BRACE BRACE BRACE - Project Prelute Part II

"deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds" (deviantcustoms)
05/10/2018 at 09:00 • Filed to: #honda, #prelude, #pickup, #truck, #ute, #builtnotbought, #hondatuning

In my previous life as a naval officer, we’d announce BRACE BRACE BRACE over the PA when a (simulated) missile was incoming. We were then supposed to hold on to something, anything, to steady ourselves for the impact; although the logic of that was somewhat questionable on a teeny 200ft, 600ton gunboat since there wouldn’t be much left. Nevertheless, Titanic Jack certainly survived a few minutes longer because he was holding on to something.

Different context here, but the same principle applies: bracing happens before the stress hits. So before cutting into the roof, I needed to install an extensive anti-roll structure to stop the car from twisting post-cut.

Green 3-axis construction lasers are awesome so I borrowed one from work:

This allowed me to keep the bracing positions symmetric across the car (which would also define the plane of the new rear bulkhead).

Fast forwarding through many hours of welding, I had a ladder frame joining the B-pillars and linking to the rear shock towers and wheelarches:

Along the way I had to remove the backlite (rear window) and excise the rear parcel shelf to get better access to the tops of the shock towers. It was a weirdly anticlimactic point of no return.

By this point I was itching to behead the car, but more had to be done: completing the structural rear window frame, welding it to the tops of the B-pillars. I used bolts in rivet nuts as temporary welding fixtures.

First use of the car as an actual pickup truck - I did all the fab work in a loading bay / rudimentary machine shop at work over weekends, so I had to clear out every Sunday night and park in another office parking structure a mile away. Hence the blue-taped third brake light.

DISCUSSION (12)

Echo51 > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/05/2018 at 04:12

I assume you’ll close the top of it ala a roll hoop at the b-pillars, but what about some foot plates tying the bottom of the car into your mini-cage?

I’m curious how you’ll fab up the bed, good luck in your endeavour

arl > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/05/2018 at 06:44

Nice job

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/05/2018 at 06:47

I like this game...

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/05/2018 at 08:34

From what I remember the Brace Brace Brace was to hold something and stand up on the ball of your foot so when the ship was struck the vibration wouldn’t “vibrate your innards into soup” - that part I do remember verbatim.

deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
05/05/2018 at 10:48

I was on a teeny 200ft, 600t missile craft in the Singapore Navy more than ten years ago. In a missile strike, we’d be lucky to have any body parts left to vibrate :D

Nice to meet a fellow (allied) sailor on here! You ever stopped by in Singapore? From what I hear it was probably the most popular port of call for US carrier crews.

Urambo Tauro > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/05/2018 at 11:41

Those construction lasers make things so much easier . Never seen them used in a car before, though. I didn’t even know they had them in green now. Neat!

deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds > Echo51
05/05/2018 at 14:13

Yes I think there was a crossbar joining the tops of the B pillars in the last photo but it was hidden by the roof. Didn’t do foot plates, probably could have for more rigidity, but figured the bottom of the ladder frame was close enough to the floor.

Bed close-off will be in several posts’ time!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/10/2018 at 09:10

All this is eerily familiar to when I was going the other way... cutting the back cab metal out of a Ranchero because it was largely rotten near the floor and I wanted a midgate, and working on some bracing.

I also put a roll hoop into the B-pillars tied all the way down through the body to the rockers, and cut the roof off (because it had been cut off before, and repaired badly).

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/10/2018 at 09:16

You never know, if the missile was designed to hit bigger targets it might actually just blow straight through before exploding.

Something similar happened in the Battle off Samar in WW2. The IJN thought they were fighting cruisers & fleet carriers so they were firing AP rounds. The US ships were actually destroyers, destroyer escorts, and escort carriers which lacked sufficient armor to detonate an AP round, so they just cut cleanly through the ship, never detonating. Arguably a big part of why such a tiny force was able to turn back an overwhelmingly massive attack.

Wacko > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/10/2018 at 09:26

those are some nice welds.

random001 > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/10/2018 at 10:13

I love your story. I’ve been through those drills! But as a civy science nerd hitching a ride, still fun!

Bubblehead > deviantcustoms: OEM++ builds
05/24/2018 at 15:46

Not a carrier but I was on submarines for 24 years. I stopped in Singapore several times over the years. One of my favorite ports.

It’s a “fine” country, I tell ya!