Race car wheel openings. Shoud I, or not?

[Johnny Daytona]

Hi
     I am building  a 69 Daytona replica. I plan on getting the car lower to the ground and with that Daytona Rake front to rear. I really like the wheel well openings and flares with the steelies and the wide rubber. On the 71 K+K Dodge Daytona of Bobby Isaac. I ask because my front fenders are not that sound to start. I am going to have to replace a lot of metal on them. I would never cut a good fender.  I am going to replace both rear quarters. Now is the time to trim them out.  If you like say so,  and if you hate the idea.  Don't burn me at the stake just yet. This is more of a poll Thanks.

[PocketThunder]

Sorry i dont have an opinion on the wheel openings, but i do have a question about your daily driver.  what is a 66 cvt cp?

[Howie]

I am doing a 69 daytona and the front are rolled but the backs are not. Love that super wide tire all the way around

[Johnny Daytona]

a real bad word to use on this site. Corvette

[Howie]

Hey it is your car so do whatever you desire. If someone bitches tell em to buy it or go build their own.  Look at the orange charger with a lime green wing. Hey it`s his car and his choice of color.`

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

I like it

[BigBlockSam]

are you gonna mould the nose to the fender like in the pic. Rene

[Johnny Daytona]

I like it

I like your pics. Got to talk to Cotton at the moonshine festival in Dawsonville Ga. a couple of years ago
Check out the vinyl top in these photos. Going for the golf ball effect? I guess not. More so to cover the seam where the roof was narrowed up
The front flares look like the preformed ones you could get from Holman and Moody. I am not a fan of these. They were used mainly on shorter tracks.

[Johnny Daytona]

are you gonna mould the nose to the fender like in the pic. Rene

  I dont know. I might be forced to. Depending on how much I pooch the top of fender out. I may have to make a panel that runs from the tip of the nose to the front of the wheel opening to get a clean line

[Howie]

         I am not sure on how I am going to roll mine but someone said to roll a baseball bat under the wheel opening with the tire. Any truth to that matter!?

[Howie]

                  welcome to the thick skin wing car club . Some is just bull and some info is really great to learn about. Stuart, I only have 2 cents you got 6. That is more than I got.

[pettybird]

Here's our race car replica--IMHO the fenders would look a lot nicer trimmed up.

[Johnny Daytona]

         I am not sure on how I am going to roll mine but someone said to roll a baseball bat under the wheel opening with the tire. Any truth to that matter!?

having been a fabricator for 30 years- cars, planes, lies The ball bat trick only works to get the metal off the already flared fender. onced it has been bent against the tire. Often by the wall. Paitence and a hammer and dolly. Is the safest way to get small flares. larger flares require that you cut out the fender just enough to clear the tire then use poster board and masking tape to make a pattern of how you want the flare to look. Mark the fender and at the seam and cut the fender out leaving a inch short of the line. On second thought pull a couple of over time shifts at work and hire it out. It will save you a lot of time. 

[Johnny Daytona]

Here's our race car replica--IMHO the fenders would look a lot nicer trimmed up.

Its nice like it is

[moparstuart]

                  welcome to the thick skin wing car club . Some is just bull and some info is really great to learn about. Stuart, I only have 2 cents you got 6. That is more than I got.

i dont have any cent thats the problem  no sense either

[learical1]

Do it.  That's what the original cars were built for.  lead the nose to the body, flare the fenders and quarters, drop the car and don't forget to open up those fender vents for clearance and/or ventilation.   BTW to achieve the real 'race car look', move the hood pins all the way to the front of the hood and add a third to the middle. 

[daytonalo]

Do you think the # 71 cars fenders were stamped or made ? They have been cut and flared .

Larry

[Ghoste]

I think you should open them up.  You do realize of course, that every show will see you having to deal with at least one purist shaking his head at you for cutting up a "good" fender. 

[Howie]

            I almost cut up a c500 to build a prostreet daytona then it went nascar style then had to sell it to build a shop. Now I am building what I want and I dont care what anyone thinks. They can like it or they can hate it. Cause it`s my car and my money.

[learical1]

            I almost cut up a c500 to build a prostreet daytona then it went nascar style then had to sell it to build a shop. Now I am building what I want and I dont care what anyone thinks. They can like it or they can hate it. Cause it`s my car and my money.

[Johnny Daytona]

Do you think the # 71 cars fenders were stamped or made ? They have been cut and flared .

Larry

They were definitely cut and flared.

[Mike DC]

I say cut them.  Cut both ends of the car if you've already got rusty quarters and wheelhousings in the rear anyway. 

Take a few good pics of all the wheelwells beforehand showing the rusty metal, and have those ready at a car show. 
Whip them out if anyone gives you crap about the cuts.

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BTW:

I think it's totally cool to cut the wheelwells on a really legit-looking Daytona replica, but I would probably feel differently if the car was a street car in most other senses.  I think the car REALLY needs to be fully rollcaged if it's gonna be hacked at the wheelwells, for example. 

If you're gonna have a mostly stock-looking engine bay and a full interior, then I would not cut the sheetmetal. 

 

[Howie]

   Already there. The cage is installed except for the side bars since it will be driven regularly. Even cutting up the firewall to do the cowl induction.

[daytonalo]

What about under hood ? A-body hinges ? inner ledges removed ? Doulbe shocks ?

Larry

[Johnny Daytona]

What about under hood ? A-body hinges ? inner ledges removed ? Doulbe shocks ?

Larry

I see doing only what is necessary to get the body lower to the ground  with bigger tires.
        My first Sightings of Charger Daytona's were Race Cars . That vision and that stance of low and sleek is what imprinted in my brain as what a Daytona really looks like. It is first the look, then what under skin mods I need to do to make the suspension work correctly. correct geomentry and wheel loading with out hitting the body. I have already complicated the building enough. Any more would be silly. This is still a street car. I am not building a race car for the street. I know people that have taken old cup cars and turned them into street rides. And that is what they are, RIDE'S  very much like what you see at the fair. Thrilling at first, but it gets old if you ride it repeatedly. I want a door slammer that keeps me dry when it rains. Windows that don't whistle when the heater is on. Enough insulation under rubber floor mats to keep noise down and feet cool. I am not a fan of carpet in cars.  Justifiable modifications are fine. Ones that have a reason to be done on this car. Roll bars that clear my head  getting in the car and keeps the rear seat accessable to riders are fine. Thats part of the exterior look of a real Daytona. But not a full 8 point cage like a race car.   Because it is done on a race car is not a reason alone to do it on a street car.   Thanks Johnny Daytona