tower mod reinforce

[twuxtop]

well the kits for the stang are WAY too much, plus they wont fit a 66 fairlane. the towers are slightly different. and i can weld so i might as well put her to use. but i am thinking to use thinner sheet metal and heat bend it to match but double it up then weld two plates together on top of each other in the areas i want to reinforce thus making a thicker plate. plus i will drill two holes in the outside plate so i can spot weld them together for added rigidity.
.
. also i dont want to take the suspension out so i will just weld straps around the uca bolts engine bay side (not circles but just under and just above the bolt/nut area) beacause that area has the global west plate on the arm side. then when i do take the uca off in the future i can then weld in the bolt area additional plates. what do you all think. i am pretty good at fabbing custom metal pieces, so this seems ez.
.
.and how do you know if the towers are bent in or out, i have heard of this, should i measure something?! or just hope my adjustable strut rods can make up for any miscued alignment probs. thanks

 

[65up2d8]

well the kits for the stang are WAY too much, plus they wont fit a 66 fairlane. the towers are slightly different. and i can weld so i might as well put her to use. but i am thinking to use thinner sheet metal and heat bend it to match but double it up then weld two plates together on top of each other in the areas i want to reinforce thus making a thicker plate. plus i will drill two holes in the outside plate so i can spot weld them together for added rigidity.
.
. also i dont want to take the suspension out so i will just weld straps around the uca bolts engine bay side (not circles but just under and just above the bolt/nut area) beacause that area has the global west plate on the arm side. then when i do take the uca off in the future i can then weld in the bolt area additional plates. what do you all think. i am pretty good at fabbing custom metal pieces, so this seems ez.
.
.and how do you know if the towers are bent in or out, i have heard of this, should i measure something?! or just hope my adjustable strut rods can make up for any miscued alignment probs. thanks

Sounds like a pretty good plan to me, although I do wonder if it would be worth the effort to remove the suspension. Think about the uca; all the bracing in the world around the uca won't keep the bolts from pulling through the sheetmetal in a highly stressed environment.

Insofar as your question regarding the alignment of your shock towers, do you have or is there available for purchase a monte carlo bar for the '66 Fairlane? If so, installation of the bar should answer your question and ensure it is spaced right as I had to use a port-a-power to spread my shock towers to install the monte carlo bar. This would be a great place to start if its available for your ride.

 

[twuxtop]

yup

yes i have one installed, well maybe i will make a larger plate to cover the whole area. but yes i will have to move the uca's. this is just off the top of my head. thanks

 

[jerry S]

Fwiiw

I got my complete suspension from Global West and brought this topic up with Doug (owner of GW) last month on the phone. He says that the reinforcement kits are really only for shock towers that have already cracked. If your ST is still in good shape, he told me that what GW does on its open track cars is to weld up the seams on the inside of the ST and that's all that is required.

 

[DarkBuddha]

I say if you're gonna do it, do it once, and do it right. Cutting corners will just annoy you in the end when you realize how much time and effort you put into it anyway.

Oh, and the shocktower reinforcement kits on the market are all basically copies of the fabrication/mod shown in the Boss 302 Chassis race manual. The manual was published when the Boss 302 was first introduced and details all the fabrication steps to modify a Boss 302 from street to full-on trans-am racer, and the shocktower reinforcment mod is in the list. You can get a reprint from any major Mustang parts supplier for $10 or so.

As for its validity in application, I figure if you're gonna drive your car hard, then spend the time and cash to reinforce them right. I learned the hard way since I had to replace both shocktowers because they colapsed from invisible hairline cracks. Goodness knows that adding the reinforcement kit to the towers will help them more than it could ever possibly hurt them, right? Just MHO...