Cabriolet/Convertible Body Stiffening

[junjun11]

I am currently thinking of putting braces on my '84 cabrio so I can do a weekend track race. Any ideas on how to properly put braces on the car? I've seen cars with braces in the front but have not seen any with braces on the middle or rear part of the car. Roll bars/cages are out of the question since i also use the car on a regular basis for club meets or social functions. would appreciate any input on this.

Joseph

[efhughes3]

Just drive it. There's not a lot you can do to effectively stiffen the car without:

a. Adding a fair amount of weight
b. Welding

You can bolt in a front strut brace which goes between the two front shocks, Do a search and you'll find all the info you need on these. These can work on cabs, coupes or Targas.

PS-What "race" is allowing you to run a car without a cage? Do you mean a DE?

[450knotOffice]

A good roll bar will stiffen up the chassis considerably and is mandatory for any event on a real race track with a cabriolet. They typically are removable, so if you don't want to see the roll bar when not tracking it, remove it.

[Joe Bob]

Leave the body as is. Upgrade the suspension. T-bars, sway bars, corner balance and align it. Tires and lowering.....then flog it. Unless you are an exceptionally talented driver it will end up being above your skill level.

I know my car is.

[gsmith660]

Here is my stiffening 2 cents

[tvanbroekhoven]

Would a coupe also benefit from welding in pieces of metal as shown in the pictures ?

And isn't there a risk that the weld contains a lot of 'impurities' due to whatever is coated on the other side of the chassis (or is it 'clean' metal?)

[gsmith660]

After I welded these pieces in I went in thru the chassis access points and sealed the scorched metal on the other side with a heavy duty anti rust I put about a pint and a half on each side and found out where all the drain points where in the rocker area and then topcoated with a good undercoat.

[tvanbroekhoven]

Do you notice a big difference now ?

For example, is there less flex on the body when you jack up the car?

[3.2 CAB]

I guess that some Cabs may have more flex than others. I have seen posts by people that apparently have a "flexible flier" while others don't. I have measured the door gaps, to check if they got smaller, or wider when jacking or lifting. I have not ever found any real amount of body flex, fore and aft, or side to side. I know of some people with Cabs that have problems with opening or closing the doors when the car is in the air, so I can't see the reasons why some have flex and others don't. The Targa and the Cabs are supposed to have additional bracing, and heavier metal parts added when welding the body together at the factory. Could some of the cars that do flex, be the victim of not having the correct metal supports and have Coupe bracing? Or, could it be some just did not have all of the bracing welded in as well as others received, thus making some more flexible than others? Sort of like the old saying about never buy a car that was built on certain days of the week. I do have a front strut brace, but that is it. Just some observations. Tony.

[gsmith660]

Originally Posted by tvanbroekhoven

Do you notice a big difference now ?

For example, is there less flex on the body when you jack up the car?

When the car was still a targa I noticed that I could not open or shut the doors when jacked on either side, after the braces I have noticed that now I can open and close both doors when jacked. Also I installed 993 rear seats and I think that the way that triangulates it adds stiffness to the rear.

[450knotOffice]

Yea, but Mike, you know that he can't take it to DE's without a roll bar. Auto-X's are OK without a roll bar.

Originally Posted by mikez

Leave the body as is. Upgrade the suspension. T-bars, sway bars, corner balance and align it. Tires and lowering.....then flog it. Unless you are an exceptionally talented driver it will end up being above your skill level.

I know my car is.

[Joe Bob]

I never said don't put a roll bar in it.....I have one in mine.