Hurray, the VW bug’s lower frame is complete as far as I can get it for now. I will still need to remove the frame and flip it around a bit to get to all the welds. Next up, compression of the struts to determine ride height and strut top location. So far so good.

The VW bug’s front engine fire-wall plate is finally in place. I had to adjust it a little with the hammer to get it to fit perfectly. Once it was tight I welded it on as much as possible. Again I will have to remove the frame from the MR2 3SGTE engine to finish all the welding. This plate should add quite a bit of rigidity to the entire structure.

The VW bug fire-wall plate is now ready to be installed. I have to finish welding and grinding the joints flat behind the plate so that it will fit flush with the fire-wall framing. Once I get it to fit I will weld it in.

A new slide show on the “MR2 VW Bug Pics Page 4” page shows the lower VW bug fire-wall unit that contains the Toyota MR2 3SGTE motor mount.

Now that I have transferred the exact measurments to the VW bug fire-wall steel, I will again clamp it between two angle pieces in my vise and start the bend. I double check it with the board to make sure it is perfect.

With the first bend in the fire-wall complete, I need to bend the other side. The measurement here is critical, if the bend isn’t exactly right the fire-wall plate will not fit. If I bend it too short I won’t be able to weld it on and if I bend it too long it won’t fit into the frame work. I cut a 2×2 piece of wood to fit and then carefully transferred this measurement to the steel, now I have to bend it.

With the steel fire-wall sheet clamped in the vise, I can manually bend it over. I am using two 1.5×1.5 angle pieces to extend the clamping surface of my vise. I slowly bend it over to get a good edge.

With the rear engine cage members in place, I can now refocus on the front fire-wall. I will be using a 12 ga. steel sheet to create the fire-wall itself. I need to bend it on the ends for more strength. A couple of angle iron sections clamped in the vise should do just fine.

The VW bug rear engine cage is now complete. I have positioned and welded on the two rear angle members as far as I can get them until the frame is removed from the MR2 3SGTE motor to weld the back side. I angled these two pieces opposite the front fire-wall to try and give the frame better triangulation.

I need to install a couple of angle braces in the VW’s rear engine cage similar to the front fire-wall. I again used the foam board to get the correct size and shape of these two framing pieces. I now have both units cut to fit, so all I have to do is position them and weld them in.