78 Trans Am at Fletcher's Customs!! "Project TTTA", Pro touring, back halfed, C6

[force-fed-snake]

I mainly just lurk on this site and very seldom post, but i read through this whole thread, you asked for opinions about making the body removable and I will give you mine...

without the factory floor and firewall, that relys on the rockers and whatever sheetmetal floor along with the "t" section of the roof to hold the car together. As factory designed these cars are full of squeaks and rattles as they age, doors dont fit right.. etc.

the full frame with the body actually tied into it making it a true unibody is by far gonna be the strongest platform... especially with the kind of power you're putting through it.

after a few years of having fun, i would put money on it starting to have issues if the body were to not be "one" with the chassis.

I didnt quite understand the reasoning for the motor to be set back that far, but number one, its a car. you have to be able to work on it. the dist being under the cowl just looks like a nightmare all the way around.

IF this was my project, I would tie the subframes together with material matching whats there. id cut off all of the round tube motor mounts and move it back to a semi normal place. build the floor and tie it straight to the chassis, and a flat sheetmetal floor isnt gonna do much without proper bracing and support. it can still be both functional and visually pleasing with some forethought (go back and look at the war camaro thread)

by all means I would do all of what I could on my own. without paying a shop to fix it, that leaves some money for tools, and some practice runs on scraps before doin the final parts. most of what is done to build these cars is thinking through the details and then execution.

oh, and the body doesnt have to be removable to powdercoat the chassis. I have a hot rod project goin on that I intend to powdercoat basically the whole car except the outside sheetmetal. all it takes is a big enough oven and a way to support it and get to everything.

again, these are just my own opinions, i'm not an expert. I build my own stuff for me, and I would rather push my limits and expand what I can do while having fun doing it than pay a shop to do what they do. but for me its all about the build, the creation, the fun after the fact is just a bonus (usually the project gets sold shortly after completion to fund the next one around my place)