Topic

Managed to position the spare wheel well how I wanted it today and spot weld the support bars and well in place.

I'm going to pay someone to come and weld it properly when it is all done, but basically I took the well out turned it around 180 degrees and put it back about 4" to the offside.

and it is looking 100% that I will be able to do the ducting as I want it AND keep the spare wheel.

and the spare wheel is now inclined towards the windscreen rather than towards the radiator.

Some more fabrication has been done.

This is the lower part of the ducting, which is welded in place and is responsible for directing the air upwards. The upper half will be removable.

Where's the engine gone?

Pedal power/

Sterling work Clive.

Me thinks you may start a trend..

It's great that you've been able to do it and retain the fullsize spare wheel.

The removable part of the ducting is taking shape.

Was too hot though so the gazebo had to come out.

I've been doing a lot of fabrication and welding getting the ducting to match up to the vents, so it is a bit like the mad professor at the moment.

I moved the fuse box and battery back to give an extra inch or two.

Fitted a new stainless rivnut for the battery clamp.

The ducting is shown here without and with the spare wheel in place.

It looks a bit messy at the minute, but once it is finished it will be tidied and painted.

The majority of the rust you see is iron filings from all the grinding and not actually surface rust on the car. It will all be cleaned and painted when the galvanised sub frame is fitted.

Looks clever when its properly finished I think you'll have a lot of admirers

I'll be happy if it works.

Things have progressed.

I have removed the front subframe and have been spraying the area with some specialist paint I bought off the internet which should last better than Hammerite.

Not sure whether to leave it black or give it a top coat of body colour.

very interesting thread.

how do the structural mods affect insurance? there's considerable design efforts into air bag deployment speed versus rate of body deformation in an impact.
just thoughts..

To be honest, there isn't much difference in the amount of metal present so I can't imagine there would be much difference. Probably more difference crashing with or without the spare wheel in place.

Most of the crash absorption is done by the bumper armature and the box sections which are bolted onto the subframe and these haven't changed.

Really, there would only be one way of knowing and I don't plan on testing it.

If you have any data or know anything that would effect it then please let me know, but to be honest, with most mods like this, you just have to go with rule of thumb.

I share your concern if I was removing a lot of metal, or adding a lot which could make the front end too weak or too stiff, but I'm not. Essentially, all I have done is removed the wheel well, put it back in 180 degrees out and added the single plate of metal to direct the air.