Newer style body on old IMCA Stock Car

[rangerover]

I've been seeing more and more newer model car bodies on IMCA Stocks and I really like the look. I Haven't been able to find much useful info on changing over. Are all those cars I'm seeing real donor car bodies or are there aftermarket panels made that are IMCA legal? Some of the cars I see look like their only a couple year old models. It seems hard to believe that such a modern street car was cut up and skinned for a stock car. Is hanging a newer body on an old Metric complicated?

[ToddSmith16]

Those are real donor cars. The wheel base for the 95-99 Monte Carlos matches up to the chassis. If you should go that route keep the rear speaker platform in the car for stability. Cutt the top off at the pillars and plasma cut the rest. The roof and rear quarters will come off as 1 piece. Skins the lower part of doors keeping the upper part and it all goes together like a puzzle. The front quarters will match right up to the doors. Tack weld the seams. All that is left is cutting out the fender wells. Easy money!

[rangerover]

Thanks Todd. I've seen pics of your car on this forum. Looks great. Do you chop the A pillars near the roof towards the top? Reattach with tack welds or rivet a backing plate?

[ToddSmith16]

Cutt the pillars near the front fenders.

[rangerover]

What model cars are good candidates for a body upgrade? A newer Monte would be great, but it looks like there are a lot of Grand Prixs out there too. I've seen some Cutlass Supreme plastic nose pieces too, but sometimes it looks like they're used on different bodies. One more question, is the Berretta body IMCA legal? There's a junked one near my work that looks straight.

[mel4x4]

The 00 and up Monte is actually longer wheelbase than the old metric cars. Plenty of them in the yards too, easy to skin, I pulled fenders and door skins in minutes a couple saturdays ago. Plus you can pick them up on craigslist needing work, skin it out, sell parts, junk the rest and come out hundreds ahead. Line up the front wheel wells (I didn't even trim them), shorten the nose a bit, leave the doors alone, and re-cut the rear wheel openings, filling in the lower quarter and factory wheel arch

[DaveBauerSS6]

The 00 and up Monte is actually longer wheelbase than the old metric cars. Plenty of them in the yards too, easy to skin, I pulled fenders and door skins in minutes a couple saturdays ago. Plus you can pick them up on craigslist needing work, skin it out, sell parts, junk the rest and come out hundreds ahead. Line up the front wheel wells (I didn't even trim them), shorten the nose a bit, leave the doors alone, and re-cut the rear wheel openings, filling in the lower quarter and factory wheel arch

looks great.

[ToddSmith16]

Newer body styles.

Here was my car!

[stockcar5]

Here was mine from 2012..my favorite so far. I make my own doors and only use the top 6 inches or so of the fenders and 1/4. much cleaner and quicker.

[ToddSmith16]

Very nice!

[rangerover]

That's what I'm talking about! All beautiful cars above.