please come on in, and enjoy my photographic adventure
J5 & Tad's quest for autocross traction.
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/86/l_52f081e02cefeb805f9823f2ba50dcc0.jpg

Like any good project you have to start with research.
what do you have and what do you want?:confused:
this unassuming chart unlocks the puzzle
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/65/l_786ad93ad855496e82bd5d4abeb8fa3d.jpg

little time with tire rack and kumhoUSA pdfs and I was armed for the next step.
Mr Eric Vaughn..;)
he is a real nice guy and a walking legend in my mind.
cause he is actually the real deal modern day 2009 "fastest Indian" and SCTA member
this is were the magic happens
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/85/l_6fb42dd8c39340eea21aa14c55e92878.jpg

drop off and pick up was a local deal for me
Eric is an easy going guy
if you want work done give him a call.
two weeks goes by and
Mr. Vaughn calls
"your wheels are done."

"hope youlike um big?" he says :D
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/55/l_b2d1eae0de294a36a497beae195c7d24.jpg

Eric's work is outstanding.
Tig welds inside and out.
Looks like a machine did it.
But I assure you this is 100% True American Crafstmanship
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/97/l_0d0943fb664045908ae0b6ed9874f85f.jpg

Eric said "this wheel was over designed, its heavy but strong"
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/83/l_fcfce266da224debbc1c42e660d632f4.jpg

Ohhhh. Ohhh...
I could just stare at this pair all day
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/85/l_33fb819e4f9648719264024e9b5201d3.jpg

next up was the test fit

I was sweating bullets hoping the numbers came out good
this is the EV modded rim in test fit

the pan hard rod keeps the axle in check within .020" side to side movement
even with a big boy rocking the back of the car side to side
just two buisness cards from the frame w/o spacers!!!

still feeling like a gambler....I may have a chance that this will work
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_1f3bfe34ae104d9da2963d9209e50c69.jpg

well, the day came...

time to cut the frame and purchase the tires
cross my fingers and hope this ish fits!

new rubber is dead sexy
335/35/17 sitting next to a 285/40/17
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/106/l_0c8ad824fbbc43df8b089cb02636165f.jpg

Somehow I already want a bigger tire
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/112/l_a545ceb0f876484b990585460d704719.jpg

usually I do my own fab work,
but since this is a pretty indepth mod with big penalties for mistakes
I enlisted local hot rod hero and wildman Unique of Sire Fabrication in Ingelwood Ca 310.671.3430

Unique builds cars form scratch and has done this mod many times before.
His new twin SBC engine road race hot rod street car is beyond INSANE!

So we got to it and chopped the frame rail.
Miller plasma torch slices thru like butter.
Unique is smooth straight and steady.
I'm nervous and trying not to get in the way.
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/106/l_e803d1c9bb7743c4a59ff79f60b35d09.jpg

Insert burnout pic here..LOL
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/8/l_e373846641215854adb935b4ad1cbe52.jpg

large amount of rubber dust was hiding in the rail from 10 years of burn outs and racing.
My car was still alive...
a new chapter called traction is just a turn of the page away
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/104/l_baf314d24d6b4e5bb34abdf2aaaf2b32.jpg

weeks before the rims even showed up
I made a guesstimation of a template for the inner frame rail piece to be inserted.
The idea was to save some time during fabrication, since the old frame rail would not be re-used.
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/97/l_17cf3bf8fc8c462f8f38b566674fa3ac.jpg

being a fan of over kill, i used THICK plate.
my degreed mechanical engineer friend and fellow racer insisted that
if the cross-sectional area was to be greatly reduced the gauge had to go up
in the event that the car was hit hard from behind it would be a shame if the car folded in half at the rear deck
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_ad096f2cf37c46269a1b8006dddb3eaa.jpg

also my car is showing signs of massive frame twisting on track
aka
cracked the pan hard drop down brace twice
the windshield that cracked on course is heading for all four corners!!cwm5:D
extra strength is needed to resit the twist the panhard puts to the driver side rear frame rail
I really need a cage of some sort to tie the car together...
maybe later...

this picture is from the middle of the first day of the first event of last year
the crack has since grown
repeat after me: "the windshield is NOT a suspension component"
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/94/l_6586cda90eb44f7786f44bec52ab21a9.jpg

Unique fired up the Plasma and proceded to use up a couple of tips.
If you have ever used one of these things its hard to draw a realy nice arc,
Unique is just insanley good with this cutter
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/91/l_be159d7a0c1247ea993f9742a375bd5b.jpg

the thick plate fit right up inside the frame
no grinding was needed!!!
Unique then hammered and bent the frame to fit perfectly around / pinch the plate in place
*after this pic was taken
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/98/l_e832c1ba355147bba1d47edab6c284d1.jpg

The plate was still warm from the plasma cutter when Unique fired up Mr Miller 212
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/110/l_917447c6b7fc486c904844183da50020.jpg

Bitchen Phat welds ensued
Temp gun said 650F on the thick plate as Unique took a breather
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/83/l_217c6270381a46e8a5fda068b7f6262c.jpg

no grinding needed
Just add paint and tire
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/92/l_87524ff631f941ef90a38d56237f246f.jpg

Yummy!
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/104/l_dafeb2d8e2dd442e9a09ba63f9c4d2e0.jpg

test drive was bitchen.
I could not get too crazy on Friday afternoon in downtown LA...

It all fits!
I could not be more happy.
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_23bef6660db249b285349335dba1d474.jpg

YES!!!
We have landed! @ 335/35/17
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/80/l_6ab1d64827b248fd9d7792d5bbbc7188.jpg

special shout out and thanks to Mike Harris and DSSTRBD of the Impala Forum
for posting there pics in an earlier thread.
That inspiration and innovation drove me forward with this project!
http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=207861&highlight=frame+notch+mike+harris

http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=193698&highlight=frame+notch+mike+harris

http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=217711&highlight=frame

if you have any questions about the pan hard rod for centering the axle
be sure to check out the link in my signature

thanks for tuning in
hope this help out the next guy :-)

That's alotta meat! Wheels look top notch. How much do they weigh without tires?

I have 315's and all I can think when I'm behind the car is I wish I could fit some 335's without a lot of work. Well, and I wish 335/35-17s came in more than just slicks.

Very nice ! Love the job done on the wheels also. Nice job on the frame too. Did i say the the car is nice !

I agree very nice indeed. thanks for the clear pics also. Note to myself, "beware of the sleeper impala with the huge freaken tires on the back". Good luck

Very nice! :thumbsup:

I agree very nice indeed. thanks for the clear pics also.

I love taking pics.
I have gigs and gigs of car porn pics like these.
It is really cool being able to help..
when some one says something like were do I put the accusump?
Just post pic & links and let the info flow like this...
http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/showpost.php?p=2061477&postcount=3
one could type all day but just one good picture says it all.

this is my favorite pic of the last couple of years.
Me and Steve at Westech and a nice race 418 ls1 for full mile street racing
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/99/l_9398836c1475d29a45e9d6c7c4131c5b.jpg

"beware of the sleeper impala with the huge freaken tires on the back".

for some reason latley the performance diesel crowd has been trying to pick on my what should be a mid 15 second Impala.
They rev & rattle there bizness at me at stop lights and want to run.
I really save all my messin' around for the track now days,
I don't have anything to prove on the street
besides being a retarded joke on a 255 street tire.
the car is just too fast and too loud for that kind of play on the steet.

thanks for the kudos :-)

Awsome Job! I'm getting ready to start with the notching of my frame on my 70. What thickness was the plate you put in the notch, it looks like 1/4". I was thinking of putting stiffner plates in the frame behind the plate before I weld mine on.

Looking good Tad I will more than likely do something similar on my car in the future so I will have to put this thread into my "for later" file.

I will more than likely do something similar on my car in the future so I will have to put this thread into my "for later" file.

Although my Impala is not an A-body Chevelle...
I thought the post was revent for one major reason.

just about all the big dog muscle cars
and super cars come with 315s or 335's these days.
and your gonna have to do some work if you want to put 12"+ rims on the car.
http://image.automobilemag.com/f/multimedia/photo_gallery/7878434/0712_07z_intro+2009_chevrolet_corvette_ZR1+rear_th ree_quarter_view.jpg

Looking good.

for some reason latley the performance diesel crowd has been trying to pick on my what should be a mid 15 second Impala.
They rev & rattle there bizness at me at stop lights and want to run.
I really save all my messin' around for the track now days,
I don't have anything to prove on the street
besides being a retarded joke on a 255 street tire.
the car is just too fast and too loud for that kind of play on the steet.

thanks for the kudos :-)


that's because there are a lot of mid 12 second and faster diesels out there, and they'd run the number on the street also with 4wd............. ;) I definitely don't street race, and give you judos for ignoring them. Great project and car. :thumbsup:

Jody

new meats worked good at the last event.

1st place Sedan class.

post up times better than every other street car with plates and AC.
I would have placed 3rd in open class. aka race car class.

Got to love um 335s!

That is sweet....I just got of these cars from future inlaws...I was thinking the 255's on it looked pretty sweet...Ive heard that you can fit 315 in the stock wheel wells with the widening of the wheels which I may do one of these days but IDK about going as big as you but those do look sick as hell

That is sweet....I just got of these cars from future inlaws...I was thinking the 255's on it looked pretty sweet...Ive heard that you can fit 315 in the stock wheel wells with the widening of the wheels which I may do one of these days but IDK about going as big as you but those do look sick as hell

315 kinda fit stock.

It take stagered rim offset
measured to the offset of the axle

Pan Hard rod and frame mods make it easy to tuck a street 315.
These 335 slicks are actually much larger than a street 335.