EA Body supports

[Henry Harris]

Does anyone have any detail pics and measurements of the front body supports that connect the bulkhead to the front cross-member?

They appear to have been pressed/folded from 16 swg steel, approximately 5 1/2 inches high?

My take on it from peering into and under restored cars.....

   

[Erich]

Henry, I am a little confused, so perhaps you could clarify. There are four supports in total. Two are riveted to the front cross member, taking three rivets each. The part that rivets to the cross member is triangular in pattern. Then there is a bent part rectangular in pattern that goes under the floor on either side of the g/b. These have a single hole to take a bolt and nut. On the body itself, there are two rectangular pieces with a bend in the middle. They are riveted to the floorpan and the angled firewall. There are four rivets on the angled part of the firewall and three rivets on the floor bit. There is a larger hole on the floor pan bit which takes the bolt and nut which attach these pieces to the pieces which are riveted to the chassis cross piece. On genuine Ulsters(EA Sports), the pieces that are under the floorpan are angled to the front, whereas on most Replicas, the body is further back so the bit that goes under the floorpan projects to the rear. Additionally, there are supports on the outboard end of the chassis cross piece, but I don't think you are referring to these. Erich in Mukilteo

[Henry Harris]

Erich, there are indeed 4 body supports. 2 as per my original post. These are riveted to the bottom of the joining flanges of the bulkhead and the front of the aluminium body skin.
    (This is a TT but the bottom of the bracket is exposed)

The rear pair are riveted to the sloping rear floor and fit to the end of the chassis extensions.

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The floor ir also attached to chassis front cross-member either side of the gearbox. There are also 2 fixings between the flat floor and the main chassis members.

   

[Hedd_Jones]

Erich

The brackets you mention are standard Austin. cars made with 3 speed boxes have the brackets pointing forwards. Cars made with 4 speed boxes they point backwards.

[JonE]

Great to have that drawing Henry. I imagine those brackets are the sort of thing that Oxfordshire Sevens (other companies are available...) would easily pop out in addition to all the forgotten Nippy ones they have been researching. I'd be interested to know if all the real EA bodies' vertical face of the bulkhead looks down through the rear engine mount holes, as per the drawings. And whether the forward facing inner front cross member supports are partially showing (at the front) when bolted down.

[Erich]

Thank you for clarifying, Hedd. At least some of the Ulster Reps, including mine, have the brackets on either side of the g/b pointing to the rear. Perhaps it has something to do with the CC bodies, though I have photos of a Roach body that has the same arrangement. It also could have something to do with the difference in a genuine Ulster crank case with the raised feet at the front and rear. Henry, I will check on my car to see whether these are still extent. I wasn't sure whether the supports you were referring to were the inboard or outboard ones.


Erich in Mukilteo

[JonE]

Definitely nothing on the rear crossmember end on the standard EA, or is there a reinforced plate somewhere inboard? (no space/no metal for the TT).

[Hedd_Jones]

Thank you for clarifying, Hedd. At least some of the Ulster Reps, including mine, have the brackets on either side of the g/b pointing to the rear. Perhaps it has something to do with the CC bodies, though I have photos of a Roach body that has the same arrangement. It also could have something to do with the difference in a genuine Ulster crank case with the raised feet at the front and rear. Henry, I will check on my car to see whether these are still extent. I wasn't sure whether the supports you were referring to were the inboard or outboard ones.


Erich in Mukilteo

Probably more likely to do with them being on long chassis, cut down long chassis, or made up from bits.

[Erich]

Hedd, the ones I looked at and my Replica are all on genuine short chassis. My guess is that, at least in the case of the CC bodies,  the dimensions are not exactly the same as a genuine EA Sports. They are close, but the CC body appears to have a slightly shorter floor before it turns up at the firewall. As well, the raised feet on the Ulster cc put the flywheel cover higher than on a standard car. For instance, if I were to put my genuine Ulster engine into the CC body, the g/b would be too high and foul the tunnel and front cover. One thing I had to do on my Rep was to fabricate and install a new tunnel and front cover. Compound Curvature bodies, at least ones from the 1990s like mine, have a tunnel which is 1/2 inch narrower than what is found on a genuine Ulster.

Erich in Mukilteo

[Ian Williams]

I have asked Atho to contact you Henry he has dimensioned patterns from a genuine car that he can supply you with.
From our studies the replica bodies including CC which were once lauded as authentic all have a number of inaccuracies in their construction. Atho has catalogued everything that we are currently aware of and there may be more.