Connecting the body to the frame

[EZ$]

Probably a stupid question, but when connecting the body to the frame, whether it's on the sides near the doors, or under the nose, is it necessary to reinforce the hole drilled in the fiberglass, or can the bolt just be placed through the hole into the frame with just a washer to protect the body? Does everyone set a rivnut to bolt into, or just use a self tapper? Trying to get things buttoned up with the body before it comes off for the last time before getting it ready for registration.

Thanks for the help

[GoDadGo]

Probably a stupid question, but when connecting the body to the frame, whether it's on the sides near the doors, or under the nose, is it necessary to reinforce the hole drilled in the fiberglass, or can the bolt just be placed through the hole into the frame with just a washer to protect the body? Does everyone set a rivnut to bolt into, or just use a self tapper? Trying to get things buttoned up with the body before it comes off for the last time before getting it ready for registration.

Thanks for the help


I installed 6 - 1/4" rivet-nuts, 3 on each side of the body under the doors.

On the front of the car, I made some brackets are attached to the 3/4" tubes near the radiator which are padded so as to not damage the body.
Rubber grommets were used to hold the bolts for the bumper over-riders so the body cannot pull up or dropdown.
I also used the Ram Horn brackets behind the blinker lights but drilled 2 separate holes through the body and bracket so the lights aren't the only things holding the body.
The rear of the car I used coupler nuts and threaded rod so I could have nuts on the backside of the body which sandwiches between the bumper tubes and some washers.
My body feels rock-solid which really surprised me.

Hope this helps.

https://youtu.be/9WEe6-wdNtA

[EZ$]

Steve, thanks for the info. I was thinking that rivnuts would probably be the best choice where going through the body into the frame. Did you do anything to protect the fiberglass where the bolts would go through, to protect against crushing the glass, or the bolt wearing on the inside of the hole because of vibration?

By the way, I didn't see anything posted other than that you had moved Redbone up to your brother's place. I hope you and your family made it through Laura without too much damage.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Your Mr. Bruce body means all bets are off since I have never seen one (and if I listen to what my buddies Jeff Miller and Ken Pike tell me my life will be happier if I never do ;) ) I don't know whether the rockers wrap or how the bumper tubes are on the Bruce body but I'll tell you what I do with a regular Mk4:

3/4" front bumper tubes through the grommets that I get from Metro Molded Rubber. No "horseshoe" or "ram's horn"

Coupler nut mod at the rear. The body's rear valance gets sandwiched between a nut and washer on the inside and the outside hardware. This will allow you to move the valance in or out to meet the trunk lid by adjusting the inner & outer nuts.So, from inside it goes coupler with a section of 7/16" threaded rod...jamb nut against the coupler to lock the rod...jamb nut and washer against the inside of the body...body...1 1/4" diameter thick rubber washer...1" diameter stainless steel flat washer...FFR supplied short tube...quick jack or overrider.

I slot the underside of the rockers to allow them to be moved in or out as necessary for door adjustment. I tighten it down using #14 by 1 1/4" self tapers with thick 1" fender washers. After paint on final assembly I put a large head 3/16" exploding rivet about an inch away from the self tappers to lock it down permanently.

Like I say, that's for a FFR body, yours may need to be done differently.

Jeff

[GoDadGo]

Steve, thanks for the info. I was thinking that rivnuts would probably be the best choice where going through the body into the frame. Did you do anything to protect the fiberglass where the bolts would go through, to protect against crushing the glass, or the bolt wearing on the inside of the hole because of vibration?

By the way, I didn't see anything posted other than that you had moved Redbone up to your brother's place. I hope you and your family made it through Laura without too much damage.

I used Stainless Allen Head Screws with Wide Stainless Shoulder Washers, but that was all.

Redbone:
The car is still at my brother's home even though the tide has finally gone down, so I hope to retrieve it tomorrow.
We actually had less water than we did in June for Cristobal which put 3" in my shop.
We really lucked out over here on the Eastern side of the state.
Marco pushed the water in and then Laura kept it here.

[EZ$]

Thanks Jeff. I plan on doing the rubber grommets with bumper tubes on the front, and I have the coupler nuts in the rear already. I purchased the bumper grommets from **********, front and back. Do you think that the rear rubber grommets could replace the rubber washer that you typically use, or does that have some inherent problems that I'm not thinking about? The body does wrap under the rockers so I should be able to do what you are describing. Where you attach the body under the doors do you do anything to protect the fiberglass from the self tapper or the rivet?

A couple of other questions. What is an "exploding rivet", and I keep hearing about issues with Mr. Bruce's bodies, but since there are virtually no seam lines like in the FFR bodies, what is the concern?

Thanks

[EZ$]

Steve, thanks for the clarification on the attachment. I'm glad that you didn't have any major issues this time around with the weather!

[GoDadGo]

Steve, thanks for the clarification on the attachment. I'm glad that you didn't have any major issues this time around with the weather!

This will give you an idea as to how bad the storm was (Our Office Building / Capital One Tower) for the folks in Lake Charles Louisiana:

2005 was the result of Hurricane Rita versus 2020 Laura:

https://www.google.com/search?q=capital+one+center+in+lake+charles&sxsrf=ALeKk01WFONCJI24e0t4mCaQDQ8JWWlIGA:159889920 5149&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjM5J3Zi8brAhXaGs0KHZflCKcQ_AUoAnoECAwQB A&biw=1920&bih=969#imgrc=MVn_L6xi8OyT-M&imgdii=2fWMsIi0bemxGM

[EZ$]

Steve, they really got hammered! I've only been through one hurricane back in '92 in Hawaii. Iniki hit the island of Kauai three days after we arrived. Cat 5, and it completely destroyed about every structure on the island. Have a book that Hyatt Hotels sent us afterward. It has a satellite picture of the hurricane as it passed over the island. The entire island is visible in the eye, it was that direct a hit.