#1  
Old 11-23-2020, 05:51 PM
Arocket Arocket is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 23
Default 76 A-Body chassis stiffener bar question

I have installed a set of Performance Year exhaust manifolds on a 76' Le Mans and the down tubes hit what I would call the "Chassis Stiffener " bars that run from the frame rails on the side of the frame up to the front crossmember.
I am using 3" down tubes for this application. I am sure that I am not the first person to run into this problem with these "bolt in" bars!

Any suggestions on solving this issue? Possibly manufacturing a flat plate that would maintain the rigidity and allow for the down tubes to work or what has anyone else done in this situation?

I have had one guy tell me just to remove the bars however the engine puts out over 500 FT LBS of torque and I just cant see the GM engineers putting these bars on if they were not needed!

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

  #2  
Old 11-24-2020, 10:17 AM
cdrookie cdrookie is offline
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Just take them off.

  #3  
Old 11-24-2020, 12:10 PM
77 Canamman's Avatar
77 Canamman 77 Canamman is offline
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I would try to make them work. They DO help the chassis rigidity. I noticed a difference in ride and drive when I installed a pair of them on my former 1973 GTO. I also would look into if the chassis stiffener from a 1980-90's Caprice would work better. They were flatter steel, and the frame curvature is almost identical. Some drilling would be required.

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