stepdown bottom panel

Kdancy
Kdancy Senior Contributor
This is the panel that goes in front of the front crossmember in the sway bar area. I have not seen a really nice one in years. Seems like the OEM metal is so thin that it doesn't take much for them to rust out, crack up or get bent very easily. I made this one up today out of 18ga galvalume.

Comments

  • onerare39
    onerare39 Expert Adviser, Member
    Very nice Kerry.
  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser

    Thanks for sharing Kerry


  • great job Kerry

    J
  • Nice!  I had to trim mine a bit when I installed the HD sway bay, and was surprised at how thin the metal was... it felt like cutting a soda can with a knife!
  • Don't suppose I have one. Assume the holes are for the anti-sway bar anchor bolts? If so, you would remove all that for access to the ft bottom of the engine, crank pulley, bottom radiator hose, etc ????? If not, perhaps I have hidden it with my radiator air scooper-uppers shown below (before HD bar)?

  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Great job, Kerry.  I've others in slightly different configurations but they all do the same job.  Now you need to make some up and wholesale them to one of the Hudson suppliers like Wildricks, or one of the others that would be interested in buying a dozen at a time or so.  Or make some up and advertise in the WTN.  Like you said, this is a piece that is often needed and serves a very needed purpose.  
  • Quadster
    Quadster Expert Adviser
    Nice work Kerry--mine was full of holes, I think it's the thinnest metal on the entire car--found a decent replacement a while back.
  • Richard, here's a pic of the one on my car.  It had a lot of surface rust, but my dad cleaned it up and painted it recently.  I suppose it's job is to protect the radiator and other bits from road debris?  You can see where I had to trim it near the sway bar bolts.
  • RichardD
    RichardD Member
    edited January 2017

    Thanks for the photo !!Ah, wondered what those holes were for; assume they are tapped. I am really going to have study that application to see if it is to give better cooling to the engine or just to 'keep mud off the belts'-- lol. Will get a smoke stick to see if the air is going up into the fan {bypassing the radiator} or the fan is pushing air down and out that would be OK.
    Might need to get some Masonite and make one--lol again, if I think it would help. The scoops I have made, shown a couple of posts above, pick up more air and directs it thru the radiator. The air goes in the SECOND slot shown in the photo below. The first slot needs to be blanked off to prevent scooped-air from going out sideways.
     More air the better !! In the upper photo you will see Gorilla  tape on bottom between the radiator and radiator support "U". In fact I have tape around all edges of radiator and the support. That, again, is to stop radiator bypass. All air coming in from the front needs to go thru the radiator, not bypass it.
    Thanks for posting that, Kerry; I never knew. Now I will watch which way the air is going.

  • Nice piece of work there, thanks for posting picture.
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    Thanks guys. I might make a few extra up as there seems to be a need for these.

  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    I made my last one from a piece of galvanized roofing. It had the breaks right where I needed them. I don't have a sheet metal break, so this made it easy. So far, the paint is still there.