1957 Chevy Suburban Project--Widening the Rear Wheel Tubs
Here's a rear wheel tub before work begins. It will be two inches
wider when it's done:
The tub after cutting it loose, using an air chisel for the main part,
and a cutoff wheel for the ends. The carraige bolts have been removed
also:
A two inch long piece of the edge of another wheel tub is added to
fill the gap at each end:
The new bolt holes are drilled 2" in from the originals, the tub bolted
temporarily in place, and a line chalked around the inside, and masking
tape added around the outside. The floor is then cut with a sawzall
along the chalk line, and plumbers putty placed along the area where the
tub edge sits on the floor. The masking tape keeps the putty from
making a mess on the black floor covering where it would show.
The tub bolted in it's new position, with putty seeping out the edge,
and the ends welded. The filler strip is placed under the gap (it's
3" wide, so it'll overlap a half inch on each side).
After welding, here is the finished tub, it just needs a coat of bondo,
sanding, and paint to look like nothing ever happened to it:
This is the underside. After a fresh dose of undercoating, it
should almost disappear:
