SHORTEN THE CHASSIS

Exercise extreme care when you shorten the belly pan. An inaccurate cut can throw the car out of alignment or result in a poor fit for the body. Be sure to check all measurements before and after you tack the pan together before welding solid.

1. With a metal scribe, mark a line in the belly pan that will extend from edge to edge and over the tunnel just behind the front seat tracks. To make certain the line is straight, form a piece of sheet metal over the tunnel to the back of the seat rails. When the line has been scribed, make certain the line is straight.

2. To scribe the second line, use a 14-3/4 inch long measuring stick with well-squared ends to ensure uniformity of distance. Place the stick on the first line and make several marks to the rear of the first across the belly pan. Scribe the second line and measure the distance from the first line in several places.

3. Make absolutely certain that the cut is straight and true; keep in mind that the alignment of the car will be directly affected by the cut.

4. See figure 1. When the pan is cut in two, the engine weight will force the rear portion of the belly pan upward and the forward portion will fall. Should this happen, the tunnel tubes would be badly damaged. To avoid this, place support blocks under the engine and a wheeled floor jack under the forward section.

5. Be extremely cautious when cutting through the tunnel section to avoid cutting the controls and control tubes.

6. The rear tunnel access hole must be enlarged. Place the access cover over the hole and align the cover screw holes with the tunnel screw holes. Scribe a line around the cover on the tunnel. Remove the access cover and scribe another line ½ inch inside the first line. Using the cutting torch, enlarge the access hole, cutting along the inside scribe line. The access cover will still completely cover the hole.

7. Start your cutting from the top side of the pan in the following order:

• Cut through the top of the tunnel on the scribed lines approximately 1-½ inches in each direction from the center.

• With a torch cut a line on the top center of the tunnel for the 14 ¾ inch length.
  Fold open the cut portion of tunnel. This will assist you in detaching the control guide tubes from the sides of the tunnel.

• After tubes are detached from inside of tunnel the top of tunnel can now be cut away. Caution do not cut tubes. The pan may now be cut on scribed lines and this section removed.

8. The two tubes nearest the top are the emergency brake cable tubes and must be cut off with a hacksaw two inches behind the forward cut. These guide tubes may require re-welding to the forward brackets to give more working room.

9. Inside the rear access the control guide tubes (clutch, throttle, and on older models, the choke cable) will be found welded to the belly pan. Cut all the tubes loose where they emerge from the belly pan so that the rearward ends are completely free. Exercise caution: Do not cut the cables.

10. Grind or file the working edges to a surface suitable for welding.

11. Before moving the two halves of the belly pan together, align the clutch and throttle cable control guide tubes with the holes in the rear of the belly pan (where the tubes will emerge) to prevent hang up or crimping when the two halves are pulled together.

12. Clamp vice grips over the end of the gas line. Pull the gas line until the two halves of the belly pan are brought together.