Body improvement

[El_Camino]

Hey boys!

Its a thing, disturbing me the whole time, when im improoving the brakes, suspension, steering, which are supposed to be the MOST important on the car.
But every time my car goes to be serviced I hear the same advice: "It is too old, the metal has weakened. Dont push it to the limit!". Of course I cannot NOT push it, but what can be done to a 22 years old body, to resist the crazy driving.
Things I've done so far - rust removal + new painting.

What I mean is something like this in the engine



but also very important at the rear, which is the worst at the moment.
Do u have some ideas, pics...?
Greets!
El

[Ivan141]

Get a Roll cage...that should take care of the center section of your car. You could run the front bars of the rollcage through the firewall and connect them to the front strut towers, and then connect the strut towers together with a strut brace (triangular if you want it extra sturdy). You dont need to reinforce anything in front of the front strut towers.
Same story for the rear, make sure your rollcage bars go all the way to the rear shock mounting places, and weld it together, eventually adding a bar between the shock absorber mountings.
This should make your car as strong as it is going to get within reason.

[El_Camino]

Rollcage is the thing I dont want to put in this car, as I'm planing to use it everyday and as a first car (will never use another, after have the Ae86)...

[Ivan141]

Then just use a triangular strut bar in the front and accept the fact that old chassis' have some flex in them...

[nmwisima]

You can use a tri-bar front, a tri-bar rear and a half cage at the back of the cabin so you dont have to wear a helmet

[zeetee]

yeah and below the gearbox too

[El_Camino]

When removing the rust from the back, I saw many places, that can be fixed harder. For example all the points where the rear axle connects the body, the tunnel under and in the middel of the body - there are many points I believe, but I will be glad to get advice from somebody who have done, or seen something similar...

[zeetee]

theres a thread some where here last time,use the search button

[NoHachi]

Just improving the mounting places moves the weak points a little further..not much to be gained that way.Having said that:
Strutbraces are always a good idea on older McPherson cars..can have quite an impact.
Foam can be a nice improvement, but at the cost of extra rust sensitivity.

Other then that, there is not a lot you can do without making the car very heavy..Best way of stiffening something is working along the directions of the forces that are imposed on it. That means tubes going through the whole car.

[Eircamae86]

Front & Rear strut brace + some seam spot welding?
You can push em hard but some older 86s start to flex