Finishing the firewall mods....

Got the widening of the transmission tunnel all done. Not too difficult but it was a lot of work. I'm sure it would be faster a second time. A cut is made where the firewall meets the transmission tunnel and then the tunnel is widened to about 18 inches in the center to clear the T56 bellhousing. This is needed since the engine is placed further back using the V8 Roadsters kit for better weight distribution. Other kits do not require this modification but I wanted to optimize handling.
Now here are some pictures of the process. And a big thanks to my neighbor Jeff for welding up the cuts for me!

Original transmission tunnel (with corner tabs cut):


Cuts to the driver and passenger sides:



After some "massaging" with a hammer and some heat.
Note the firewall has been folded over in these pics. It could have been cut as well:



My neighbor welding the seams for me:



All done, welded, grinded and sealed!



Now it just needs a little clean up and some paint.

One thing I would do differently is cut the support gussets on the inside of the car first.
There are 2 gussets inside the car that reinforce the transmission tunnel to the firewall and they are not easy to move. If they were cut combined with the cuts of the tunnel, it would have been much easier to widen the tunnel. Obviously they would need to be welded back into place but its just a couple of more steps. Eh, live and learn!

Frame Stiffeners Installed

Installed the frame stiffeners today. These are bolted in place over the floor rails under the car and help reinforce the unibody as well as provide mounting points for the transmission.

Also started prepping the rear subframe for welding the differential mounting bracket. Just sanded off the paint where the bracket will be welded and placed it in the proper position for a 3.5 degree pinion angle. I'll have a local welder do the job.

Not much else to report. It is nice to actually put parts ON the car instead of removing them though!