Batwing reinforcement
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 252
Likes: 30
From: San Diego Ca
Batwing reinforcement
Does anyone have any pictures of a batwing with plates welded over the webbed arms to resist flexing? I have the rear out and now would be the perfect time to do it. Also while it is apart I want to put in a drain. Is the batwing the place to put it or in the pumpkin?
Jim
Jim
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,753
Likes: 15
From: backwoods upstate ny
we are looking at this currently, in light of TA's failure pic in another thread.....adding a plate in the web area, or plates both sides of the web to ''box'' the wing would be helpful...but more will be accomplished by laying a 3/8 x 2'' alum flat bar on top of the upper member and below the lower member and running a continous weld bead to tie those on...substantial increase in 'section modulus' will result, should be more than double existing strength....we will prolly do this(or fab a new batwing from chromemolybdenum steel, still no final decision) using 6061-T6511 flat bar, even tho welding will affect temper .....outer rubber bushings will need to be removed prior to welding...need to crawl under the baby and verify sufficient space available.
drain would be functionally better in the main case as it will be lower and get the sediment out....as you already have your bat off, just add a hole in the side of the bottom bolt boss on the ring gear side inside the case and the existing bottom bolt will become a drain, nicely located between the exhaust pipes if using vette type ''backbone'' exhaust pipe routing.
drain would be functionally better in the main case as it will be lower and get the sediment out....as you already have your bat off, just add a hole in the side of the bottom bolt boss on the ring gear side inside the case and the existing bottom bolt will become a drain, nicely located between the exhaust pipes if using vette type ''backbone'' exhaust pipe routing.
Last edited by redrose; Dec 2, 2006 at 03:09 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 252
Likes: 30
From: San Diego Ca
Originally Posted by redrose
...but more will be accomplished by laying a 3/8 x 2'' alum flat bar on top of the upper member and below the lower member and running a continous weld bead to tie those on...substantial increase in 'section modulus' will result, should be more than double existing strength.....
Jim
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,753
Likes: 15
From: backwoods upstate ny
Originally Posted by LT1inaMGB
Would the bar be welded to the arm on end or layed flat to make the upper and lower sections thicker? On end would give more stiffness in the vertical plane but would not be as effective front to back. It would seem like torque would act more in the vertical plane.
Jim
Jim
torque is the object of concern as our opinion of TA's failure is that torque of the differential assy attempting to rotate on the same axis as the engine was causative, not a bump in the road...this reaction is radial in a vertical plane ,as you state, restrained by the wings.
each wing has one member in tension and the other in compression when under load, and the cross-sectional area of the upper and lower member multiplied by the distance between the members produces the ''section modulus'' number....by adding flat bars to the cast flat sections we can more than double the ''section modulus'' (and strength)
