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Turning 626 GT into an AWD

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    #46
    I finally got the 2mmm sheet I was planning to use on the rear subframe. Here's a quick comparison to the regular sheet I'm using...



    holy sheeit.

    As expected, working in cold was way, way too hard so I had to get out the oxyacetylene torch. Unfortunately it took a better part of the day to admit it, so by the end of the day the shape for the first half wasn't quite as finished as I had hoped.



    working the red-hot sheet was considerably easier; on par or perhapes ever more so than the thinnest sheet I had used. The bulge is an allowance for a shape in the lower layer. The bottom radius still needs to be worked on, but now it'll be easy work.

    It would be so much more fun if I could just get a car and immediately get to the fun part, but nnnnooooo, around here you need to rebuild the car first.

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      #47


      Some more sheet metal shaping. The shape must be quite accurate, as these patches cannot be dressed on while welding like the thinner parts, and clamping will surely have more effect on the subframe rather than the repair patch. Anyway, forming the heated sheet turned out quite a bit easier than first expected, so I modeled some more original resembling shapes and stiffening ribs.

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        #48
        Wow, very nice metal work! sucks that you have to fix all that rot, but it is looking great
        Josh
        95' AWD MX-3 RST - Still a work in progress
        05' MS RX-8 - Needing some love in the form of a new motor, soon to be FE3 powered
        Work Log - http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53776
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          #49
          Thank you It terrible though, to repair the subframe knowing there are unreachable pockets of rust... I would need to have the subframe treated in some BRUTAL anti-corrosion bath. Hopefully with good sealing will the new lease of life for the subframe be long enough to come up with a tubular subframe convincing enough to the inspection officers to be registered street legit. Too bad I'm way out of cash to get one made at the moment (a factory/shop made is infinitely easier to register), as I'm also saving up for the turbo. SuperHX40 or HX50MFS, choices choices... Good thing those had a considerable price reduction recently.

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            #50
            Okay, I had all sorts of stupid stuff in the way, including a rather uncomfortable episode with sciatic nerve pain. Fortunately, I'm back in business, with some substantial progress too!


            The mount point for left forward lateral arm was rusted to non-existence. After some consideration I decided trying to patch the holes would not be adequate solution, the alternate solution was harsh:



            I simply cut away the entire flank and formed a new part from 2mm sheet.



            The fitting took a bit of time. I made a new bushing for the arm mount point out of 34x15mm thick walled tube. The part attaching to the sheets was turned down to 29mm with a lathe, and the internal diameter was enlarged to size (18/20mm) using a stepped drill bit. It actually worked out extremely well.


            I carefully measured the positioning of the new plate so the hinge lines (bolts) are parallel. A slight misalignment happened when welding on the part, the mount point ended up slightly higher than on the other side. I don't think it's going to cause any real handling issues though.



            Finally, here's the primered part with blended weld seams. I don't think any inspection engineer is going to spot the patch anytime soon.

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              #51
              looks great to me! thats one hell of a chore
              ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

              1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




              I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
              he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

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                #52
                oh man I hear you on the sciatic nerve issue, if it's not the left side one week...it's the right side the next lol.
                -Jack

                ONTARIO MAZDA CLUB! Join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/500055016671733/

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                  #53
                  Originally posted by Mazda_Powered View Post
                  oh man I hear you on the sciatic nerve issue, if it's not the left side one week...it's the right side the next lol.
                  Yea it's painful as hell... fortunately it's subsiding slowly.

                  Anyway, the subframe is nearing completion... I decided to redo much of the other side too. Fortunately the inner channel was in such a good shape I only had to cut it away to get to work on the flank, and then weld it back in place.



                  There's so little left!

                  Also, I just submitted some $480 worth of paperwork... nothing less than the exempt permit application for AWD conversion! The target handling time is 60 days, but it could be a lot longer and damn if they are going to give me "no" for an answer!
                  Last edited by STW; 06-18-2012, 04:26 PM.

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                    #54
                    what are you planning to use for recoating the subframe? any major rust preventative. such as zinc plating/etc
                    ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

                    1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




                    I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
                    he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

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                      #55
                      I was thinking zinc primer, lots and lots of alkyd paint, and truck bed liner. Salinated crud is not to be taken lightly.

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                        #56
                        ^ indeed. i know that pain here in my climate too
                        ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

                        1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




                        I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
                        he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

                        Comment


                          #57
                          I didn't photograph the final steps of the rear subframe, my camera/phone was usually in the charger and I only tried to get it over with as quickly as possible (without rushing, of course!). Here are the shots of the subframe:



                          I don't know if I should add some reinforcements, but for the moment I only paint it with zinc undercoat and figure out the rest later. Right now I'll just put it aside until the rear suspension details have been worked out.

                          It's time to get back on the car body... starting from the very beginning, here's the cross beam on the front panel:


                          It's definitely in bad shape, and since that's also a mount point for the front sub frame, it needs to be fixed and beefed up. Here's the stock for the replacement front end:



                          30x40x2mm rectangular tubing. It's much heavier than the original structure, but I think I'll omit a few brackets so it'll even out a bit. The original solution was weld nuts on a stiffening structure which then was welded inside the square sheet tube. Such a structure is very hard to achieve here, so I went for an entirely different solution.



                          I drilled through holes into the beam, and welded in reinforcement tubes that prevent the tube from crushing or collapsing; the idea is to replace the weld-on nuts with weld-on bolts, it's a bit stiffer than the original method, and now it has a beautiful similarity with the rest of the subframe mounts

                          Here's the part finished and ready to mount:


                          The bolts will be welded on only after test fitting the front subframe to ensure the bolts will line up perfectly.

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                            #58
                            pics don't show^^^^
                            ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

                            1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




                            I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
                            he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

                            Comment


                              #59
                              Hmm... must be Photobukkit acting weird. The images do show up here, with even with cache flush and logging out of bucket.
                              Last edited by STW; 07-01-2012, 06:53 PM.

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                                #60
                                i like the tube reinforcement. I actually did that through my rear frame rails (mounting the tow hitch)
                                In one picture i was wondering what the extra frame metal was on the front end- but then i realized it was a rotisserie- do ou have any pictures of it??
                                progress is coming along nicely!
                                ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

                                1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




                                I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
                                he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

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