[Bjorn]

With the slotted holes, can't you loosen the bottom bolt and move that bracket upward to line up with your holes?

 

[Them Witches]

Figure I would set up tomorrow morning with another welding project. The rear engine mount transmission bracket didn't have much weld on it, just one side. Paint is gone ready to weld.

The rear looks clean 👌🏻 hard to tell there is business back there...

 

[Them Witches]

With the slotted holes, can't you loosen the bottom bolt and move that bracket upward to line up with your holes?

Tried to... look at the old sliver of paint inside the hole. That is the metal blocking obstruction It was to go or the bolt with strip the threads. In this picture the bushing bracket is at it's lowest alignment snugged up.

 

[yaggs]

Looks great! Shame the progress brand needed modding, but you've drastically improved it's functionality.

On a side note: I believe I read that the engine is in the car? Any pics of the headwork by 4piston?

 

[Them Witches]

Looks great! Shame the progress brand needed modding, but you've drastically improved it's functionality.

On a side note: I believe I read that the engine is in the car? Any pics of the headwork by 4piston?

engine is not in the car yet. the head is going to 4Piston tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Them Witches]

The rear sway bar kit is installed and done. The endlinks are in position resting not connected on the top half. I am going to remove the bottom half and install collars to push them over further so they can be as straight up and down as possible like 6 O'clock lol...

I had to really bore out the obstruction hole. I decided to do away with the carbon fiber plates to gain another full turn on the bushing bracket bolt. Once I find some longer bolts I can put them back. Everything got silver anti-seize b/c I have a 16oz can of it I brought home from my old job.

If I had to recommend this kit I would say go with it. I believe the issues I had with the obstruction may have been two factors at play and not all Progress's fault. The actual location on the subframe could be off a little when it made. The sway bar is heavy has no budge, the bushing and clips are nice, the kit and hardware well put together. The changes I made to it adding stiffeners on the brace to reduce twisting and I drill holes for aero properties.

I was getting to installing the Progress front bar but the heat is getting to me. I have to work on the engine tonight, might crash and get up for a red eye shift on it.

 

[Them Witches]

At some point I want to borrow this idea of the carbon fiber panel over the rear subframe. Today was successful, I did not take pictures of the work as it needs to be finished first. I worked on re-using a damaged SPC upper rear camber arm into something purposeful, tomorrow morning I will take pics of the upper front strut bar I worked on today. Alot of work is going into the adjustable UFSB, the gussets on each side, making it removeable is important to me. I am using 1.25" chromoly pipe, chromoly left & right hand threaded pipe inserts. The UFSB is removeable but in order to make it adjustable it needs to be as high as possible and as far back as possible without the gusseting blocking the brake master cylinder's removal or install. Just simply welding the pipe where I want it would block the BMC. I will have room under the UFSB to fabricate a BMC brace.

Today I also finished the fabrication on the oil filter relocation kit's location, which required a knotching of the upper dashboard's vertical wall (the cowl sits on top of the upper dashboard). A brace for the oil filter relocation kit will have to be fabricated. I will be deleting the hood latch assembly front bulkhead frame set, triming it some, and welding a small pipe underneath it reusing as much of the frame set as possible.

I have some more paint removal for welding the gussets on the strut towers for the UFSB attatchments (mounting brackets/clips). Once that is done I can tack the gussets in and weld them in place. Basically I will have one of the coolest 3 pt. upper front strut bar in a DC5, not to mention the 05-06 OEM UFSB conversion on my 02-04 chassis.

 

[Them Witches]

A shot of the upper dashboard knotch for the oil filter relocation kit. Just needs paint after I make the mount bracket kit for the kit.

 

[Them Witches]

Wanted to take some teaser fit up pics of the oem apsec high spoiler & mini deck lid and the PCI 4" side skirts. The mix of the two parts looks good together. Don't mind the random lug nuts lol... not their forever home.

 

[KBuilt]

The rear sway bar kit is installed and done. The endlinks are in position resting not connected on the top half. I am going to remove the bottom half and install collars to push them over further so they can be as straight up and down as possible like 6 O'clock lol...

I had to really bore out the obstruction hole. I decided to do away with the carbon fiber plates to gain another full turn on the bushing bracket bolt. Once I find some longer bolts I can put them back. Everything got silver anti-seize b/c I have a 16oz can of it I brought home from my old job.

If I had to recommend this kit I would say go with it. I believe the issues I had with the obstruction may have been two factors at play and not all Progress's fault. The actual location on the subframe could be off a little when it made. The sway bar is heavy has no budge, the bushing and clips are nice, the kit and hardware well put together. The changes I made to it adding stiffeners on the brace to reduce twisting and I drill holes for aero properties.

I was getting to installing the Progress front bar but the heat is getting to me. I have to work on the engine tonight, might crash and get up for a red eye shift on it.
View attachment 108680 View attachment 108681 View attachment 108682 View attachment 108683

This setup looks awesome ! Great work 😎

 

[Them Witches]

This setup looks awesome ! Great work 😎

thanks brother. The build is coming along with a slow pace.

 

[Them Witches]

6/26/22

Off to a solid start this morning. I made a custom adjustable upper front strut/tie bar. The gusset plates & mounting brackets are tacked in, in case my measurements are off I can remove them. According to my layout I will have plenty of room from the back of the valve cover and the bar. I am also running Hasport mounts on all four corners - the back mount is 70A and the front is 60A - there should be no engine movement. If so I can install an engine damper, I feel confident though. I grabbed some random bolts to hold the bar in place for the picture.

The OEM lower B-pillar brace is a neat idea from the factory but is poorly designed. The bar is basically bolted at the ends to a flimsy L- bracket with 3-4 spot welds holding the bracket. So I started cutting the pieces to block the bracket into the frame with weld. This should make this OEM B-pillar brace shine and serve a better purpose for the chassis. I have to get the heat gun to remove glue and paint for weld prepping.

I have also started working on corner gusseting/plating in the lowest point of the B-pillar where others have mentioned it to be a weak point in the chassis construction. A 1.25" chromoly pipe will lock & brace the lower B-pillar reducing flex and weakness. The plates will be sanded to remove rust and prep for welding.

 

[Them Witches]

I started messing around with the engine harness, I have the tools to unlock the pins. I am going to try to clean up the looks of the harness with shrink wrap and heat temp. sleeves. I was able to bring home some shrink wrap in 4ft. lengths of 1/4in. wide and a bunch of 6in. 1/2" wide pieces. The goal is to tuck part of the harness and give it a less OEM look.

I am doing the same thing with the supply and return fuel lines. I bought red shrink wrap for the -6AN braided hose and black for the -4AN return line. This way the fuel lines will have some protection underneath the car. I want to remove the OEM hardline and run the new fuel lines in the same spot. Throwing around the idea of making a cover plate under the car that would house all the hardlines & new lines. I have two sheets of 4ft. x 4ft. 1/16in. aluminum plate bought to fabricate duct systems and other things, there will be plenty of that left over for panels under the car.

I am going to roll my fenders b/c I want to run my 20mm spacers to flush the wheel wells. I have the tool for it, I just need to read the instructions. At some point down the road it would be nice buy 17x9 wheels.

 

[LotusElise]

I have also started working on corner gusseting/plating in the lowest point of the B-pillar where others have mentioned it to be a weak point in the chassis construction. A 1.25" chromoly pipe will lock & brace the lower B-pillar reducing flex and weakness. The plates will be sanded to remove rust and prep for welding.

Looks very good. What is causing you choosing for a bolt link design over a weld link design at the suspension dome brackets?

 

[Them Witches]

6/28/22

Working on the back some. I need to get the cope on the bottom of kickers on the frame and wheel well and cut a thin piece of steel than I can match the cope of the frame (there is a hump in the middle of tube steel on the bottom.


I just got them cut out fast before I quit for the day. Everything on the bar and plates is ready to be tacked up and welded after I tap it to dead center. 1.25" chromoly is light stuff.

The upper strut bar still needs work. I have to cut three tabs for each end to box in the end of the pipe. I may make it bolt to the center frame next to it. Not sure yet. I have some stitch welding to do under the oem braces bolted to the coilovers. I will do the same for the top part, but that is straight. This is an important place b/c the frame meets there and they have some built up spot welds.

On the top of wheel well, it is cleaned and prepped for additional welding. I will follow the joint up to the C-pillar brace the factory added.

Pay no attention to the bar all the way in the back, it is just laying there.

I have a good deal of the sound proofing tar to get up. It only takes one pass with the heat gun and wipe. I need to do that tomorrow morning early, that way I won't wake the neighbors.
lol...

 

[Them Witches]

Do something like this at the end of the pipe meeting the oem strut tower braces

 

[Them Witches]

Looks very good. What is causing you choosing for a bolt link design over a weld link design at the suspension dome brackets?

Good question... I want to be able to work behing the engine, in case I need to work on the brake master cylinder, and it will make installing the engine easier. Trust me I really wanted to weld it in, but being adjustable will allow me tighten it some for tension.