Titanium Firewall

[Archer39J]

Just thought I'd share some of the pics of my firewall progress. I disassembled the firewall that came with my kit and used it to trace the profile on 0.016" thk grade 4 Ti sheet. I also made the bent piece at the bottom in the same Ti with my new 30" HF sheet metal brake, which I bought as a direct result of the HF thread and am absolutely loving, thanks guys!

It is extremely advisable to take A LOT of pictures of something before you disassemble it, you never know what you'll find useful later...

I weighed the CRES firewall and the Ti rough cut, weight difference was 2.8 lbs. After final cut and bent piece I figure it could be just over 3 lb saving, should have measured the assembly before I tore it apart but I didn’t.

ETA: https://bearhawkforums.com/forum/bea...-embrittlement

[Mark Goldberg]

How much did the titanium material cost? Mark

[Archer39J]

How much did the titanium material cost? Mark

$70 a sheet from TMS. I got two, one for this and one for the tunnel.Looks like I snagged the last of their stock in that size though, only larger sheets left.

[Mark Goldberg]

Three pounds saved for $70 + some of your time is not too bad. Bob has told me that he places a dollar value on each pound saved. And the number has changed over the years. Now it is $30. Sounds like even Bob would approve. Mark

[Archer39J]

Well that's good to know! There was also value to me in the fabrication, as well as replacing the aluminum rivets in stainless. It was a lot of fun to make

[Archer39J]

Firewall and tunnel:

firewall and tunnel.jpg

[svyolo]

Nice. I was going to try the same thing. No problem bending the tunnel? I heard Ti was tough to bend without cracking.

Mark, I came with a similar number for what I am willing to pay per pound. I based it on the price of an EarthX battery vs a standard battery. I haven't figured out how to value my labor. I guess if I like doing it, I don't mind the labor. If I hate doing it, and it is long and tedious and I hate it, my time becomes very valuable.

[Archer39J]

Nice. I was going to try the same thing. No problem bending the tunnel? I heard Ti was tough to bend without cracking.

Mark, I came with a similar number for what I am willing to pay per pound. I based it on the price of an EarthX battery vs a standard battery. I haven't figured out how to value my labor. I guess if I like doing it, I don't mind the labor. If I hate doing it, and it is long and tedious and I hate it, my time becomes very valuable.

Bent the grade 4 Ti on the brake just fine with no cracks, looks like about a 1/8" radius. It wouldn't quite get to a perfect 90 but that could be a combination of my inexperience and a basic brake, hitting it with the dead-blow while it was all clamped up got it there. Beat to fit, as is said... I think most problems people have is with the Ti alloys, the commercially pure stuff is easier to work. I saw grades 2 and 4 on the TMS website, I believe they are equal for our purposes. No problems cutting, bending, drilling, or deburring this stuff.

[svyolo]

Glad you tried it first! It doesn't need to be a strong alloy, it just needs to survive FAA fire specs, and conduct as little heat as possible. I worked a lot with SS on sailboats, and am not a fan. It is easy to weld, and is "pretty", and doesn't conduct heat well. Boats use Nylocs a lot to mount hardware. Ask me how many SS bolts I have had to cut off because the Nyloc galled while installing, or uninstalling.