[psy4s]

I just finished the front rebuild on my 1967 Camaro with Factory Disk brakes. I kept Factory style parts for the front end, but changed enough to upgrade the dynamics without changing the look.







As you can see this needed some real attention.
If anyone has any idea as to why there would be metal patches on the frame above where the sway bar mounts I am open to hearing it. It is not a stress point as far as I can tell, and it is right at the place where the wheel would touch the frame if turned in too far. It is on both sides in the exact same place.

[ericnova72]

Maybe someone cut the frame there sometime in the past for clearance of an oddball wheel/tire combination??

[302 Z28]

Wreck repair.

Vince

[kleen56]

Since it's on both sides, it would appear someone did that for improving turning radius. I appears someone had the wrong offset on their rims which caused the tires/ wheels to rub on the frame when turning. Instead of buying the correct rims, the person opted to doing what they did to the frame rails.

[1ownerT]

Although clearance for tire wheel combo sounds plausible, the sway bar extends past the frame and would be the limiting factor.

[MARTINSR]

Pull off the sway bar and look up thru the bolt holes or some other hole in the frame onto the inside and I will bet you a dollar that at least one side has a visible crack that has been welded and then they welded the plate over the top to reinforce it.

I don't remember seeing one of these frames cracking there but my Gran Sport (A BODY) had a crack right in that exact spot that I welded up. One side could have been cracked and they added the reinforcement on both sides for what ever reason, to make it look factory, in anticipation of the other side cracking, OR both sides were cracked. But that is the EXACT spot my frame was cracked.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

I do have to say that if the car is hit in the front right on the end of the rail, the frame will bend right there. If it is hit on the front of the tire while it is turned out, the frame will bend right there too.

But to have it uniform on both sides, that would be one freaky damage from an accident. I say it is cracked as explained in my previous post.

Brian

[psy4s]

After Soda blasting, and inspection there was no visable damage gound. The car was used as a Road Race car in Europe, so anything is possible. Here are pictures after powder coat to reassembly.

[psy4s]

I could not find any Bowing or stretching that you would typically find with front end damage. It is in front of thew wheels, so I imagine it is not structural. possibly to prevent over steering of the front wheels.
It is directly over the sway bar.

[psy4s]

[psy4s]

Global West off set shaft to correct Geometry


Some things like this steering box had to be painted, but the brake calipers really shine with their new red powdercoating.

[eloc431962]

Looking good i really need to do this to mine also.


Cole

[psy4s]

Home from the Painters. A walk around of the car this weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO3BQ...e_gdata_player

[ericnova72]

From your having said the car was used as a Road Racer, I'd suspect the frame was reinforced with those patches to either prevent cracking, or to solidify the bar mounting area of the frame to improve responsiveness and prevent flex which would make the car's cornering response less predictable.

Looking sharp, by the way