Crossmember Bars POLL

[rocco16 at sbcglobal.net (Larry Fry)]

Good pictures, Eric.  They show, in much better detail, the configuration of 
the bar.  Looks like you were on the right track. Too bad there isn't room 
in the car for a deeper Vee.  Looks like the existing angle is minimal 
(about 5degrees?)...just not enough to resist much vertical stress. It 
certainly helps....but there is room for improvement, methinks.
 Can you shorten up the end plates any?  That would put the ends of the bar 
higher, thereby deepening the Vee AND making the end plates less flexible at 
the same time.  The picture leads me to believe that this may be possible. 
I think it would be of some benefit if you can do it....

And yes, I remembered the bar from days past as being perfectly straight.

Giving the bar a quarter-turn shows you were not leaving any stone unturned, 
at least!  Unfortuately, since it is a square tube, it doesn't make any 
difference stiffness-wise.  I'll still give you a point for effort.

Good luck.  It looks like you have some customers.  I hope you are charging 
enough to make it worth your while...I know what it is like to sell 
fabricated parts and only make about $3/hour on your labor!!  You deserve to 
be fairly compensated.

Larry
sandiego16v



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric S" <scirocco@vintagewatercooleds.com>
To: "Larry Fry" <rocco16@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: <danws69@earthlink.net>; <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: Crossmember Bars POLL


>
> Larry,
>
> Have yet to see one of my bars up close?
>
> You are making incorrect assumptions.
>
> The bar is *not* straight across, and was designed with purely vertical
> loads in mind, it is weakest in side loads.
>
> http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/~scirocco/BARINSTALL/barinstall4.JPG
>
> Notice how it follows the V of the crossmember, it has a subtle, but
> noticeable V to it.  The box steel is also rotated so that its not just
> flat across if you notice.  We did these minor changes in hopes that it
> would maximize the resistance to upward movement given the materials...its
> ghetto engineering, but it made sense to us.
>
> A closer shot of the center of the V:
>
> http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/~scirocco/BARINSTALL/barinstall5.JPG
>
> Side shot:
>
> http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/~scirocco/BARINSTALL/barinstall8.JPG
>
> Really, it'd be ideal if you could meet up with Potter or someone else in
> your area that actually has one and get up and personal with it before you
> weigh in on the design of it.