Chassis "Band-aids" for Slicks

[JML68]

This is the most important upgrade done to the GTS chassis when it moved to racing slicks.



Depending on which vendor built the chassis (their were 6 different ones over the years including ourselves and even a vendor in South Africa), you may have some or none of these updates.


This next one was added by the factory sometime in the year 2000. The School also updated the GTWC's with it but I don't know if they did any of the GTRA's.


The first 5 chassis are the most at risk (unless the school upgraded them) since the vertical 2x1 tubes that the upper control arm brackets are welded onto are 16ga. instead of 11ga.

Hope this helps.

[Cobra4B]

Thanks so much Looks like I have a winter project do do.

[Cobra4B]

Do you guys sell these parts seperately? So I could just take them to my welder buddy to do vs. fabbing the parts?

I'll go over mine tonight and see if I have any of the upgrades.

[JML68]

I am sure our Parts Dept. will be happy to sell the individual parts so that they don't have to be made from scratch. It may take a few weeks to re-stock our parts dept. from our last batch of chassis builds, but call or e-mail Brandon or Josh.

[Cobra4B]

Thanks

[Cobra4B]

Looking at some pics I have online I found this one of the front frame. Does this look like it's had the reinforcement? It looks like added metal/material to me, but not exactly the same as the GTS chassis. I haven't gotten a chance to inspect the other bits.



Other GTRA guys does your cassis have that on it?

[Blue Streak 21]

John;
Fab!!! Thanks for the post. This is exactly what I need to check the #28 to see if any mod's have been done, and if not, make the changes.

[JML68]

Cobra4B,
Yes that is one of the "reinforcements"
John

[Gatorac]

Awesome. Thanks for the pics.

Good news. Car 42 (chasis 33) has all of these updates. Now I can spend my money on horespower.

[Cobra4B]

Originally Posted by JML68

Cobra4B,
Yes that is one of the "reinforcements"
John

Looks like my car has all of them! Not sure when they were done, but here's the pics. Can you confirm? The rear piece looks different than the picture you posted, but I dont' see how the trailing arms would reach the bolt holes in the pic you posted.

Top plate


Upper control arm plates


Ribs on back of the uprights


Rear reinforcement

[Soflow1]

Originally Posted by Cobra4B

Looks like my car has all of them! Not sure when they were done, but here's the pics. Can you confirm? The rear piece looks different than the picture you posted, but I dont' see how the trailing arms would reach the bolt holes in the pic you posted.

Rear reinforcement

In your photograph, you're looking forward from the rear of the car on the driver's (left-hand) side, while in the photo of the GTS they are looking from the front of the car on the passenger (right-hand) side.

Congrats...looks like your car has the "band-aids" required for slicks!

Rod

[94_panoz_#7]

Actually, there is one more thing that John forgot to mention that he and I discussed earlier. On the GTS cars we went to a rigid brace across the top of the frame rails in front of the engine. The school cars had a threaded tube with a spherical rod end in each end. The bearings add some degrees of freedom to the brace and reduce the stiffening a little bit. Not sure how much that really contributes, and I don't think the pro cars had the more rigid brace anyway. Just food for thought.

Cobra - looks like you have everything else. It's hard to tell from the pic, but the "double-shear" brackets on the trailing arms are not exactly the same as the ones I drew up and we use at the factory, so they must have been done by Road Atlanta. That could be good news for the other cars out there - I don't remember if Road Atlanta was adding them or not.

[Cobra4B]

^ Thanks Guys.

SoFlow1: You're right, now that I look again you're 100% right.

97 Panoz #7: You're right... my car's front cross brace has heim joints at each end. It is not welded in place.

[GaryJonesMotorspor]

Guy's For those of you that are going to add the reinforcement plates or do any welding on the car BE SURE to at least unhook your battrey before doing any welding...It is also a good idea ( and I wouldn't weld on mine without doing this ) to disconect the distributor,the ECM and unplug the Pi dash...Welding on these things can do a LOT of damage to the electrical....Gary

[wirewheel99]

one more mod I have noticed on the GTWC car is a brace from the bottom of the rear shock mount:


also you can see the linkage for the rear sway bar, the GTRA cars do not have a rear sway bar.

James Redman
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