Is the front compartment wall structural?

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 11:40 pm

As far as I can tell, the front trunk wall serves no structural purpose; its just there to make a sealing edge for the front compartment. Its flimsy sheet metal. With the tire tray out I can bend it with my hands. I cut the top part off to clear my hood scoop; now its even flimsier. It isn't directly tied to the frame rails or suspension. Am I missing something? Is there any reason I can't hack this thing out and not worry about replacing it with anything but fiberglass? If I'm wrong and it is reinforcement for something, am I going to have any benefits from replacing it with something stronger (after I hack it out)?

teamlseep13 · Post by **teamlseep13** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 12:07 am

I have a feeling that is gives some rigidity to the chassis. Not sure how much, but putting something stiffer(cross brace) in wouldnt hurt.

whipped · Post by **whipped** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 12:10 am

teamlseep13 wrote:I have a feeling that is gives some rigidity to the chassis.

x2

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 1:40 am

I think you guys may be right. Going back to my wiggle test, I tried it again and found that I can't deflect it along the length of the car. Makes sense, right? I can twist it but it seems to be loaded laterally, keeping the frame rails from coming together a bit or twisting up toward each other. I'll leave it in place for now.
It looks easy enough to add a bar across the frame rails up front. There's nothing in the way. I may weld or bolt in something when I have some daylight again. If that front compartment wall really does add some rigidity I don't know that it really does enough..

The Dark Side of Will · Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:09 am

The lower part of the front trunk wall doesn't do anything, but the upper part triangulates the strut towers to each other and boxes in the engine compartment. If you replace it with something, make sure that something picks up the lower frame rails as well as the strut towers.

whipped · Post by **whipped** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:42 am

strut towers? engine compartment? We're talking about the hood (front) compartment...

The Dark Side of Will · Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:02 am

Series8217 wrote:...front trunk wall...

Front trunk wall = forward wall of trunk

Anyway, the forward wall of the front compartment is structural, IMO, because it ties the front frame rails together. Now, I'm pretty sure there are better ways to do that which would compromize front compartment space, but I haven't really looked at things.

Pyrthian · Post by **Pyrthian** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:24 am

I am doing a hood vent right now too, and I am going to cut about 1-1/2" down, 22" wide section out of the center of that wall. being its curved, it cant actually be doing a whole lot. any side-2-side load would just bend the curve. and, I am also going to cut the two 1-1/2" cuts, and fold it over, so if anything, it will actually be stronger. but, no I dont think its structural. at least in a chassis stiffning kind of way. I think its just somthing to bolt the coolant overflow, & tire tub too.
the front cross member is your front stiffness.

XzotikGT · Post by **XzotikGT** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:41 am

Mines has been gone for years, back when installes a 12 in a bandpass box up there. It handles the same, and IIRC, it is so thin and not very sturdy, doesnt seem like that wall was ther for anything but a divider. If it was for structural purposes, I would have figures they would have made it beefy as hell, like the one out back.