Firewall

[HayzTawil]

when i was installing 4age 20v in ke30 i cut out a small section in the firewall in pushed it back so the dizzy can fit is this safe?

 

i had an engineer look at the car he said nothing about it, do you thnk that he thought it was safe or maybe he turned a blind eye?? i don't know i didnt say anything to him bout it in case he said it would be impossible to get a certificate.

 

has any1 gotten an engineers certificate before with thier firewalls modified?

[Sloth]

Everyone installing a 20v into an AE86 comes across the same sort of issue (even without the dizzy the engine is right against the firewall), but the solution most people go with is relocation of the distributor, which saves cutting into the firewall.

 

My guess (purely speculation) is that you would definitely need an engineers certificate for it. A friend of mine as an S15 and a small portion of his battery tray was cut out so the pipe to the intercooler could fit and he needed a cert just for that, in my mind to firewall seems a little more important than that.

 

Hopefully someone else can shed some more light on this. I'm also a little worried too about asking these sorts of questions to VicRoads or an engineer etc, as one person can say it's all good and another can say that it's no longer possible to register the car or defect it.

[HayzTawil]

the thing is he saw it but didnt mention anything bout it he gave me a list of things to do and thats it. maybe he thinks its suposed to be like that. if he ends up giving me the certificate can someone else overwright it?

[beerhead]

I haven't seen a relocated dizzy on the club - Most RWD 20v's just run an aftermarket ecu. There are codes for firewall mods - but many engineers don't like going there. Engineering is a joke half the time you'll get 3 different stories of whats legal from 3 engineers - but if they sign off on it - it should be there ass not yours that gets paddled if it's not up to spec.

[HayzTawil]

yeah thats right but the thing is i spent alot of money on the car and plan on keeping it the guy that did my firewall did a pretty good job its pretty strong and its neat i spoke to a few guys i know and they said as long as its done properly then there should be no problems.

is it worth keeping or find another one and work around the firewall? what would you guys do? wack that engine in something else, get another shell sell up? etc etc

[altezzaclub]

as long as its done properly then there should be no problems

 

That's right, that's what engineering certs are for.

 

Rather than ban mods altogether the RTA let you do almost anything so long as you can prove its safe, and an engineer is the usual way to do that. A firewall mod is a lot less hazardous than running over-width rims or wheel spacers, so it shouldn't be any trouble for an engineer to OK it so long as it still seals and it hasn't reduced the strength of the box section around the passenger's compartment. If you're worried ask an engineer to look at it and give a definitive answer.

 

An engineers cert should be fine for any cop or another engineer, and I think it can only be over-ridden by a Govt inspection, the Vic Roads thing.

 

Besides, if they ever defect it completely, that is the time to re-shell it, not now when you've already put the work in!

[HayzTawil]

reason i ask is i havnt done body or interior yet should i keep going with it all ive done is motor gear box and everything underneath suspension, ball joints, bushes, arms etc and so on pretty much everything underneath.

 

engineer has seen the car but didnt say anything bout the firwall it looks legit, so u think i should tell him about it? he should of picked it up shouldnt he?

[beerhead]

Remember the way it's meant to work is you disclose all the mods you're planning to do to the engineer before you build the car. He then ticks all those mods off once they've been done and you get your engineering certificate. If there is no mod code for the firewall and someone notices there could be issues in the future. Ask your engineer if what you've done has been included on the certificate. Nothing anyone here can say will help you - if you're worried it's not legal asking here will only create more conjecture - your engineer is the only port of call worth talking to.

[HayzTawil]

yeh i rang him yesterday to come have another look he said it should be fine but i might have to get it tested.

[nz_83_dx]

bit of bog and paint- problem solved..... just a bit dodgy hahahaha

[ke70dave]

whatever you do don't listen to the bloke above me.

 

how about some photos as to what your talking about.

 

hard to get a grip on exactly how big this hole is....if you have cut a hole big enough for the dizzy to fit through (~80mm) then that wont be legal at all.....

 

in fact any hole in the firewall wont be legal, as its no longer a fire wall, as the fire can get in through this hole (or hot oil etc)

 

the idea of a firewall is exactly as it sounds. it must be sealed from the outside so in the event of a fire or explosion in the engine bay the cabin is sealed from the engine bay.

 

as far as i am concerned (which doesnt mean much), as long as the engine bay is completely sealed from the cabin, via the firewall, then you can do whatever you want, but you will need a engineer to sign it off.

 

i recall seeing a ke70 which had had a metal box welded into the firewall to allow the 20V dizzy to sit in, he got a ticket for it easily enough.

[Trev]

Why do the responses here always change?

 

http://www.rollaclub.com/board/index.php?showtopic=41277&st=0

 

The 20v wagon I did a bit of work on and test drove at my last workshop was running the standard ecu with a section of the firewall recessed for the dizzy to poke into and this car got mod plated, road worthied & registered, I dunno how that worked but it might be something to look into.

 

Workshops that mod plate cars with a hacked firewalls will end up with some nasty fines if the owner gets picked up by the RTA. After July a new specially trained task force is out who will pick things like that in a flash. Though technically its illegal to drill a hole in the firewall to accept a hydraulic clutch too!

 

I know it is illegal to cut a hole but it was cut and had a recessed plate bolted onto it, Dunno who did the or roadie as it only came into to get the ignition system fixed up.

 

There is a guy at work and he made a whole new firewall in his ae86 to put his 20v in, looks like a factory job you wouldn't be able to tell.

 

It doesnt matter how well he did it its still illegal.

 

true, can you get a mod plate for that at all or not?

 

Cutting grinding and welding your firewall is completely illegal. To the letter of the law it is technically illegal to even drill a hole to mount a hydraulic clutch in a KE70!!

 

You crash and hurt / kill someone with a car with those kind of modifications and they work it out your 3rd party insurance company will payout the damages and then send you a bill for the value as you have no cover.

 

Go see an engineer, you will get a straight answer, curly was good for this sort of thing.

Edited October 18, 2010 by Trev

[HayzTawil]

thanks for that info!!! thers no hole there i made a box and welded it there its completely sealed off, i spoke to engineer about it he is gonna have a second look soon ill let u guys know what happens, cheers! other than that he didnt put down too much on the to do list to get an engineers, pretty happy bout that. ill get sum pics up soon hopefully. car in melb I'm in shepp.