MNR 4600 class 2021 U4 Bronco build

[Winchested]

Those things are not worthy. Looks like a Taurus chassis with a "truck" body on it......

Its a Honda. Very much like the old falcon based ranchero.

 

[ridered3]

Drool for the new arms and please weigh the new suspension parts (arms, portals, etc) just for fun.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Those things are not worthy. Looks like a Taurus chassis with a "truck" body on it......

Once they trickle down they will be great shibox beaters.

They were a "we don't think this is a big market so we're not gonna spend too much money on development" project built from the Escape/Focus/Transit Connect parts bin so the Fisher-Price engnineers and bean counters who tend to shit all over any "new hotness" type project mostly left it alone.

 

[JR4X]

I went to work and while I was gone the Bronco exploded. 1,000 pounds flew off in every direction. This will be the last weight we get on it for a while. Once the tires come off it’ll be a while before next weigh in. There’s still a lot left to remove too.

 

[JR4X]

Drool for the new arms and please weigh the new suspension parts (arms, portals, etc) just for fun.

 

[ridered3]

JR4X you da’ the man when it comes to weights.

 

[matzell]

Gonna keep the speakers? Who was that team that raced KOH that always had the speakers jamming out?

 

[JR4X]

Gonna keep the speakers? Who was that team that raced KOH that always had the speakers jamming out?

Tom can’t remember his last name. But no, the speakers are coming out

 

[SLOWPOKE693]

I went to work and while I was gone the Bronco exploded. 1,000 pounds flew off in every direction. This will be the last weight we get on it for a while. Once the tires come off it’ll be a while before next weigh in. There’s still a lot left to remove too.

But how much of that weight do you have to put back on to be legal? It's not like you can just slap a cage in it and race like that. Fenders, hood, quarters and the tail gate gotta be a few pounds...

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Interesting that the rear inner structure is so close to the shape of the outer fender or 1/4 panel.

I'm thinking lots of that could be lightened?

 

[SLOWPOKE693]

I'm thinking lots of that could be lightened?

They are not allowed to trim any of that away. All the inner and outer sheetmetal must remain intact to be class legal.

 

[JR4X]

But how much of that weight do you have to put back on to be legal? It's not like you can just slap a cage in it and race like that. Fenders, hood, quarters and the tail gate gotta be a few pounds...

I’ll let you know when we know. We’re just keeping tabs as we go, that’s only a vague data point for funsies just because we can.

 

[JR4X]

You would think by now that we’d be past using torx bolts. At least since it’s brand new they mostly came right out. We ended up having to take the body completely off of it to get some of the unnecessary stuff out. Glad we did though.

 

[Jeffh555]

Who was that team that raced KOH that always had the speakers jamming out?

John Webb

He’s stepped his game up over the last few years and has a home built copy of Scherer’s previous car, they’re buddies. He finished 10th in 4400, with the speakers blasting music.

 

[ridered3]

I’ll let you know when we know. We’re just keeping tabs as we go, that’s only a vague data point for funsies just because we can.

If I had a set of scales like that, I’d weigh everything for fun too! Will drop a good bit of weight by losing the windshield too.

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

Weigh the box of fasteners

 

[JR4X]

Weigh the box of fasteners

We weighed the dash. No pics but just the dash was 70 pounds and the HVAC is completely separated

 

[ParadisePWoffrd]

Maybe its just me, but I am pretty impressed with the beef and clearance of the front clip. I feel like they could have used stamped sheet, like everything else, and had it lighter, and good enough, but I would think it might actually be adding some structural rigidity when bolted to the frame.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Maybe its just me, but I am pretty impressed with the beef and clearance of the front clip. I feel like they could have used stamped sheet, like everything else, and had it lighter, and good enough, but I would think it might actually be adding some structural rigidity when bolted to the frame.

When I disparage automotive engineers as being a bunch of computer jockey this is exactly what I'm talking about. These guys just don't have enough familiarity working with "the complete system" to think big picture like that. They are so specialized in specifics that they have become ignorant.

There is zero chance anyone involved in designing that said "hey, we're 90% of the way to metal already, let's add a tubular section, some real bolts to hold it on and reap the rigidity and strength benefits" and if they had the other dozen idiots in the room would have shot it down with dumb "hurr durr, steel, what is this, the 1970s?" type responses.

 

[Bebop]

There is zero chance anyone involved in designing that said "hey, we're 90% of the way to metal already, let's add a tubular section, some real bolts to hold it on and reap the rigidity and strength benefits" and if they had the other dozen idiots in the room would have shot it down with dumb "hurr durr, steel, what is this, the 1970s?" type responses.

You have no idea how any of this shit works.

They're building a car, not an offroad buggy.

There are rules and regulations to follow. Crash test (including against pedestrians). Bean counters to please. Style design constraints etc.

 

[665.0coupe]

You have no idea how any of this shit works.

They're building a car, not an offroad buggy.

There are rules and regulations to follow. Crash test (including against pedestrians. Bean counters to please. Style design constraints etc.

Plus, as much as we would hate to admit it, 90+% of these trucks will be used by soccer mom's who have no idea what all the gadgets and do-dad's are.

 

[arse_sidewards]

You have no idea how any of this shit works.

I've worked in professional BigCo engineering departments. I know exactly how this works.

They're building a car, not an offroad buggy.

They're just doing what they know. And unless it has problems in the field they won't come back and revise and of the design elements that they included "by default"

Crash test (including against pedestrians).

The US doesn't do pedestrian crash test requirements (although I think the NHTSA does do ratings). Are they selling this in Europe? Do they think anti-car lefty swine will be a core buyer demographic? Those are the only two reasons to have a "collapseable" plastic and fiberglass core support on something that could otherwise benefit from the structure.

Bean counters to please. Style design constraints etc.

Hence why the engineers just ship plastic bullshit. That's easier than fighting tooth and nail for some marginal improvement.

 

[Bebop]

The US doesn't do pedestrian crash test requirements (although I think the NHTSA does do ratings). Are they selling this in Europe? Do they think anti-car lefty swine will be a core buyer demographic? Those are the only two reasons to have a "collapseable" plastic and fiberglass core support on something that could benefit from the structure.

I'm glad those are the on;y 2 reasons you see. Your world must be very simple.

Hence why the engineers just ship plastic bullshit. That's easier than fighting tooth and nail for some marginal improvement.

The coffee machine being full is a higher priority than listening to engineers. Why TF would I fight tooth and nails for something that is better when corporate sends me fuck yous on the daily coming from the product team (marketing) ?

 

[arse_sidewards]

I'm glad those are the on;y 2 reasons you see. Your world must be very simple.

You know what I meant.

The coffee machine being full is a higher priority than listening to engineers. Why TF would I fight tooth and nails for something that is better when corporate sends me fuck yous on the daily coming from the product team (marketing) ?

Completely agree. Hence why "hey if we talk the X team into doing Y we could add so much more Z to the finished product" is something that only dumbasses straight out of college do. Experienced dumbasses just figure out ways to make the product worse while making their KPIs better.

 

[Bebop]

Cool. Then I promise you that nobody in their right mind is gonna ask for a tubular front end if they want to stay employed.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Cool. Then I promise you that nobody in their right mind is gonna ask for a tubular front end if they want to stay employed.

Hence why this vehicle doesn't have one despite it probably being both more performant in the ways they care about than the plastic abomination it does happen to have.

 

[Bebop]

I give up lmao

 

[JR4X]

Hence why this vehicle doesn't have one despite it probably being both more performant in the ways they care about than the plastic abomination it does happen to have.

What the F are you talking about? It does have tubular front structure heavily attached to the frame with a cast aluminum core support. I don’t know what you think you’re seeing but there is 0 plastic in these two pictures

 

[JR4X]

Everything in yellow is steel, the gray is aluminum and the frame is pretty stout.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Everything in yellow is steel, the gray is aluminum and the frame is pretty stout.

I thought that core support was just greyish black glass fiber reinforced plastic.