Spent the rainy day starting a new tunnel for the sami. Even with a new subframe for the seats the shape is going to be complex enough that I decided sheetmetal would be a real pain. I'm going to use foam core, s-glass and aircraft epoxy instead. It'll be PLENTY strong and I'll get to sniff the chemicals!!! :rasta: I should have the core finished tomorrow. The new layout even has room for cupholders, its a shame to waste perfectly good :beer:

Heres wat it loks like from the side.

I knew you would use cardboard. Can I call 'em or what. :D

From the rear

BTW I own a sammy now. Or so I'm told. :D

Who told you that? Looks cool.

Originally posted by fatkid
Who told you that? Looks cool.

Yota_San said so. So it must be true, I just can't find it. :mad:

I new you were a sami guy at heart, I could tell all of the storage on your flatbed Toyota was starting to bum you out, you NEED to be cramped!!!

Hey S-Fish, the liquid paper-miche' tranny tunnel is gonna be sweet:D

When you gonna lay the 'glass on it?

Hopelfully today. I used to do glass work for a living when I was going to junior college. Car wings and motorcycle fairings...not a fun gig, all of the respirator shit on your face on a 100+ degree Sacramento day...perfect job for keeping you motivated to finish college! We used to reinforce large panels with glass bonded cardboard "tents". Incredibly strong with just a few convolutions. My buddy Tony says he IS up to the challenge in tin if it doesnt work out...

CONTROL ,with a sammy?????????????:D Cool

Originally posted by incontrol
Yota_San said so. So it must be true, I just can't find it. :mad:
LOL!!! I'm glad my opinion is held in such high regard! :rolleyes:

Sorry about that - I was stupid that day. Dunno what I was :smokin:

Almost forgot - looks interesting. Does that ledge stick out on the side so you can bolt the seat to it or something?

Just trying to figure out what it's for, and it appears to be about the right height in that shot.

Yotasan...that box is the "doghouse" for the front output on the transfer case. It is as tall as it can be and still fit under the seat tracks, that will be mounted to a subframe suspended form the cage, you had the right idea!:idea: To make all of this work I'll be using drivers seat tracks on both sides since they are designed to be off of the floor a few inches.

Here some more pics...the drivers side is finished, I'm almost done with the passenger side too, but I ran out of foam core.

Heres another one:

Not really related, but this rig is BEGGING to be finished...take me wheeling please!!!!!

looks very profesional,then that foam core gets coated and becomes the tunnel?...................:D

Yep. I'll put a few layer of glass on the outside, then lift it off the floor and do the inside. Then line it with heatshield. The foam between the composite makes for some really strong shit. It is a low buck-low tech version of the construction tech they use for things like Formula One chassis etc, except they use "honeycomb" and carbon. Im using foam core from the art store, and sglass (a modern, stronger version of fiberglass) and aircraft epoxy (the same stuff used in things like carbon fiber pieces). When epoxy is dry it flexes, but doesnt crack like polyester resin.

When I worked at Grizzly we made car wings for Formula Atlantic with a foam core that were good for almost 200 mph and weighed less than 10 lbs!!! We had some bend the Ti "skewer" that they mounted on :eek:

how lo buck?...:D I think I'll cut down on the smilly faces in about 9 or 10 more posts...:D

Sa-Weeeet!:cool:

Even lo-buck by Bobaki standards...around $10 in foam core, I already have the epoxy, it is expensive but you wont use much, around $20 for a quart, $15 for s-glass.

Looks good scwafish. You are sooooo inventive. How are you going to hold it down? May I suggest duct tape over the masking tape? Much stronger :D

This is really cool ! Ive never seen it done ive seen people doing glass work but it all looked to britle for off-road use where this stuff sounds trick.

I'm sure your sick of all these silly questions so ill ask a few more.

What kind of epoxy do you use ? where is a good place to buy (order) it?

Is the foam core stuff flexable? ( I see your making box stuff, if it could flex a little it would be neat to make other shapes...)

Keep posting pics as you progress I'd like to see the process as it goes....!!!

Thanks !! This is neat stuff, i can already think of several uses for it. !

-mike

Scwafish,

Looks good, even from all the way in SoCal. :D :D

yagernc-foam core isnt really brittle, but it is very stiff so it all about flat shapes. Epoxy resin is generally available at high end marine stores, aircraft stores, or plastic stores like TAP, its usually with the regular glass stuff, but the resin is 2-4X more money, but you dont need enough to worry about the extra cost.

Tusker-the tape "flange" on the floor will get glassed too, and the bottom of the tape will function as the release agent when the final product is lifted off. As much as you want me to run tape in the long run, I'll be using sheetmetal screws.

tape is good, I like tape, I think i'll use more tape

did Mr Control really get a sammy?

It looks like that is going to 'intrude' just a little more than the stock sami tunnel ..
I did something similar a few months ago except I used cardboard and mylar packing tape.

I have three shifter holes in mine too but I have two transmissions:D

Do you have a square cage?

Dang CRO, thats basically what Im talking about, its like one of those cooking shows where they pull a finished one out of the oven right after there done stirring the basics together!

While the new tunnel looks pretty big, it isnt really all that much bigger, about 0.5 inches wider per side, and about 2.0 taller. The top isnt even as high as the seat cushion.

Square cage??? Watjutalkinboutwills?

right hand corner of the pic, next too the pedals. Kind of looks like the bottom of a hoop. I've seen a few of em.:)

hmmmm....scwafish=round cage+boxy tunnel CRO=square cage+roundy tunnel...the world IS in equilibrium!

I guess there has to some kind of a Balance.:D

Finished the rest (passenger side) of the tunnel tonight. I'll be glassin' tomorrow night !:smokin: This side wa definitely a little trickier, but the hard part is over.

A different angle...

With all those non-parallel flat panels....it's looking a little stealthy. Are you worried about refracting radar waves? If you are, don't forget about the radar absorbing material, also leading edges need radar absorbing honeycomb. J/K.

Looks good, even from home now.

Bobaki, don't get yourself twitter patted. No, I don't have a Sammy now. :(

Finished the rest (passenger side) of the tunnel tonight. I'll be glassin' tomorrow night !

I'll keep a nose to the air. :barf:

twitter patted????? once I figure what that is I'll try my best to avoid it, what are the simtoms(spell check isn't working)hmmmmm

Oh yeah...I had a roll of that stealth stuff laying around here somewhere....if you wanna getget a full wiff, you no where it sits!

bahaha that's what i was going to say- looking very Stealthy!
i love the look of what you've done,very cool. especially like that transition from vertical plane to non parallel at the front of the tunnel below the **first shifter.very sweet.:beer:




**edit: sorry make that shifters,plural.(you bloody bastard:flipoff2: i am soooo jealous)

<img src="http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=129390" width="320" height="240" align="middle"><font size="6"> = </font><img src="http://www.af.mil/photos/images/fighters_f117_0005.jpg" width="320" height="240" align="middle">

Cut all the stright edges in a "zig-zag" pattern, paint it with "ram" (Radar Absorbing Material) and then stencil "Stealth Console" down the side.... or not. :rolleyes:

Alright smartass, thats it, I'm going to have to pull your security clearance, you know toooo much!!! :p LMAO...Incontrols heckling was'nt enough, you had to have a VISUAL...oh man that is too funny:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

If I couldn't heckle, I wouldn't have anything to do. :rolleyes:

If you cleaned out your garage, you might find that Samurai i told you about. You really do have one - I promise.

Despite the holidays and a couple of birthdays and remodeling my sons bathroom.....I finished the tunnel...glassed both sides with extra layers of glass binding on the "mounting flange". Primed it (sorry yota, now RAM available), screwed it on and shazam, my floor is strong again! I can jump my 200# carcass up and down and it doesnt budge. All in all pretty pleased with how it came out, I'll put in the cup holders later.:D

http://www.sonic.net/jkwaters/images/Sami_Tunnel_1.jpg

http://www.sonic.net/jkwaters/images/Sami_Tunnel_2.jpg

cool, but where are the Duff holders going to go?:D

edit: or "Fudd" i guess, depending on which side of the tracks you're on.:beer:

Looks good you should sell that tunnle as a kit for folks that have done the conversion.:idea:

Uzi-I'm going to use plastic "drop-in" style cupholders. One will go between the two t-case shifters, one will go behind the rear t-case shifter.

Fatty-I thought about having a mold shot off of mine for production, which I can do at any time at this point. It really depends if there is any demand.

Retun to Heckle-ville! Wheeeee...

http://home.off-road.com/~mithrandir/por_pics/scwafish_heckling_1.jpg
http://home.off-road.com/~mithrandir/por_pics/scwafish_heckling_2.jpg

Just kidding about the softtop thing - I'm sure it's just the camera, and the screws along the edge that look like snaps on a sof top. But I have one question for you...

Where did you find soft top bows that small? :laughing:

:skull: :skull: :skull:

looksa a little better the tape ,not a lot mind you ..........:D