Custom core support - Gen1

[Dustincoc]

The rad support is severly rusted out on my '87. I'm looking at building a new one.

The damage:

The plan so far:

Blue is the framerails. Red is either going to be 1/8" or 3/16" x 3" steel plate. Magenta is the bottom of the rad support from an '88 caravan.

Also planning on a vertical in the center and ones above either framerail, emulating the center opening, all out of 1 1/4" square tube. I may also add verticals outside of these if I feel its necessary. I plan on topping this with a piece of angleiron running the width of the core support. I'm planning on keeping parts of the existing core support, mainly the top crossbar and the panels for the headlights which I will be skinning the frame with.

 

[brinker88]

I planned on making mine out of tubing/plate steel. Can't wait to see how yours turns out.

Good luck.

 

[cammeddrz]

if this helps with inspiration, here is mine on my gen I:

my body-bolt places will be different than yours, because I also put a 2000 front clip on it. and I am using a different radiator, but I figure it might give you some ideas.

also MOABB2 has a 1990 with stock inner-fenders, and a tubular core support welded to them. I think you could find some pics of it. he is a total internet whore, with a cardomain, his own youtube channel.....etc.

 

[Dustincoc]

I'm reconsidering the piece from the caravan. I wiggled it into position and its too high and is hitting the radiator. I was planning on keeping the stock inner fenders. Now that I see yours, I may build some inner fenders as well. We'll see how my welding is at that point. I haven't done much welding in the last 2 years so I'm a bit rusty. I wa just getting the hang of it again tonight and I ran out of wire. My welder is acting a bit tempermental as well(the wire feed is jerky).

I'll probably build it out of 1x1 tube since I don't hve the equipment to work with round tube. I want to be easily removable since I expect I'll be redoing the engine at some point. No sense it putting something together that would be in the way.

Is your frame trimmed? The front is different than mine.

 

[cammeddrz]

We'll see how my welding is at that point. I haven't done much welding in the last 2 years so I'm a bit rusty

it doesn't need to be very good quality welding, none of this is structural, I used 1/16" wall 1 1/4" tubing that I bought for a dollar a foot.

I'll probably build it out of 1x1 tube since I don't hve the equipment to work with round tube

all I used was a grinder again, this isn't structural so I just cut V-notches into the tubes, instead of using a notcher.

Is your frame trimmed? The front is different than mine.

I only meant for mine to be an inspiration. my frame is a chevy full-size frame, my body is a 1988, with a 2000 front clip, with a radiator from a land-rover. the only part that would be the same for you would be the way I attached it to the cab, I used 3" x 3" plates that bolt to the cab at the same points the original spot welds held the stock inner-fenders to the cab. I welded nuts to the plates so that I don't need to be holding nuts while I am bolting/un-bolting it

I want to be easily removable since I expect I'll be redoing the engine at some point.

the way I did it has 8 bolts on both sides (4 bolts per plate), and the two down at the frame. it comes off easily

 

[Dustincoc]

it doesn't need to be very good quality welding, none of this is structural, I used 1/16" wall 1 1/4" tubing that I bought for a dollar a foot.



all I used was a grinder again, this isn't structural so I just cut V-notches into the tubes, instead of using a notcher.

I overbuild everything. No sense risking something breaking. This is going to be a daily driver onve I get it together.

I only meant for mine to be an inspiration. my frame is a chevy full-size frame, my body is a 1988, with a 2000 front clip, with a radiator from a land-rover. the only part that would be the same for you would be the way I attached it to the cab, I used 3" x 3" plates that bolt to the cab at the same points the original spot welds held the stock inner-fenders to the cab. I welded nuts to the plates so that I don't need to be holding nuts while I am bolting/un-bolting it

Just notice the horns were different and the crossmember I different. From what you posted I infered that you had a stock frame and just changed out the front clip.


the way I did it has 8 bolts on both sides (4 bolts per plate), and the two down at the frame. it comes off easily

Since I'm not planning on building the inner fenders at this time, That won't work for me. I'm thinking about bolts into the holes from drilling the spotwelds. I'm using part of the stock core support(top bar and ~1'x1' panels around the headlights) so I don't have to create a system to hold the headlights. That piece will also have all the holes from drilling out the spotwelds. I just need to drill the holes th right size so a standard bolt size fits in tightly too align the old and new.

My plan as of now is build the majority of this out of angle. My main concern with this is rust. If I use tube, dirt and moisture cn build us inside rusting it from the inside. Rust in areas like that can't easily be removed. Angle is also much cheaper to get which is good for my already scrawny wallet. The bottom center section will be made of 1 1/2" angle with 1" tube verticls going up just inside the framerails. I'll put a piece of 1" angle turned 45deg vertical in the center.

Here's a quick sketch i made up of the plan:

I did make it bit tall in this picture. The bottom half will ne much shorter.

 

[cammeddrz]

I overbuild myself, but the whole reason I did it was because the front end was trashed from a collision. I had purchased a few sticks of 1.25" DOM, and I do have a notcher I could have used. I even had a guy lined out to bend the pieces into bent shapes to have less joints

then the guy mentioned that if I built it very strong, the next front-end collision and it would transferred the force into the cab, via the firewall and tore all of it up, thus causing more damage. instead of just buckling. so I completely simplified, the design to bare-minimum of material, and stepped it down to thinner/weaker material.

I know to you, the route I took was a lesser route. but in fact it has more thought put into it than just "beef it up.......more is always better"

this isn't structural, that's what frames and roll-cages are for. and had I done it the way you are planning before my wreck. the simple traffic accident that trashed my front end would have totaled the whole cab .

 

[Dustincoc]

I overbuild myself, but the whole reason I did it was because the front end was trashed from a collision. I had purchased a few sticks of 1.25" DOM, and I do have a notcher I could have used. I even had a guy lined out to bend the pieces into bent shapes to have less joints

then the guy mentioned that if I built it very strong, the next front-end collision and it would transferred the force into the cab, via the firewall and tore all of it up, thus causing more damage. instead of just buckling. so I completely simplified, the design to bare-minimum of material, and stepped it down to thinner/weaker material.

I know to you, the route I took was a lesser route. but in fact it has more thought put into it than just "beef it up.......more is always better"

this isn't structural, that's what frames and roll-cages are for. and had I done it the way you are planning before my wreck. the simple traffic accident that trashed my front end would have totaled the whole cab .

I don't see the way I'm building it as any stronger than yours. I just looked at your pics again and my plan is essentially the same as yours except made of angle and adapted to keep the stock radiator and other core support mounted items. I'm not planning on building inner fenders so that is a crumple zone to prevent the cab from getting torn up.

 

[Dustincoc]

Update

Left Core Support Mount
Before:

After:

Right Core Support Mount
After:

Start of the New Core Support

Test Fit/Trimmed Rusty Sheetmetal

The Scraps