Advice on cutting front/slam panel

[Nobby]

As above im doing a LET conversion and thinking about turbo issuses and cutting the slam panel for ease. How and where do people do these? Bolt them back on? Cut with a soft grinder or? dont want to **** my paintowkr up lol and what about after care rust preventing etc?

Pics appreciated! :thumb:

[Lee H]

If you get it right you can't really tell its been done. I overlapped a new centre bit over the old outer bits and bolted it in. You can just see the allen bolts holding it in now.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z163/Lee_H25/enginebay.jpg

[Nobby]

thats looks good Lee. Does the plastic cover have to be chopped to avoid hitting the bulkhead?

[Lee H]

No, plastic cover has loads of room.

[Nobby]

ok cheers pal

[John]

Nobby, some diesel models had a removable slam panel. Will just be trying to find one now!

[brucer]

Nobby, some diesel models had a removable slam panel. Will just be trying to find one now! realy? Didnt know that. Lol
Ive cut mine out, but i just used the bit i cut out and made tabs to reattach it. Have a look in my wip thread in the link in my sig. I will be redoing it with a new piece so it overlaps

[Adam]

Lee, do you still have the vertical bar on it? Or did you remove that?
One thing that crossed my mind is how safe/secure the slam is once its bolted in, seeing as its the only thing that holds the bonnet down.

Will definently be doing this on mine too, i couldnt believe how much space it gives you when i cut the slam off my old shell to remove the engine.

Nobby, its quite thin metal, id probably have a go at cutting it with a fine hacksaw tbh, to make a neat thin cut. Or something like a air saw.

[Rich]

i cut mine with a hacksaw in between the 2 lumps, then cut another one on the outside of the lumps from a scrap shell. Then just overlapped it, drilled holes and bolted it on.

I used rivnuts on the panel underneath so theres no need to use a nut.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p24/novarich/DSC00021.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p24/novarich/DSC00020.jpg

[Nobby]

cheers for the help chaps sorted that one out!

[Adam]

Neat work Rich.
What kind of IC is that???

[Lee H]

I removed the original vertical bar but have two vertical strips bolted in now with the oil cooler bolted to them.