Engine Compartment Brace

With the engine in place and most of the bulkier accessories attached, it's time to fit the engine compartment brace. This brace stiffens the engine cradle and was a key handling improvement in the Sport 300. The brace is bolted to the frame tubes over some conical fixtures. This is my first attempt to figure out where those fixtures need to be welded to the frame tubes.

The brace has to provide additional rigidity to the frame, but it also has to clear the engine while fitting into the engine compartment and under the rear hatch. It also needs to be removable in case the engine has to come out.

Here is the brace sitting on the frame.

As you can see, the fit is pretty tight at the top of the engine.

And even tighter around the front of the engine. Here it has been bent a bit to make room for the cam pulley. With the body on the car, the bulkhead will be very close to this tube, and there are a number of hoses and cables that need to fit through here. To make sure everything fits, I am planning to fashion a bulkhead I can bolt to the frame to make sure I'll have room for everything before reaching for a welder.

There are also some things that will need to be moved. This post provides an attachment point for the coolant tube that runs from the top of the water pump down to the coolant hose to the radiator. It will have to be cut off and moved.