I'm looking at pushing back my firewall in my '64 Comet about 2-3 inches. I've never done this and I'm not afraid to try it either. I'm also thinking of smoothing it. So I'm thinking of making a pattern and cut it from a sheet but that is all the further my thought process goes. Do I keep a flange on the perimeter and weld it in? Do I cut the existing short of the factory firewall flange and try to butt weld or lap weld it in place? Are there any threads showing some good practices? Thank you in advance. Doug
Why do you need the recess, stuffing in an FE? Personally I prefer to butt weld things together rather than overlap; it's more work but do it once, do it right. This is a recent HAMB thread where a reversed Model A (30) was used in a 57 Chevy gasser to facilitate with engine set back. Not for the feint hearted as there is a fair amount of work involved, however it achieves / exceeds what others would do.
My prostreet 64 falcon was moved back about that much. They cut the firewall right where the section behind the hood starts to go down under the hood and made a flat sheet metal firewall. Keep in mind it will all but eliminate the cowl channel for the fresh air to enter the heater, wipers don't really have much room and shortening the pedal hanger is going to be needed. May not be a concern of yours but just giving you the heads up. Mine is set up for a motor plated 460 and c4. Also, it really screwed up the hood hinge area the way they did it. Not a big deal if you are going to run a "pin on" hood. BART.
Here's s picture. Sorry they are not very good ones. Sent from my SM-N950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yes, a 427FE is going in. I like butt welds but you know the issue. A lot of work. Thank you for the info.
Very cool, thank you. I'm thinking of cutting under the cowl and move it back, not affecting the wipers, heater, etc... I'm thinking a flat panel or recessed like a box. Just getting ideas. Any closer pics of your front end minus fender aprons? I have a MII steering.
Mine was done by a chassis shop outside Maple Grove years ago. The previous owner was in over his head after getting the bill for the frame, cage, stretching wheel openings, strange 9 inch with ladder bars and coils and the front rack and pinion steering that is based off the mustang II. The car is getting a 393 Windsor, G-Force 5 speed and a Detroit Locker with 5.25 gears for the street. It has 29.5X19X15(If I remember correctly) tires on the back. I see you're not too far from Hershey. Isn't Denver by Cocalico/Anville area? I also have a 66 fairlane GT that my parents bought in 1967. Needs a complete makeover though.
You can recess the original firewall or make a complete new box. I made this one in two pieces, also keep in mind you will have to modify the trans tunnel. Its not very fancy, but worked just fine. MrC.
Yes, I'm in the Cocalico school district Denver/Reinholds. have you picked up your G-Force yet? I'd like to get one but they are not cheap. I too have a 1966 Fairlane.
Mine is done and sitting in my garage. My friends machine shop in Newport did the gear blanks for them so they gave him a good deal on a kit and he passed it on to me. They definitely aren't cheap.
Fairlaniac, I got the more street friendly version of the G-Force. They make two different ones. Straight cut gears or a street version. They claim I can still use the clutch to pull out and then shift without the clutch after and that downshifting will take a little getting used to. I also got their carbon fiber assembly kit and all new G-Force synchros and blocking rings. It was over $3,000 but not what I paid through my friend. I've never had oil in mine yet. The tubbed and caged falcon was put on the back burner to try to get some other projects further along.
Here's a link to an OT car I built that has 10" of setback... http://grannys.tripod.com/20102.html I basically removed the firewall and tunnel in one piece, trimmed some off the back, and re-installed. The car still has all of it's original firewall, but the center portion has been moved back to the base of the windshield. If you need a donor car for a larger tunnel, Mazda RX-7's are great donors as they were originally rotary powered, so their equivalent to a crankshaft is way up in the middle of their engine. This requires their transmission to sit a lot higher than the typical piston powered car, which translates to a huge transmission tunnel like in the link above. A T56 6spd will even fit in an RX-7's stock tunnel.
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