HOW-TO
Mounting a Vintage Body on a Modern Chassis
Wayne walks through how he mounts a pre-1969 body shell onto a modern stock car chassis — measuring, hanging the front clip, and tying the rear into the cage.
- 01
Lay out and measure
Set the bare chassis on jack stands at ride height. Mark centerline front to back. Drop the body shell over the cage and shift it until the wheel openings are square to the tires and the cowl sits over the front hoop.
- 02
Hang the front clip
Tack two flat-bar brackets from the front cage down-tubes to the inside of the fenders. Don't weld solid yet — you want the body to flex with the cage on a rough night.
- 03
Tie in the rear
Bolt the deck lid skin to a pair of tabs welded to the rear cage hoop. Use rubber-isolated body mounts so the panel doesn't crack on rough cushion tracks.
- 04
Check and trim
Roll the car off the stands, bounce the suspension, and look for rub points. Trim sheet metal away from tires and headers before paint and lettering.