These two new slide shows show the construction of the MR2 3SGTE front and read engine cage bracing. This is the last of the lower frame members for now.

I took a bit more of the VW bug sheetmetal out of the lower rear rails, the rear inner fender wells and the front fire-wall. I will now test fit it again and see if there is anything else in the way.

With the addition of all the new framing materials, I need to remove a bit more of the VW bug sheetmetal. I have created a body mount point with the sheetmetal from the the rear fender wells. A little more and I will be ready to set the body back on.

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.