Hi,

I'm posting here because you guys have probably tackled this problem before:

I'm shopping a 1 piece front end and am wondering what's the best way to mount it so that I can get under the hood easily + have it be stable at high speeds.

I'm wondering what fasteners to use and where, along with the supporting hardware to tie it in to the chassis.

 

whats the application.

 

i wouldnt do a 1 piece front end, i would do a 3 piece, i have one and its a pain. im luck to have a crew at all times to help, if i could do it again, i would have gone a diffrent route!

 

yeah, i TOTALLY agree. Ken, get your head out of your *** and order a 3 piece widened front.

 

I'd spend 2x the $ for a 3piece front end and still have to buy a cf / FRP hood.

For $500-$600 I can get a 1pc widened front end locally.

The goal is to save weight and fit my 275/35/15's.

Mainly though, it's to save weight.

The application is EF race car.

 

I regret my front end too. PITA

 

the one piece is slim difference in weight for the trouble. for a one piece I would use roll stock along the area where the door and fender meet semi vertically, add a bar to the front thats nice and solid from each "frame rail" and run quik latch minis on the front bar and dzus on the sides where the fender and door meet or just run all quik latch minis. they were great for body panels.

 

Thanks

I am not 100% on a 1 piece.

That's part of the reason I posted this thread.

I'm not comparing 1pc vs 3piece; I'm comparing 1piece vs stock.
I've heard some numbers thrown around re: the weight savings, and I will weigh it beforehand.

I was thinking I could run some fasteners to the aftermarket front crossmember somehow.

Anyway, thanks again.

 

no one front end is ever mounted the same.

 

weight difference between common 3 piece vs. 1 piece?
anyone know?

 

Being in the fiberglass/carbon business for the last 10 years tells me that nobody puts 1 piece or 3 piece front ends on for weight loss. It's to have more room to fit components and aerodynamics. You couldn't make a front end that was any good and weighed less than the factory sheet metal. At least not with the chopper gun style parts that are being made these days. A proper vacuum bagged front end using real cloth could be made a lot lighter than what is currently out there, but then you are removing weight from the very place you want it in a fwd drag car

 

Well weight loss is my primary goal - followed by aero.

If I could better achieve that with simply using the frp wide fenders I have now and a composite hood, then I'll look into that instead.

This isn't a drag car.

 

This is the drag section, so I'm not apologizing for assuming. Lol

I'm 100% sure you won't find a composite 1 or 3 piece front end that saves weight over stock parts. I'm not saying one couldn't be made, I know I could do it, but it would cost a ton of money. If reducing weight is your goal, cut some inner structure from the hood and remove the bumper support.

 

X2