Garage Dog,
I've been lurking on lateral-g for a while now...........about the only thing that I'm looking at on a continuous basis is your pages on your project.
We're doing similar projects..........I have a 1973 TVR 2500M (british handbuilt car, tube frame, fiberglass body, 1 pc tilt front end) that is getting a 21st century update. About the only stock TVR thing on mine is the fiberglass body. I'm building a new frame for it and am using C4 front/rear suspension and an LT1/T56.
I'm also running into similar issues with putting a modern/wide track suspension into a car design that is 30 to 40 years old. I'm doing it a little differently.....I narrowed the suspension as much as possible and still retain stock geometries (narrowed 2.5" per side in the rear, and 7" up front), and hopefully that will just let me flare the fenders slightly. Slightly in this case is 4 to 5" in the rear, and 3" max up front.
I did think of going the route you did and widening the body, but didn't want to have to deal with custom front/rear glass, and the front end is kinda curvy -- a 8" wide section in the middle of the car would look out of balance. Kinda hard to explain, but should be easy to see when I post up pics of my progress later this coming weekend.
At this point in my project, the frame is about 70% complete, welded to the chassis table at the right ride height/rake, and I'm putting in the mounts for the front and rear suspension. Your project and mine share a distant heritage -- I'm using steel VW floorpans in place of the fiberglass floor that was in place originally. Something about having my arse 5" off the ground with just fiberglass supporting and protecting me didn't sit well..............
Looking good -- keep the updates coming!! Good to see someone else who thinks that PT isn't something that's exclusive to muscle cars
-jeff d, aka "orphancars"
Fort Worth, TX
1986 Fiero GT/V8
1973 TVR 2500M/V8