poncho406

Hi, just bought a wrecked 3rd gen tube chassis car for the 4 link set up to go in my car ,the guy I got it from let his wife drive it just one time , she put the front end in the wall at about 120 feet, I cut the front clip off the tube chassis ,made sure it was still straight ,and plan on cutting my car out at the toe board and rockers ,leaving the firewall and front suspension in place ,but adding support tubes to strut towers and front frame rails . any words of advice on cutting out the floor pan ( plasma cutter, torch, sawsall or lots of cutting wheels?) firewall modification or any advice on the front supports will be greatly appreicated Jon

radical82

I don't know Jon, I think you may want to consider doing the front in tubes, too.... There's not really a frame structure per se in the front to tie everything too....and the front half of the 3rd Gens has more ugly fat on it then the rest of the car.... It could of course be done in the manner you suggest, with some substantial ties to the front structure and towers, plus probably a 10 or 12 point cage to make the car structurally solid.... I guess IMO, a full tube chassis with a considerable amount of engine setback and some lighter, stronger, and better components up front would be a better way to go.....

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

You could consider just cutting the bottom tubes of the chassis off & installing the rest into your existing car as a 10/12 pt cage & still retain the 4-link rear setup.

poncho406

well the chassis is still a full tube chassis from the firewall back, I would love to go back with a tube front end but the money is just not there right now, that's why I wanted to keep everything from the firewall forward for now and see how well it will work and perhaps next year add the front end

AlkyIROC

Replace the front with a new tube chassis front clip. You'll end up with more problems trying to graft the front of a production third gen onto a tube chassis.

If it was put into a wall, the entire tube chassis should be checked on an alignment jig. A crumpled up front doesn't mean there isn't any misalignment anywhere else.

A typical tube chassis car has very little of the original car. All the body panels are hung off the chassis and there is no structural integrity from the body. It's only there for cosmetics.

A tube chassis kit is cheap. Putting it together and putting all the components on it such as steering and suspension is what's expensive. If you want it done properly, have a good chassis shop put it together.

poncho406

Stephen, I took the frame to a frame shop to have it checked out and it's perfect , what I have in mind is basically like a 14 point cage with a tin floor, would there be a structral problem welding it in at the rockers (just like a back half) ,welding in the square tube main rails to the fire wall, adding in front subframe supports to the strut towers and front subframe and brace it everywhere ? In my opinion it should be more structrally sound than a back half and welding in an a roll cage to the factory floor? I need to post some pictures, a picture is worth a 1000 words. thanks for your help Jon

Pew

the only thing original on mine is the quarter panels and the roof