which tie in the floor to the turrets (a complicated bit of notching at the top, took a few attempts!). And then to end the day I lopped off the front bar!

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While I wait on the machined turrets, next step is replacing the box chassis rails with tube with weld in bosses. Bosses should be here this week. I also have to pluck up the courage to chop the current turrets out! I had replacement 90deg bends arrive yesterday ready, along with 5m of tube.

Rockin on!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Simps

Ok, so it’s been a month since I updated and I’ve been working on it most days.

I had a good offer on my Nissan s14a donor shell so needed to crack on getting remaining bits off I needed, but more importantly, making a new, better jig of the front end. What I discovered is that I had my tension rod brackets in the wrong alignment - glad I caught it now before I redid the front end! While changing the front end to correct that, I also decided I wanted to redo the turrets. I never liked where they sat as I had to take a chunk out of the wings like so...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d4c42c655d.jpg


So I did some trig and worked out that moving the turrets inbound 30mm will take my camber from -1 to -4, about where I’ll likely run it. My top mounts of choice then have 3deg either way, so well within scope for what I need. So cue one over engineered, adjustable jig! (It’s made out of offcuts and scraps as getting more steel has been challenging!)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a418056866.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d5f6df4cfc.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...595b6ee2d0.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b75feee848.jpg


And some one-piece cnc’d turrets currently being made...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3b10d142dd.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d00cccf884.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c6577163d9.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5aec7fc751.jpg

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Very nice [emoji106]

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Originally Posted by Aron 6pot

Very nice [emoji106]

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Thanks Aron.


I was just looking back through the thread trying to establish some timeline perspective...

June 2013 - Test fit of the sr20, box, and subframes

Jan 2015 - Removal of the body from the frame/chassis.

I really lost a few years somewhere, a good woman really does change your life! [emoji1787]

Good progress mate

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Originally Posted by millworm

Good progress mate

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Thank you

Wow, love it mate, im impressed you a) still have it, b) have the balls to realise you can improve on it now, because a lot would have given up 10 times over thing is, these days this is done a lot more now, but back when you started it, it's was something very uncommon! Brilliant update dude. ����

Wow, love it mate, im impressed you a) still have it, b) have the balls to realise you can improve on it now, because a lot would have given up 10 times over thing is, these days this is done a lot more now, but back when you started it, it's was something very uncommon! Brilliant update dude. 👍🏻

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Originally Posted by scott.parker

Wow, love it mate, im impressed you a) still have it, b) have the balls to realise you can improve on it now, because a lot would have given up 10 times over thing is, these days this is done a lot more now, but back when you started it, it's was something very uncommon! Brilliant update dude. 

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Thank you Scott, very kind words indeed!

It is amazing it's still going, I agree. I do it mostly as a stress relief outlet if I'm honest. It's certainly more about the journey than the final destination.

Crazy engine swaps are without doubt more common than when I started this 7 years ago. I don't think there are that many fully space framed hobby builds though? Ones I've seen have been done in motorsport or fabrication shops. But of course, the quality is without doubt going to be better than anything I can build - I would hope so anyway!! lol

Old chassis rails now chopped out. While I wait for my machined collars & inserts for the mounting points I will be pondering a plan!

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Where the phrase "built it, not bought it" cannot be argued!

Worked on the subframe mounting points this afternoon. Very time consuming but pleased with the results.

These are 12mm ID, 20mm OD steel crush tubes. The hole needed to be 10mm offset from the tube centreline. So after some templating and tube notcher fettling this happened...

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Other one done...

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Then other side and subframe mounts done, subject to welding of course, which I want my mate to do as a proper welder person - they need to be strong.

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Next up is the same for the tension bracket mounts!

Thanks for reading.

Great work, really enjoying the updates

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Originally Posted by stt

Great work, really enjoying the updates

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I’ll second that. Great progress.

Thanks chaps!

Do we think that subframe structure is man enough for the task? Obviously normally its a piece of box section chassis with crush tubes so being tube with crush tubes (of which both are thicker walled steel!) it should be stronger. But is having greater contact across the subframe mounting surface important?? I have a tendency to over engineer these things!

Once welded I doubt the crush tubes would twist or flex, subframe should not either I would assume? I will also be running another vertical piece of tube from between the two subframe bolts up to the strut tower, which conveniently is where the front part of the turret meets.

Simps you're a madman. Love the work on this.

I know what you mean about the subframe, if it's got 2 flats on top I'd be happier if it was sitting on box section. Is there a lot of push/pull force on it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Iain

Simps you're a madman. Love the work on this.

I know what you mean about the subframe, if it's got 2 flats on top I'd be happier if it was sitting on box section. Is there a lot of push/pull force on it?

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This the top of the subframe mounting point...

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It obviously holds the engine and front suspension but doesn’t have the same forces on it as a driven axle.

I guess see how it goes (assuming I actually get to drive one day!) and if it is a flex point then I just build the subframe into the chassis [emoji13]

Drivers side tension rod bracket mounting point done. These are threaded, bolting up from underneath like factory.

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Both sides now drilled and in place (not welded).

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Need to make a decision now how I want to do the front section.

Top job! That's looking very nice.

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Thanks Aron