Beeman

Has anyone cut out their frt. wheel wells?
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/4259333795.html
Like this

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Apparently one guy has. That would be a drag only car though. You kidding me? These front ends are flimsy enough as it is. One good bounce from a wheelstand and those towers would collapse. Not even a STB.

Beeman

I am talking strictly drag car.

How did you copy and paste that pic??

AlkyIROC

Unlike first and second gens that had removable fenders, a third gens inner fender is part of the suspension. It can be done if you run roll cage tubing from the firewall down the the front of the frame rails then braced the upper strut mount to the tubing.

You'll gain a little bit of access like in the above picture but will be adding more weight than you're removing.

I wouldn't trust going down the track without the inner fenders or the extra bracing if the sheet metal was removed. My inner fenders are still in place and I have tubing braces from the front of the strut towers down to the front of the frame rails. The last time I was at the track, I put the car right up on the back bumper twice. I never let it come crashing down and my front end suffered no damage.

The weight of the car is not held up at the top of the strut tower but it should still have some sort of triangulated support if much of the inner fender is removed.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Just like anything else, right click on it, select copy then right click, paste. Windows of course, you're on your own if it's a Mac.

Beeman

OK, I didn't think that would work, doesn't work on some other sites.

I'm considering tieing my cage to the strut towers and then from the towers to the frame rails. Mine carries the frt. pretty good but sets it down soft.

AlkyIROC

I see YB is getting the same responses from that link. Nobody thinks it's safe.

Actually, looking at that picture again, it would be a judgment call. When I first looked at it, it looked like all that was left was the top of the strut tower attached to the top of the fender. Looking at it again, I can see the section below the strut tower is still in place.

Although the amount of sheet metal removed from the front and rear of the strut tower may shave a little weight off, there's no real advantage to removing it.

cuisinartvette

Ditto
Such a thing as good weight. Scattershield another example

AlkyIROC

Ha! I'm looking at ways to add weight to the front end to help keep it down and the car is already nose heavy.

FRMULA88

You don't need a license to operate a sawzall, but sometimes you have to wonder

the only plus I would see is additional engine access for maintenance...

but you need the horizontal tubing from the down bars of the cage connected the sub-frame to create the 14 pt. cage

https://www.cachassisworks.com/image.../icon/7015.jpg

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

There was a post the other day of a member that went even farther. No core support and cut the frame horns off almost flush with the crossmember. Put back some tubular framing, but not enough IMO. Didn't brace the towers in any way.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...t-removal.html

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

He ran tubing to brace the towers. In the last couple of pics

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

I see that now in the last pic. I still believe he should have made one across the strut towers. Bolted on so it can be removed for access when needed. Again, how much weight are you really saving when you have to come back and add more bracing. Risk Vs reward doesn't seem to pan out.

bluegrassz

iTrader: (3)

Not sure who this is, but he is on the board.

He may have set it up for a 1-piece front end.

Ed1LE

iTrader: (39)

Are you talking about Stilleto's car from the thread or the car on this craigslist ad? I'm not seeing any tubing or reinforcement of any kind to brace the towers in the craigslist ad...

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

joe tags link