Body Mounting

Brushie · #1 (**permalink**) 01-20-2003, 05:42 PM

I purchased a cobra body from cobra bodies from Minnesota about 3 years ago. The shell is separate from the inner tub, trunk, doors, etc... I recently found a corvette chasis which I will be modifying to accept the body... Does anybody have any tips for this process? I will have to manufacture some type of body supports, etc...

mickmate · #2 (**permalink**) 01-26-2003, 04:50 PM

Are you going to make a cage for the body or will it be supported by the cockpit, footboxes, trunk etc?

Brushie · #3 (**permalink**) 01-27-2003, 04:00 AM

I am not sure if the cockpit can hold... Those pieces are all fiberglass also and are not joined to the main body yet... I suppose this is going to make it a little more fun... I thought that I would make some supports, like a firewall hoop, a behind the seat hoop and then run from these... I guess that is why I am questioning the approach...

mickmate · #4 (**permalink**) 01-27-2003, 09:05 PM

You'll want those at a minimum to tie in some steering, door hinges, windscreen and strikers etc. Sounds like quite a jigsaw puzzle! I'd consider hanging it upside down from some slung straps and adjusting the body to the right flatness, heights door spacings etc and bond in the other parts. Then see what structures you can tie into. The dash hoop is usually tied forward to the front suspension.
Good luck with it.
Cheers Nick

scratch · #5 (**permalink**) 02-02-2003, 02:06 PM

Brushie,
...easy to do, I built mine with the same approach, bought a Hi-Tech fiberglass body and built a tube frame under it.

Besides the four penetrations for bumpers, you will want to hold on to the "skin" as many places as possible...with rubber isolators to keep the stiff frame from stress cracking the fiberglass.

On my frame I supported the body thru;
2 (left & right) under the door kick plates...down to outriggers
2 pads (l&r) (built up polyester areas) under front fenders to frt frame area
3 pads (left, center, right) across the rear fenders to rear bulkhead.
3 pads (left, center, right) across the windshield area to front bulkhead, or firewall.

Both 3 pad areas were rubber attached to the front and reat bulkheads, which attached to the frame. this gives a "cradle-support" across the mid-area of the body..

Don't let the windshield touch the body, go directly to the frame.

Have had no problems with this approach, lets' the glass move a bit over bad bumps.

I didn't want to "glass in" my body to the frame, as I wanted the ability to remove it later if necessary. Otherwise you could just glass everything down to the frame but better disperse the load over a large area.

Good luck and let me know if you want photos.

scratch

Brushie · #6 (**permalink**) 02-10-2003, 04:08 AM

That is exactly the information that I was looking for... Photos would be very helpful... I had thought about fiberglassing studs to the body placing rubber spacers and then mounting through the framework that I need to build... Thanks for the info...

scratch · #7 (**permalink**) 02-15-2003, 09:58 PM

Brushie, send me your e-mail address and i will try to get photos to you this week if time permits...

scratch