Lower dash rail - how structural?
Turbo Mini Forums

As title, I'm thinking of cutting the dash rail, and the structure forward of it out.

Mounting the column on the cage, and gauges in a pod.

Thoughts??

This is FORD country, on a quiet day you can hear Vauxhalls rusting.

It's so flimsy it cannot be structural surely,


c arl

WWW.FORCE-RACING.CO.UK PLEASE CLICK HERE

in no engineer but id stay away from it unless the cage becomes the structure front to rea side to side in the car to replace it and support the surrounding body
perhaps some much more experienced guys can tell me im a fool and say what might be better haha

Ive always been unsure on this but decided I am going to make an aluminium one during my rebuild

I seriously doubt it!

My thoughts exactly.

I mine, the column has never really been that stable, as it all feels a bit weak.

Thought I'd better check before cutting.

This is FORD country, on a quiet day you can hear Vauxhalls rusting.

I would of thought that if the roll cage has a support between the front legs to allow the colume to be mounted it's probably not required if the cage is tied into the shell.

But dont quote me on that, my mini has both.

What the mind can conceive the mini can achieve
MITP 2012 17.01 seconds 1/4 mile against "The Don"
MITP 2013 16.83 seconds 1/4 mile

i brought a turbo mini ages ago that had a bump on the o/s door/a panel and bit of sill.
n/s door gap had opened up but i thought it was just the front over and a bit of pushing and pulling i would get it back
dam i was soooo wrong
the lower dash rail may be a bit flimsy but it had pushed and twisted the n/s flitch/a panel over by about 5cm
leave it in unless you cage it

Edited by 100ev8 on 26th Dec, 2013.

http://www.fishfight.net/

I will be removing mine and using the cage for coulomb mount, dont see the point in it apart from to make a dash.

Drives
-Ford S-max Mk2 Ecoboost
-Rover 100 VVC #2 - track project

Searching is all you need on TurboMinis

Well I don't se it adding much torsional stiffness because of where it is. All the front strength is in the large box section across the front bulkhead. So for my money, remove the lower dash rail, but keep the bulkhead box section and don't fit a turbo box.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Has anyone removed it in the mob prods Will

carl

WWW.FORCE-RACING.CO.UK PLEASE CLICK HERE

I'm removing mine because it's mangled, putting in a bit of box across where it was to mount my steering column and heater to though instead. Should be a lot tidier behind, and I'll probably drill holes in two sides to keep the weight down of the box.

I agree round the steering mount it is pretty damn flexiable. but that is just the backing panel is the bit at the front keeping it stiff?

Me. But I have one in the garage to rivet in if anyone complains. By the definition of unitary in the Blue Book it is not part of the unitary construction.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

It is structural but badly specced. Basically because of the minis 'unique' construction the dash rail is used to tie the 2 sides together and reduce scuttle shake but to be honest I cant see it doing either of those. A well put together roll cage thats welded in will make the shell a hell of a lot stiffer than the dash rail ever could

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