So, before I go off to cad and get cut a set of gussets to brace the joints in my fury, both on the original chassis and with my modifications, does anyone have any designs or suggestions ?

Needless to say the plan will be to lighten them with holes in the middle as well, and probably use 2mm mild steel as well.

Your thoughts?

If you do lighten them, do your best to then get the holes rounded through. I can't think of the proper term for it though, but it's where the lip of the hole is turned down. Otherwise, don't bother with the lightening as you won't save much but may loose a lot of the strength.

Hi Si

Yes - that was going to be the plan - not sure if the laser cutters can do anything about that, but I remember Carroll Smith having some very strong opinions on the subject. It would be easy enough to do in a mill i expect, with a chamferring tool.

If you get the tubes in the right place , why do you need gussets ?

Hi Claire

I've been thinking that as well - surely if the force goes into the right places, and that's what a spaceframe is all about then why do this?

Research seems to say that a gusset strengthens the joint, and on my fury there are certainly places where force is fed into empty, non cross braced squares and it's not necessarily possible to get a diagonal in there. In a case like this, a gusset seems appropriate.

I'm also putting 215 bhp into my chassis, with quaife box and diff. This is fairly much at the limit of what the chassis can handle without extra strengthening.

I think you will find there are a lot of 200+ bhp Fury's out there running un-modified chassis.......mine is running around 208 , and the only mods I have done is to add some bracing across the front and up to the front corners (to stop the front top wishbone mounts cracking)

I think the section you've mentioned is one that's definitely in need of help and the photos I've seen of the most recent chassis certainly seem to have a lot of support there.

By the way, my statement was based on original chats with Mark Fisher, back in the day. His view was that 200 was getting near the limits of what it could handle.

[Edited on 30/6/12 by FuryRebuild]

The front corners are definitely a weak point - I found both side of mine to be cracked right where they join the upright !
I added four tubes in a `W' - seen here on another V6 Fury I did .

That's a good looking v6. I don't recognise it.

And thanks for digging the photo out.

I like the design of the top left gusset in this picture - if it works out to be a similar weight (or less) to cross bracing the front with tubes, I may cut my single tube out and cad and cut one like this.

Thats a Mazda KL V6 - same as in mine
I'm not keen on gussets in place of tubes - a gusset has no compression strength at all , and will be limited in shape by other components - the central `V' in that chassis is set back at the bottom (to pass the rack mounts , which are allso welded to the tubes)

I found a better picture as well

Newer Fury chassis have a bracing tube between the steering rack mounts which might be something to consider if you don't have one?

Jek

Ah, now I see a pic of what you're thinking of, I'd go with Claire and use tube. Gussets are only of use to strengthen joints rather than to replace tubes themselves. And the tubes will be much stiffer, and about the same to fabricate and fit.

Hi Jek

I triangulated my rack-mounts town to the chassis fairly early on, at the same time I moved over to a quick-rack. I don't think tube between the mounts is the correct solution - each time a horizontal load is fed in, the tube just moves it over to the other mount and the welds where the mount meets the chassis are subject to possibly more stress than before.

and yes, tube where tube should be, rather than gussets.

Still, there's plenty to gusset nonetheless.

As far as gussets go, these are pleasing to the eye. (IMHO)

Paul G


Description

That fails to be ugly on many levels.

quote:

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Originally posted by FuryRebuild
Hi Si

Yes - that was going to be the plan - not sure if the laser cutters can do anything about that, but I remember Carroll Smith having some very strong opinions on the subject. It would be easy enough to do in a mill i expect, with a chamferring tool.

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That's the thing! Couldn't find a link when I was looking.

Hmmm. It's not a chamfering tool though. There are cut-through chamfering tools out there.

Why would you want a chamfer on what is likely to be 16 SWG sheet? A nicely swagged/flared hole will add a noticeable amount of stiffness to any panel. But the tools aren't cheap.

Effective gussets should not taper to a point. Or be welded/attached there.
Imagine a triangle piece with a sizable hole piece being removed from it's apex. .. that's the proven shape.
That works passably.. IF you must use gussets.