S550 Chassis School

[qwkcoupe]

Monocoque is normally about the outer skin being responsible for holding everything together such as a rocket or an airplane per wiki, where this still is a unibody. Sure it looks like the force load paths are improving since decades ago, but it still is a unibody since the old days are still the same such as the rear quarter panels and the roof rails and skin.

Other thought Q&A verfication I can only figure out how to talk about is via a picture because I do not see anything very exciting going on in the seat area other than more rear end stuff!

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[thePill]

I only use Monocoque because of the large rimmed holes placed on large panels for reinforcement. I've heard it called a bench pan/panel, butt panel, seat panel, kid panel... The S197 used a rimmed hole in that area as well. This is a good pic of the S197 shell. There are areas the S550 is only half the mass the S197 was. The B Pillar cross member is there as well as the wall. The wall is a lot taller on the S197.

The only thing the S197 and S550 share is the hole... LOL!!!

 

[IGJoe2192]

Someone should try to do a mash up of these two pics from the 50th Anniversary car to see where things are.

 

[qwkcoupe]

I really want to see the coupe unibody. Who else remembers this statement made by mrpeabody?


---Originally Posted by UOP Shadow
Please enlighten us with your knowledge. No hatchback? Do you know the reasons why the C pillar is larger?-----


"Correct. Several reasons. Good reasons."

Yes indeed. I bet the coupe/fastback keeps everything related to rigidity in the unibody department because Ford is out of the after though convertible chassis hack business.

One example is the left-right channels in the vert's rear deck/package/speaker tray.

 

[c3po]

Is that a rip in the stitching on the bottom part of the seat behind the front passenger seat?

 

[c3po]

Is that a rip in the stitching on the bottom part of the seat behind the front passenger seat?

Never mind- latch hook openings for car seats.

 

[qwkcoupe]

Never mind- latch hook openings for car seats.

The only trouble with the Mustang is it is missing a 3rd seat belt back there...

... I know....

 

[qwkcoupe]

Maybe it has been a long day but that S197 pic reminds me how big a delta it made from the Fox 3!! Thanks to the Empire stunt cuts ups, we are zeroing in on elusive uni-body data despite there is a rare few who will deal with the difficulty of modifying it with cutters and welders.

We need some more S197 pics showing the rear under body tunnel gas tank axle area and inside trunk seat wheel well d-pillar area. Plus S550 Coupe!!!!

 

[qwkcoupe]

While the "chassis" thoughts percolate, let's swing over to the suspension topic.

Any thoughts about distinguishing what is the stunt frame (red line), from what might be actual suspension mounting frame (blue line)?

 

[thePill]

I found clear pics of the front S and Y braces AND the rear equivalent. I will see if I can get time away from the shop later to post. It appears there is a more traditional support in the rear, probably less complex to mount the ILIRS cradle to. The Y braces are more like a short Y or V.

I see some evidence of some dissimilar metals under the A pillar. Steel and Aluminium maybe, just could be different steels... We will see.

 

[thePill]

Whats up Platform, Suspension and Chassis fans, I found a few additional pictures from the State building stunt. I had an awesome conversation yesterday and today about the Mustang. Learned a lot about some of the new techniques Ford is using...

Below is a picture of a clear shot of the S and Y braces in the front. It seems the Y and S brace merge together, the Y reaches all the way to the rocker. Look how lightweight the front frame section is. I am told Ford is Hydro-Forming some of the load bearing beams and supports. You can also see the whole area is just so much smaller. You can see the DBJ Mac P suspension going up. We discussed the importance of the new strut tower brace vs. the old, laughable, strip of thin metal my GT came with. The new system properly uses a triangulated support that looks to be fused to the firewall on the GT. With a true Strut type suspension, a proper strut tower brace is very important. It has to be done correctly or it does nothing but add weight. Suspension systems like the Virtual Pivot do not benefit at all from a brace, diamonding occurs and it may help a tad with that but, forces from a SLA type suspension (anything with an upper/lower control arm and steering knuckle) are applied to the strut tower straight up. The Mac P systems experience force from side loads as well. Actually, its more of a diagonal angle.

This is the rear, you can actually see where the ILIRS cradle mounts. I'm having trouble getting oriented to here... What it looks like is, from the rear to the B Pillar Wall/Cross member area, the beams are straight. It seems the ILIRS cradle lays so flat against the frame, almost ZERO kick up has been added. Looks like the S550 can support some MAJOR tire width if the suspension can be modified or perhaps a solid axle.

Super thin A pillars... Thinner but stronger, maybe HF, Laser welded and remember, they extend back to the C Pillar. The convertible here doesn't BUT, it looks as if Ford has built the floor strong enough to support a convertible without ugly sub frame connectors. The Sled Runners are now basically built in Sub frame connectors. Anyway, these pillars are slim... The Egg in the Bullet creates the strength of the structure, efficiency of design.

Ah HA! That's where the vert gets its strength, look at the truck area between the missing back seat and the truck itself. The Lions Foot has a triangular support member attached the top. The coupe should also have these supports.

Even the S550's front suspension and cradle have lost some mass over the S197... I just don't see any weight gain... The ILIRS and the old solid rear axle are very close in weight too.. IT definitely isn't heavier unless you option it out.

Look at the mass reduction in the firewall area, the engine bay/cradle has also been reduced in size.

Now that I have seen this angle of the rear, I can see a cross member at the Lions Foot, a B pillar cross member and a useless angles cross member below the spare tire compartment. The load path is clearer now, there is no S brace in the rear nor is there a Y. The rear frame section of the S550 is straight with NO miter cuts until the nameless brace (not Y). The rear section merges with the rockers... There was mass lost here as well. The S197 had a kick up on it's beams to clear the rear axle, these are straight as an arrow.

Look at the superior rocker panel construction vs. the S197's, DUAL REINFORCED!!! Along side them are the large Sled Runners (not shown).

(cont.)

 

[Grimace427]

I use that exact model lift everyday at work.

Funny how the curved frame shape reminds me of body-on-frame SUV's and trucks. The shape allows big room for a solid axle and 4wd. Obviously this isn't the case with the Mustang but the shape is very reminiscent of the Mercedes G-Wagon that I work on often.


I've been looking for a similar angle for the S197 to compare but could only find a few.

edit: here's a few more for those curious enough.

 

[thePill]

They took a sh!tload of mass out of the Engine bay, cradle, firewall and cowl. The front frame section on the S550 (S and Y) are much slimmer now compared to the S197's more of a Z and V brace, they could be Hydro-formed. The Firewall's are a HUGE difference. The S197 has a pretty tall Firewall/Cowl, it was also pretty deep meaning, it went all the way to the ground. The S550 has a very tight and compact firewall, it's a proper shear plate now with very little flex... More of a cross member now LOL...

The S550 is lighter, it has to be, that's just looking at mass, the metal that is no longer part of the Mustang. I haven't even thought about materials being lighter... Looking at the S197 and S550's Platforms together, there is A LOT of metal missing in the S550 that the S197 had to lug around.

 

[Thed]

Keep it coming Pill, I'm loving what I'm seeing!!!

 

[scottpe]

Keep it coming Pill, I'm loving what I'm seeing!!!

Indeed, his observations definitely sound encouraging. Hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer to find out the facts.

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