REGAL Making front clip one piece??

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Tz44

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Mar 24, 2012
47
12
8
I want to make my front clip easily removable but don’t have the money to drop on a one piece fiberglass front end, plus it’s a street car so I want to keep all the lights. The biggest problems I’ve run into so far are
1. The header panel is the weak point because the fenders are steel and it’s fiberglass. The header panel has to take the majority of the stress so I think I’m going to have to brace it.
2. The bumper (mine is fiberglass) and header panel aren’t one piece so I need to figure out a way to attach them to each other.
I have some ideas on how to make it work but I’m sure I’m not the first to try to do this so I’d like to see what some of you have seen or done. All input is welcome.

Thanks
 

ck80

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Feb 18, 2014
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Lots of options... with a glass bumper it doesn't sound like a street driven car. Or is it? I personally wouldnt, but there's plenty that do...

How's your fab skills? If not looking to make a new subskeleton, can use the stock parts.

No reason the header needs to take any unusual stress. Weld the inner fenders to the core at the top and sides. Then weld the adjustable bracket piece and fenders themselves on. If you add a strip of metal on the lower front back of the fenders, you can also triangulate back up to the core support from the side. While youre there, weld in the core to fender braces from a cutlass. You'll have almost no stress on the header because not much can flex/move.
 
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Mike T

Greasemonkey
Mar 25, 2018
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Baton Rouge, LA
Had a buddy who one pieced his front cap. Had it hinged to open to the front. He did some real solid work on it. Looked bitchin and worked like a charm. He hated it!! He told me that before he did it, all the work he did under the hood seemed to be from the side of the engine. Once he hinged the front, he said every single thing he needed to do was on the front end of the engine. Drove him crazy. He finally separated the front cap from the hinge and took the whole thing off the car and set it on the side when he wanted to work on it. Problem solved, except it took two people to take the cap off after that.
 
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Tz44

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Mar 24, 2012
47
12
8
Lots of options... with a glass bumper it doesn't sound like a street driven car. Or is it? I personally wouldnt, but there's plenty that do...

How's your fab skills? If not looking to make a new subskeleton, can use the stock parts.

No reason the header needs to take any unusual stress. Weld the inner fenders to the core at the top and sides. Then weld the adjustable bracket piece and fenders themselves on. If you add a strip of metal on the lower front back of the fenders, you can also triangulate back up to the core support from the side. While youre there, weld in the core to fender braces from a cutlass. You'll have almost no stress on the header because not much can flex/move.

Inner fenders are gutted and I’ve made a new core support that I need to stay in when the front clip comes off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Tz44

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Mar 24, 2012
47
12
8
Had a buddy who one pieced his front cap. Had it hinged to open to the front. He did some real solid work on it. Looked bitchin and worked like a charm. He hated it!! He told me that before he did it, all the work he did under the hood seemed to be from the side of the engine. Once he hinged the front, he said every single thing he needed to do was on the front end of the engine. Drove him crazy. He finally separated the front cap from the hinge and took the whole thing off the car and set it on the side when he wanted to work on it. Problem solved, except it took two people to take the cap off after that.

I’ve got an idea for hinging it to tilt also but had the exact situation you’re talking about cross my mind and I’m just gonna try to make it slide off for now lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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ck80

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Supporting Member
Feb 18, 2014
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Inner fenders are gutted and I’ve made a new core support that I need to stay in when the front clip comes off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'd say take pictures then of all the custom work you already did. Since we don't know what you have to work with its pretty hard to give any ideas.
 

Tz44

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Mar 24, 2012
47
12
8
I'd say take pictures then of all the custom work you already did. Since we don't know what you have to work with its pretty hard to give any ideas.

I’ll work on that. The core support I made works the same way as a stock one would it’s just made of aluminum tubing. Since the core support holds the radiator and is bolted to the frame (just like the factory one) I don’t want to remove it with the fenders and header panel. Hope that clears it up a little for now. Thanks
 
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