The Hurricane chassis in 3-D

[DrivinWest]

As requested, here's a few images of the Hurricane chassis that I took while messing around with their interactive 3D model:

[tkb289]

Very nice!

Interesting to see all of the different components from a variety of perspectives. I noticed the dropped foot box on the driver's side ... any thoughts as to doing the same on the passenger side? Just curious.

[Bill Bess]

Is this the new frame? and is it exact, or is it your interpretation? Anything pictures showing the frame design should be from Hurricane Motorsports in order to avoid any misconceptions .
Very cool though, hopefully their new web site will show any changes they made.
Bill

[dlampe]

Thanks for posting Aaron. Yes Bill it is exact. It is off of the Hurricane web site. They have a 3=D interactive model. Just go to the web site and click the file. By using this type of modeling the frame team can cut 10 frames at one time then weld them together. I am not a computer guy but the engineer said each piece is exact and to scale. The passenger side has a drop foot box as well. The driver's side is deeper to accommodate the floor mounted break system. There are a few things not on the model like the bars that go over the top of the foot box down to the front suspension support. It will be in the car. I have opted to not have the drop boxes in my car. I like the more original floor look. I'm 6'3 and I didn't need the drop box.

[rustyBob]

It will take a lot of labor to build that one.......not anything like the original Cobras....
but looks very strong.....good for raceing........

[ERA Chas]

At the risk of sounding like an 'ERA snob' (a title held by my friend, counselor PatrickT) I would say that it would benefit the Hurricane builders and customers to compare this chassis to ERA's.

If the above drawings are accurate and do not omit any parts, there are significant structural differences between the two. Especially if racing is planned. On an ERA, the main rails are 3 x4 and the 'x' member is 2 x3.

Namely: the ERA has a larger 'x' member which runs from the door leading edge all the way to the main rear crossmember. This 'x' is one tube welded to 2 legs to make the 'x'. The H'cane shows the x rails cut short of the main rails and joined by short rectangular tubes to the main rails-obviously to lower the trans mount. ERA accomplishes that with a rectangular gusset welded just forward of the x. The trans mount sits on that pad and the tail shaft is above the 3" dimension of the 'x'. Trans comes out from the top.

The H'cane main chassis rails do not extend all the way to the front of the radiator mount. Further, the ERA has a full 'k' member front crossmember below their 'x' member, which ties the lower, rear, control arm pivot to the whole chassis. There is nothing below the H'cane front 'x' member.

The ERA has a substantial double vertical post at the door hinge/cowl brace area. The door latch on an ERA is a steel plate which is welded to a rectangular upright which ties into the rear cockpit brace. The H'cane shows no latch plate and only what looks like a 1" round tube for fiberglass attachment.

The H'cane shows no engine mount structure but an ERA has 2, 2 x3's angle welded to the chassis with flat plates for motor mounts.

A look at the diagrams on ERA's site will make things more clear than I described them. Here are two views of mine:




My car is 25+ years old, has no stress marks in the glass, has been raced and weighs 2650 wet.

[RedBarchetta]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

Namely: the ERA has a larger 'x' member which runs from the door leading edge all the way to the main rear crossmember. This 'x' is one tube welded to 2 legs to make the 'x'. The H'cane shows the x rails cut short of the main rails and joined by short rectangular tubes to the main rails-obviously to lower the trans mount. ERA accomplishes that with a rectangular gusset welded just forward of the x. The trans mount sits on that pad and the tail shaft is above the 3" dimension of the 'x'. Trans comes out from the top.

Is Hurricane's intentions to have a design in which the transmission can be dropped from the bottom? This is somewhat (depending on your own views) of a knock against both ERA and SPF, as pulling the seats and tunnel just to service a clutch sounds extreme. At the least the first time is a PITA...after that it isn't as big a deal.

Cool drawings.

-Dean

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by RedBarchetta

At the least the first time is a PITA...after that it isn't as big a deal.-Dean

Absolutely true but with that stuff gone it's a breeze to work clutch/flywheel change.

[patrickt]

Chas. -- your pics don't come up (at least not for me, that is). Could you repost them?

[jwd]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

At the risk of sounding like an 'ERA snob'

You mean there is some other type of ERA owner?

Jim

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by jwd

You mean there is some other type of ERA owner?

Jim

Yeah-big block, solid lifter ERA owners...

[elmariachi]

The Hurricane is designed so that the transmission be installed from the bottom up. The X crossmember comes up under the transmission and bolts in 4 places to the frame braces. The rear transmission mount secures to the x brace. It's an ingenious design and with my car on a lift and air tools, I can have the TKO 600 out and on the ground in 15 minutes.

[Bill Bess]

I looked at most frame designs prior to buying my Hurricane and determied that most of them are adequate to handle the weight and suspension on the cobras.
I think FFR is one of the best, ERA and Hurricane are as good. Hurricane had numerous additional attributes, including the subframe (top part in engine compartment), fiberglass cockpit and trunk liners, X - cross member, all of which added up to the best for me.

I looking forward to seeing the new Hurricane when they arrive, best to everyone , Bill

[ERA Chas]

You have 'out-snobbed' me! My bad- please tell JWD we have another reason to be snobs.

He's not talking much about the H'cane frame design...

[jwd]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

You have 'out-snobbed' me! My bad- please tell JWD we have another reason to be snobs.

He's not talking much about the H'cane frame design...

I can lift any corner of my car without any changes in panel gaps or the way the doors close. Enough said.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by jwd

I can lift any corner of my car without any changes in panel gaps or the way the doors close. Enough said.

'Tis child's play.

[jwd]

Originally Posted by patrickt

'Tis child's play.
[/IMG]

With the jack positioned that way, it would be. Put the jack OUTSIDE of the wheels on the end of the frame to see what I'm talking about.
You ERA guy's just keep posting and proving your "holier than thou" attitude. It's too bad the rest of us peons don't have an ERA so we could be as cool as you. Quit hijacking others threads trying to prove how great your cars are and how inferior everything else is.

It's funny. Last year we had a benefit car show with over a dozen Cobras including an original 1964 all parked together, but when an ERA showed up, he refused to park with us. Is there some kind of a pact that you have to sign when you buy one that states you will always be an azzhole when it comes to interacting with others? It sure seems that way.

According to the FFR guys, the ERA frame is crap. How do you like that?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by jwd

Is there some kind of a pact that you have to sign when you buy one that states you will always be an azzhole when it comes to interacting with others? It sure seems that way.

No, most of us were that way long before we got our ERAs.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by jwd

I can lift any corner of my car without any changes in panel gaps or the way the doors close. Enough said.

Well... NOT enough said.

I did not go through the effort to examine the drawings in detail, post shots of my car and write up the technical differences to start a pissing contest. In fact I went out of my way to qualify my remarks by saying the drawings may be incomplete and I wasn't trying to make smart a$$ comments. None of my comments were/are derogatory to H'cane or it's customers. Or any OTHER mfgrs products on this board-ever.

I joined this thread because I saw several posts/threads like the "Why Hurricane?" thread which have had overwhelmingly positive comment. So this thread allowed me to see what all the glory was about.

Then I realized the surprising differences. Now I'm pleased that a company rescued a failing replica business and gave us all an affordable additional choice when Cobra shopping. We all have different budgets, standards and ideas about what these cars should be to please us.

But your point about jacking a corner (on your car) surprises me greatly because I just went back and studied the first drawing of Drivin's post. The door hinge post when viewed from this angle does not appear to be a post at all. Looks like a flat plate welded to a short vertical tube. And the bottom edge is attached to the dropped foot tray-which has no support structure to the outrigger tubes aft of it! And the rear latch-that just mystifies me.

The cowl bar is placed atop this partial post and perimeter welded (I hope) in place. No gussets or support structure. If your car is not stressed by racing or accident then you can sleep soundly at night. Jacking a corner doesn't prove squat-virtually every mfgr who's been a commercial success can do that parlor trick. Go 25 years without stress cracks in a car that's not a lawn queen and I'll be a little more impressed.

I know you own it already and could care less but I urge those shopping to visit the ERA site and look for the points I brought out here. ERA uses tube-in-tube, perimeter butted tigs on Z-cuts and gussets throughout. If the H'cane will support your needs-by all means own it.

Which leads to my final point. Putnam, Pete and Phil did this design 25+ years ago-Hurricane wasn't even a gleam then. They had only to view the best of all the current mfgrs chassis like JBL, FFR, KMP and ERA to have a product that's a first class effort. Seems like some corners were cut for expediency. Lot of guys seem preoccupied with the curve here and the flair there and which way the butt points for 'originality'. I'm sure there are many guys who own/crave H'canes but I wonder if they've seen what the top competition has been turning out.

[cdnus]

ERA
I must agree with you, if in fact these drawings are in the final stages of completion. When I first viewed the drawings I was not impressed with the way the entire front cowl structure appears to be mounted to the sheet metal foot box's by a very weak framework. Looks like it would not be very strong & allow for excessive cowl shake.
JMHO

Craig