Frame and body twist

[Bryan C]

Question on frame/body twist with a high HP and TQ motor in a T Bucket. I am having a Spirit 23 T Bucket built with a Rossler T3 TH400, and a Ray Barton 540 blown FI Hemi. Yes, it is overkill, but this is my retirement bucket list as I've always wanted a T and I am a Gen II Hemi fan! When Ray's shop ran the completed engine on the dyno a few days ago, 2 of the techs HIGHLY recommended an engine mid plate, to help in frame twist. This car will never be raced. It will be a show and road rally car. Will I chirp the tires once in a while, sure. Who doesn't? Question is I realize there will be frame twist if the throttle is too aggressive, but how will the fiberglass body hold up?

 

[Spanky]

In most T-buckets the body "sits" on the frame. Since it's not rigidly connected to the frame rails, it should have enough "flex" to handle the torque-twist of that big hemi. Mid-plate and gusseted cross members should keep your frame stable.

(Love to see pics when that bad boy hits the road!)

 

[Bryan C]

In most T-buckets the body "sits" on the frame. Since it's not rigidly connected to the frame rails, it should have enough "flex" to handle the torque-twist of that big hemi. Mid-plate and gusseted cross members should keep your frame stable.

(Love to see pics when that bad boy hits the road!)

Thanks Spanky. I was kind of hoping that was the case. I did try to upload a pic of the engine when it was being set up for the dyno, but apparently the file was too large and I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to compress it.