Torque Box Question

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Chained_360

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Naturally, as one who doesn't have a large budget does, I have been spending a lot of time drooling over parts I can't afford but really want on the internet. I've done lots of browsing on the US Car Tool website and doing research on chassis reinforcement, and I keep thinking about the front torque boxes, both factory and aftermarket. Why aren't they triangulated to the torsion bar crossmember? I understand that the boxes still brace the floor of the car to the front frame rails for torsional rigidity, but wouldn't it be more effective if the torque box was a flat plate that covered the entire corner of the chassis? Theoretically, when the car twists it would put the flat face of the torque box in tension or compression between the outer corner by the firewall and the inner corner where the two frame members intersect, performing better. What do you all think?

For clarity, I am saying that the yellow part should extend all the way to the gray chassis member on the right:
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In theory what you say makes sense. It might however have to do with cost vs strength. What the factory did may have been "good enough" a s far as the engineers were concerned. Maybe it had to do with how everything fit in the assembly line jigs when being built. Remember, these things were built in a hurry. Look at production figures of just US built A bodies for only 1968. It averages several cars per minute 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Maybe it was more rigid the way they did it. Maybe it had to do with assembly line access to feed the parking brake cable through. Maybe how the pieces fit in the assembly line jig, maybe the added complexity of adding the extra spot welds to the trans crossmember, or all of the above. We werent there, we dont know, but all of the above are plausible explanations. Honestly, I'd go with the "cheap route" in labor, and material cost vs strengtb.
 
Stock class racers used to weld all the seems until they banned the practice .
I think you could make some boxes DIYs on the cheap that would be just as effective as US Tools versions. Maybe not as pretty but thats ok .
 
Stock class racers used to weld all the seems until they banned the practice .
I think you could make some boxes DIYs on the cheap that would be just as effective as US Tools versions. Maybe not as pretty but thats ok .
I been there, done that

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Mat, I didn't even think about tooling or manufacturing problems. I figured the difference in the amount of materials would be pennies but that doesn't matter if it's harder to produce! That's also a VERY good looking shell you have on that rotisserie there!
 
Thanks. That's my 67 notchback coupe. It's a stalled project while we get rocking on my sons 69 notchback coupe.
 
I love teaching this little guy. What other 8 year old in this day and age gets to take apart a real V8, and get to see and learn the inside workings of it.

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