Inline Motor Bracket Bracing 1967
More effective bracing arrangements are sorted out
and brass rod is replaced by piano wire
January, 1967: Semicircular inside brace, struts and half-rail "bumper". The half-rail bumper fits in between the two inner main rails and does not provide any direct bracket bracing at all.
Center: X-ray drawing of John Anderson chassis from October 1967 Car Model magazine, page 49.
Photo right: Replica of John Anderson chassis by Steve Okeefe
April, 1967: Semicircular inside brace, struts and a motor mounting plate doubler. The bracket bracing arrangement shown in the diagram left appeared on John Cukras' 2nd Car Model Road Race winning chassis in April 1967. This is one of the last all brass-rod motor bracket brace arrangements. Pro builders had already begun using piano wire because it is much stronger.
Photo center and right: Chassis by John Cukras. Photos courtesy Philippe de Lespinay.
June, 1967: Square inside brace and wide "U" outside brace. This is one of the first examples of an outside motor bracket brace, and also extensive use of piano wire for bracket bracing. Simple and very strong compared to bracing made of brass rod.
Photo right: Mike Morrissey chassis, driven by Ron Quintana, 3rd Car Model Road Race.
June, 1967: Wide "U" outside brace, struts and half-rail bumper. All parts are piano wire, including the half-rail bumper.
Photo Center: Mike Morrissey chassis driven by Doug Henline, 3rd Car Model Road Race (braces not yet installed).
Photo right: Mike Morrissey chassis driven by Doug Henline, 3rd Car Model Road Race (braces installed).
August, 1967: Square inside brace, "A" brace and struts. First documented use of a motor mount plate brace. Now all four sides of the "box" created by the bracket and its braces is reinforced with piano wire.
Photo right: Terry Schmid, 4th Car Model Road race.
August, 1967: Square inside brace, wide "U" outside brace and struts. In employing this arrangement, Sandy Gross used roughly 60 degree angles in his outside brace, while Bob Cozine extended the width of his outside brace and used 90 degree angles.
Photo center: Sandy Gross, 5th Car Model Road race.
Photo right: Bob Cozine, Kansas City Arco "33" race.
September, 1967: Square inside brace, narrow "U" inside brace, "A" brace and struts. Six separate pieces of piano wire make this an example of how heavily braced motor brackets eventually became.
Photo right: Terry Schmid chassis, photo courtesy Philippe de Lespinay.
October, 1967: Doubled tapered square inside braces. The converging legs of the lower square brace form struts that brace the motor mounting plate. In the Mike Steube chassis photo at right there also appears to be a cross brace on the motor mounting plate.
Photo center: Doug Henline, 6th Car Model Road Race.
Photo right: Mike Steube chassis.
November, 1967: Wide "U" outside brace and two sets of strut
braces. Signature Mike Morrissey design; open, spidery and reminiscent of earlier space frame chassis construction.
Photo center: Mike Morrissey Group III sports car chassis construction article in Car Model, bottom view, missing one brace.
Photo right: Mike Morrissey Group III sports car chassis construction article in Car Model, top view, all braces installed.
November, 1967: Square inside brace, wide "U" outside brace, a pair of "L" braces and a motor mounting plate cross brace. In this bracing arrangement the motor mounting plate cross brace also serves to attach the bracket to the main rails, and the upper "L" braces replace simple struts.
Photo right: Mike Steube chassis.
December, 1967: Wide "U" outside brace, long struts and a small diameter motor mounting plate cross brace. Within a period of two weeks, John Cukras won a national race and placed second in two others using this simple but effective arrangement.
Photo center: John Cukras F1 chassis, 6th Car Model Road Race Dec 16, 1967 (2nd place) and Arco Nationals Dec 27, 1967 (1st place).
Photo right: John Cukras coupe chassis, Arco Nationals Dec 27, 1967 (2nd place).
