SO, where were we...right.
As mentioned above, I'd begun the Heavy Thinking About It stage of the Steering Rack install, and during those ruminations - and measurings, and moving the rack in and out a few times - came to realize that I needed to be able to tilt the rack mounts forward farther that the full-width LCA cross tube would allow, and so decided to section it to about 1 inch width and reinforce that cut section with a length of .75 SQ X .065 wall tube...
A combination of recip saw, drill and angle grinder later, I was rewarded with the space needed for mounting the rack. The reinforcing tube is resting above the cut. You'll see holes drilled thru the sectioned tube for plug welds.
Attachment:
LCA crossbeam cut.JPG
...and, the tube welded in with Significant Blobbery. the ends got welded to their respective, um, ends, and the plug welds were completed.
Attachment:
cameringo_20190403_142056.jpg
An initial test fit with some straps I'd cut and drilled, prior to achieving a definitive solution...
Attachment:
cameringo_20190406_133850.jpg
Then once again, I sketched up some parts in the build notebook, and fabricated away.
Attachment:
cameringo_20190415_165242.jpg
On the bottom of the left page, there's a small notional sketch of how the mounts will go in. A flat longitudinal bottom strap, and then the bent and angled rack mount bracket. Strap material is 1.5 W X .125 mild steel.
Marking the steel for the angle bracket...
Attachment:
cameringo_20190415_165251.jpg
Forming the angle in the bending tool I'd created during the B-3 build...
Attachment:
cameringo_20190415_172909.jpg
one bottom strap in, and test fitting the drivers side angle bracket...
Attachment:
cameringo_20190406_170609.jpg
...and centering.
Attachment:
cameringo_20190406_201511.jpg
you'll notice that the stock Jetta rack bushing and U-clamp are gone from the passenger end of the rack. I want the rack solidly mounted - as is the Porsche 924 manual rack in the B-3 -and so had planned to make a passenger end mount and weld it to the steel tube on that end of the rack.
Meanwhile, test fitting all the brackets after marking the position of the drivers side, to maintain centering. In the interest of mostly full disclosure, the mounting holes on the passenger end bracket are in the wrong locations, and so that got made again, but for this picture and the subsequent several mocking-ups, it worked, well, with noticeable mintage.
Attachment:
cameringo_20190416_175905.jpg
Then began the process of creating the welded passenger side rack mount. I laid the rack out on a piece of 2 x 4 x .125 rectangular ERW, and was surprised to find that a piece of .75 wide tubing set the rack straight and level. "Well," thought I, "that was easy."
Attachment:
cameringo_20190416_183013.jpg
It only took three attempts before I got a good part, too!
Action shot of first FAIL. Looks like a good idea, right? NOT.
Attachment:
cameringo_20190417_155331.jpg
Notice that the cut, while nicely centered, is below the .75 scribed height mark. The pirate in me said "AHHRRG".
Attachment:
cameringo_20190417_160841.jpg
And then...
...
Hi. My name is Robb, and I hit the 12-pic limit.