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make wheel wells bigger

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Old Nov 26, 2008 | 09:38 AM
  #1  
transam360's Avatar
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
make wheel wells bigger

ok i want to make my wheel wells bigger here is a pic of my setup now i have 29.5x10.5x15 slicks i want to make room to bring them in a bit.


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Old Nov 26, 2008 | 03:16 PM
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Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by transam360
ok i want to make my wheel wells bigger here is a pic of my setup now i have 29.5x10.5x15 slicks i want to make room to bring them in a bit.





I'm no expert on the subject, but I believe you need to figure out how to mini tub it and perhaps backhalve it. There are other topics on this subject if you look.

Cutting out the metal and installing tubs isn't too difficult in itself, but this is a unibody chassis, and you need to figure out how to do it properly and keep the strength in the vehicle.

Mathius
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Old Nov 26, 2008 | 09:17 PM
  #3  
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From: Trumbull CT
Car: 87 TA clone
Engine: 70/70 Turbo 5.3 LS
Transmission: bullet proof 2004R
Axle/Gears: ford 8.8, 3.55 gears
Re: make wheel wells bigger

your just gona have to tub the rear. itsnt too difficult. some ppl dont even get the tub kits and just fabricate it themselves. the biggest prob your gona run into is that the rear spring seats(the place where the rear springs seat themselves on the rear subframe next to the gas tank) is right on the inside of the wheel well. relocation of the rear springs may be neccessary but other than that its just cutting and welding.

summit sells tubs aka fenderwells in steel and aluminum. id get the steel so u could weld it in and make it stronger since its part of the structure of the car.
part#
sum-g7908 accepts up to 36" tire and are 23.35" wide for 75$

you already have moved your springs to coilovers and way inside the stock rear spring mounts. so you should be fine. just cut and weld. get the steel ones and weld it since where the rear spring seats itself is literally the rear subframe then narrows out to the rear of the car. reinforcement should be done as well. i would get sum 16-18gauge steel and box what you cut out.since i dont think the steel in the summit tubs are that thick.
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Old Nov 27, 2008 | 01:56 AM
  #4  
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From: Wittman,Az
Car: 86 IROC-Z, '71 RS
Engine: 305 TPI/ 350
Transmission: 700R4/TH350
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Check this out:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...t-started.html
Its really informative, and exactly what I'm doing to my 85 T/A.
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Old Nov 27, 2008 | 09:50 AM
  #5  
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by drknow90rs_ss@y
Check this out:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...t-started.html
Its really informative, and exactly what I'm doing to my 85 T/A.

very good info i will start the project tomorrow
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Old Jan 1, 2009 | 04:54 PM
  #6  
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
Re: make wheel wells bigger

new update on the wheel wells i am fallowing the link stated above very good link by the way well heres some pics not done yet but here they are of the progress. also there is alot more room then i thought.

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Old Jan 4, 2009 | 07:37 PM
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From: NE Ohio
Car: 82 Z28
Engine: TT LS
Transmission: 4L80E
Axle/Gears: S60 3.54's
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Didn't think that'd be too much. I know there are a few people using 295/65/15 tires that are around the same size as what you have there with only some hammering. I have 325/50/15's (about 27.5x13x15) on mine now and don't see too much issue going to that 295/65; a 315/60 might be possible too.
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Old Jan 4, 2009 | 11:45 PM
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
Re: make wheel wells bigger

i did some hammering first dont get me wrong if they would of fit how i like with just hammering i would have left them i just like the look of the wheels being all the way in the wheel well + it gives me somthing to do over the winter..
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 12:00 AM
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Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by fast82z
a 315/60 might be possible too.
315s on a 12 inch wide rim on my car.

Jerry
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 09:14 AM
  #10  
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by JERRYWHO
315s on a 12 inch wide rim on my car.

Jerry
is that just with hammering
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 10:34 AM
  #11  
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Engine: Carbed L98
Transmission: TH350
Axle/Gears: 3.73
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by JERRYWHO
315s on a 12 inch wide rim on my car.

Jerry

That looks great.
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Old Jan 5, 2009 | 08:10 PM
  #12  
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Re: make wheel wells bigger

Mathius, don't want to hijack your thread but, I would like some more information on your ladder bar set-up. Just thinking about doing something like it. How long are they? How much did you have to modify the floorpan? Could you take some more pics? If you want you could reply by PM so it doesn't jack up your topic. Thanks, Mike.
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Old Jan 6, 2009 | 07:01 AM
  #13  
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by Orangepeeler
Mathius, don't want to hijack your thread but, I would like some more information on your ladder bar set-up. Just thinking about doing something like it. How long are they? How much did you have to modify the floorpan? Could you take some more pics? If you want you could reply by PM so it doesn't jack up your topic. Thanks, Mike.

all the pics up top are mine but doing the ladder bars was not hard at all the only thing that had to be cut up was where the back seats go u got to cut like a 14" long 5" wide hole where the seats go for the ladder bars to go. when you cut out the floor you just get a pice of steel and bend it in a u shape and weld it up. for the rest of the setup it is pretty easy if you allready have frame connectors i can get you some more pics of them this weekend.
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Old Jan 6, 2009 | 02:52 PM
  #14  
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Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: TURBO 94 LT1
Transmission: T-56 6 Speed
Axle/Gears: 10 bolt 4.10
Re: make wheel wells bigger

At one point I was running 315 / 35 17's

All I did was remove the bump stop and roll the fender lip
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Old Jan 6, 2009 | 03:08 PM
  #15  
transam360's Avatar
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by Slick89RS
At one point I was running 315 / 35 17's

All I did was remove the bump stop and roll the fender lip
yea i was going to try that but since my car does not have any kind of ground effects it makes it look like the tire is sticking out a lot + i would have to lift up the car more to do it that way
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Old Jan 6, 2009 | 04:35 PM
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Re: make wheel wells bigger

If you would take some pics over the weekend, it would help me out a bunch. Thank you very much, Mike.
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Old Jan 7, 2009 | 07:55 AM
  #17  
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From: East central, WI
Car: 89 Camaro RS
Engine: TURBO 94 LT1
Transmission: T-56 6 Speed
Axle/Gears: 10 bolt 4.10
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Here's a shot from the rear with 315/35 17 tires

I dont have any close up shots

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Old Jan 7, 2009 | 02:50 PM
  #18  
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From: south of kansas city
Car: 86 berlinetta 92rs gfx
Engine: 4 bolt 384 stroker
Transmission: th350 4000 stall manual/T brake
Axle/Gears: 87 iroc 9 bolt
Re: make wheel wells bigger

i found this rather helpfull its from yellow bullet, bottom of pg 2 lots of good pics.
edit looks like greeze and greezemonkey=same car/dude. this link gets straight to the good pics tho

http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/sh...eel+tub&page=2

Last edited by iroc a 86 berli; Jan 7, 2009 at 03:25 PM.
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Old Jan 7, 2009 | 03:57 PM
  #19  
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From: Hobart, Indiana
Car: 1986 caged out firebird
Engine: 454 = wheelies
Transmission: th400 stall and trans brake
Axle/Gears: 4:11 ford 9" with ladder bars
Re: make wheel wells bigger

Originally Posted by iroc a 86 berli
i found this rather helpfull its from yellow bullet, bottom of pg 2 lots of good pics.
edit looks like greeze and greezemonkey=same car/dude. this link gets straight to the good pics tho

http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/sh...eel+tub&page=2

good link thanks lots more pics
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Old Jan 11, 2009 | 06:05 PM
  #20  
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Car: 1987 gta trans am
Engine: 5.7l 350 supercharged and more
Transmission: 700r4 w/shift kit
Axle/Gears: moser 12 bolt w/373 aubern posi
Re: make wheel wells bigger

I like the exhaust,I did the same thing but I dont have nice shiny tips.
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Old Jan 16, 2009 | 11:53 AM
  #21  
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Re: make wheel wells bigger

hey jerrywho did you have to do any mods to run that size tire ,anything bigzeke 92 bird
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