Let's talk structural integrity and shock towers...

Is there a safe way to do this?



Is it possible to cut the towers back this much, or more, then
brace them with angle or tube? Would this retain integrity?
How could this amount, or more, metal loss be braced?

I was hoping we could brain storm this thing.
Obviously the towers left this way and unbraced
are not safe/stable...

 

A very thick montecarlo bar and some bracing from the shock towers to the radiator support would help, I guess.

 

I was thinking about framing in the opening...
The red would be angle or square tube framing the front side cut, the yellow is the same, but for the back cut. The purple is the top of the frame, underneath, connecting the two.
Then the blue is fabbed mounts for a MC bar, and the MC bar.

Of course the gaping hole shouldn't be left open. So some non-structural material could be fitted. Could do like GM and use plastic or rubber. Just to keep the engine bay tidy.

 

They are supposed to be boxed in with new metal - not left open like that.

 

What has been done here is not the typical tower shave.
There is much more 'meat' cut out in this instance, and no room to put back in like a typical shave. The heads on this engine come very close to the springs themselves. There is another 460 Mav done this way, but I can't find the pics. It has even more meat cut out and the pics showed the relation of the engine vs the springs better than this one.

 

Is that a 460?

if so, that looks very doable.

 

Yeah.
There have been 2 show up like this.
Towers hacked to heck to fit a BBF.

I was trying to determine how this could be done,
but safe and with some class.

I would love to install a BBF in my 75, but really
don't want anything to do with an M2 front suspension.


Another thing that this mod would definately benefit from
is subframe connectors. Of course you can't tell from
this pic if this car has them. I doubt it, as this car no
longer has a radiator support either.

 

Find pics of Dyno Don's maverick with the SOHC 427. It's cut way back and re-boxed. However, the shocks are nearly straight up.

 

Upon further review, I suppose you could completely remove the sheet metal and fab up two upside down "U"s and mount places for the top of the shocks. Kind of like they would in tube car, but you're only doing it inside the engine bay. Wish I could draw and do Photoshop.

You can use something this cage hoop piece, cut it, weld it, and attach the shock.

 

Just do this!!

 

I always just welded 1/8" plate in the opening. The 3 I've done are still going strong.

 

If this was in florida, I would be all over this!
If you look close, it looks like it's tubbed.

 

Measure the width of that 460 ratio'. I'd almost bet that I could put one between my shock towers the way I have mine done. The distance between mine are 29.5 at the top and about 28 just above the pivot point of the upper control arms. I left the control arms in the same spot but moved the towers out. Let me know what you find out.

 

i seen this on ebay as well. factory '73 Grabber with spoiler and sport mirrors still attatched, along with a MII front end and roll cage. for a drag racer, or maybe a wanna-be so to speak, looks like it may be rebuidable...

 

I just dont see the rails being strong enough on their own with all the apron sheet metal removed.That thing needs some tubing tying the rails to the firewall at the least.As for ratios question.I think with a good monte carlo bar set up and some direct reinforcement of the cut up towers as ratio showed in his pic with the colorful line work it would be plenty strong for a BBF.Did any one else see the makshift elephant ears mounting the engine??A good elephant ear set up that ties the engine to the towers and rails would work well also.At this point how much material around the upper controll arms has been or will be removed is going to be critical to how much the remainder will flex in relation to suspension movement.If I were going to remove that much meat I would go to a strut type front suspension to eliminate the stress on the original upper A arm mount point by eliminating the upper arm.Of course this moves the spring stress to the top of the shock tower instead of distributing it.