My trans tunnel was cut up by some butcher and now it needs to be replaced. The patch work was hidden by the original trans and the new interior that came in the car.

They cut the tunnel using tin snips, you can tell by the way the metal is torn VS cut. They took some 28 ga sheet metal ( 28ga sheet metal :sad:) and pop riveted to the side and top. I drilled out the rivets and removed the patch last night. The patch is roughly 11" x 10"

The cut starts midway through the original shifter hole and proceeds downward towards the driver pan. (It's almost to the flat portion of the pan.) The original shifter hole has a bent plate underneath for added strength. Ricks sells a partial tunnel for this type of repair. My question is, should I fabricate a new piece of bracing for the new shifter location?

I'm installing a T56 and the shifter location needed to be moved anyway.

Thanks for the advice,

Rich

Bummer news Rich. that sounds like a good sized hole.
Sounds like somebody made an 'access hole' for some tranny work or linkage work. :-/ Ya think?

You had me curious about my own car, an automatic that I'm going to put a T-56 into, so I went out and checked it.

My auto car (69) doesn't have any reinforcement plate at all. :confused:

yes rich at some time someone had put in a aftermarket hurst cheap shifter. my car had same hole on drivers side.the reinforcement is for the stock screws to go into. that is why it is there.the thickness of the floor pan tighten a screw up it will strip the hole right out.thats why they got it thicker there.i just put a piece of metal starting on the bottom riveted it there first on back i put window weld on it and worked my way to top working metal around.where you putting the new shifter in use a thicker piece of steel or double it up. so that way the boot screws dont strip out.

Rich I know your pain. I have a car that somebody did the same thing to. I'm looking for a replacement tunnel from a donor car as mine goes 5" farther twards the dash then the repop repair panel.
http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/11723/2425031390043907989S500x500Q85.jpg

On yours you may just get away with a patch. It should be strong enuff.

Anybody have a spare? (sorry about the hijack)

Scott

Rich I know your pain. I have a car that somebody did the same thing to. I'm looking for a replacement tunnel from a donor car as mine goes 5" farther twards the dash then the repop repair panel.
http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/11723/2425031390043907989S500x500Q85.jpg

On yours you may just get away with a patch. It should be strong enuff.

Anybody have a spare? (sorry about the hijack)

Scott

Hi Scott!, the guy who cut my tunnel was the apprentice to the guy who cut yours :noway:.

Is there some reason these tunnels are being cut down towards the drivers side pan?

geez that what mine looked like just about. I bought a repo panel from Ricks and this is what it looks like now..



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/texasdvldog/Camaro%20SS/DSC02548.jpg

Hay Armando did you have any trouble installing the tunnel patch? Mine is prety bad also I dont have a pic of it but I will put one on this week.
Thanks Bob