firewall mods

[whitedog76]

Problem- I need to raise my drivetrain up slightly for suspension issues.

I know it's common to trim an inch or so of the bottom lip of the firewall for bellhousing clearance. I need to take a little more than that, maybe 2".

Just wanting some ideas.

Chris

[dsraven]

that is where the weather sealing happens so if you trim too much off and the flange is close to the foor, then you will maybe have to seal it up so the carpet doesn't get wet or the floor rusty.a small hole could be cut out, then a mod to the floor done to clear the trans tunnel. some guys have also just bent the flange backwards in that area for more clearance.

[whitedog76]

I got about a 1" gap right now. If I go up, that puts me into the sheet metal.

I know slightly trimming will help, but like you said, sealing issues.

I don't want a full on tunnel or seriously modified firewall.

Didn't know if anyone had beat out some metal or modified the floor plate.

[whitedog76]

I got an old cake pan in the cabinet, that has me thinking...

Of course the non-stick coating will need to come off.

[dsraven]

got a pic?
you could gain space with a ball pein hammer and then dolly it up smooth. if you have an inch you may have enough by just hammer and dolly on the pinch welded part to flatten it out. can you reach the area through the trans hole in the floor? would save cutting fabbing and welding.or, if you're gonna be welding anyway, how about trimming the pinch weld area to fit and then weld up the seam for no leak.
or spread the seam, hammer the floor up to where you need it, then hammer and dolly the lip, which is now seperated, into a shape that will work. then weld it back together and bob's your uncle. there is metal there, just not the right shape, so make it the right shape if you can. if not, you were gonna cut it out anyway and install the cake pan, right? the issue is the floor mat won't fit again.

[b-mac]

Can you use a big hammer to fix this problem? If not, plasma, or cut off wheels, trim it out and graft new in. You could even use an adhesive if you don't want to weld. Just make your patch with a lip on it, and stick it to existing metal.