1973 Chevy Camaro Wide Wheel Tub Install - Project F73 - More Meat To The Street

There are several spot welds connecting the inner and outer wheeltubs that needed to be drilled out, from there Joe was ready to make the first rough cut to remove the inner wheeltub.

There's one small tab of metal you don't want to cut off at the bottom of the rear of the outer wheeltub. Drill out the three spot welds and fold back the overlap as it'll get welded onto the new DSE tub later.

With no inner wheelwell in the way, a cutoff wheel will get most of the cut accomplished, but a sawzall will come in handy right at the peak of the hump thanks to a hunk of heavy-gauge steel sandwiched between the inner and outer sheetmetal skins.

This is the piece we're referring to; be prepared to need an extra cutoff wheel to make it through if you lack another means of cutting.

Here's the total amount of steel removed to make way for the DSE mini-tubs. It's a traumatic cut for purists, but we promise you'll never miss this stuff.

Though not a required step in the DSE installation, Joe opted to cut and weld in a small tab to close in the gap between the two layers of steel. It's attention to detail and pride of workmanship like this that makes us glad we entrusted F73 with A&E.

After a little deburring of the cut, the first trial fit of the tub required just a bit of coaxing with a dead blow hammer. Joe paid close attention to the seams for perfect alignment then clamped the tub into place with locking pliers.

Once interior alignment of the tub was verified as well, Joe marked the framerail 1/4-inch below the lower edge of the tub to locate the position of the wheeltub flange. He also marked the trunk floor line to aid in reinstalling the tub after the flanges are welded in place. Also note the marks along the top flange. These are the positions of the spot welds to secure the inner and outer tubs to one another.

Using the DSE-supplied front and rear templates, Joe transferred the bend profile to the two flanges included in the kit to get a rough starting point. Although they'll be close, the brackets will need a little bend-to-fit work due to the slight variations between cars and individual cuts. A little trimming of the flanges to match the floorpan profile was also necessary.

A few trial fitments later, the flanges were ready to be tacked in. Before final welding, it's a good idea to double check the flange location and shape by fitting the wheeltub back into place. It's far better to discover issues now rather than down the line.

Satisfied with the fit, Joe finished welding the flange to the chassis then ground everything smooth to ensure a good fit and a good welding surface.

On the workbench, Joe used the marks he made every 1 3/4 inches to punch out holes for the spot welds. Keeping the welds close together helps keep warpage at bay. A 9/32 drill bit works just as well for those without a sheetmetal punch.

Using the lines previously marked for alignment, Joe reinstalled the tub, secured it with locking pliers, and then welded all the holes. At this point, he also welded the tubs solid to the floorpans.

The punch mark made earlier for the seatbelt was drilled out to the appropriate size for the original bolt.

Directly underneath, the large mount supplied by DSE was welded into place using the bolt as a guide.

We've got a little finish welding to do, but this is essentially how the tub should look when correctly installed.

The last job inside the car is to weld in the new seatback bracket cut from 18-gauge sheetmetal using the DSE template as a guide.

Once spot welded into place, the structure is as strong as it was from the factory and the install is nearly complete.

The finished fit is so perfect, that after we seal the seams and blast a little rubberized undercoating over the bare steel to match the rest of the undercarriage, the mini-tubs will blend in like original. The only giveaway will be the size of our tires.