Your mother was right: Accidents happen.
That is a simple fact of life, and racing is no exception. We won’t get into the blame game of who is at fault when sheetmetal and chassis get bent, we’re more interested in getting your car fixed and back out on the track. Actually, the goal isn’t simply to get back onto the track, but to get there with a car that is just as good, or better than it was before the big hit.
One of the big problems with repairing a car that’s taken a big hit is that it somehow is just never the same as it was before. Many racing teams working on a limited budget (and let’s face it, that’s most of us) are forced to just live with it. A new chassis is out of the question and there’s no guarantee that the person who did the repair work would get it right if you took it back to have the “repair” repaired. As a result they wind up having to change their setups as a crutch to mask the problems caused by a chassis whose geometry is off.
This is an asphalt touring car from a different builder brought to the Hess Race Cars shop for a new front clip after a wreck had caused severe front-end damage. By the time we arrived the damaged tubing had been cut away and fabricator Chris Cornet was prepping the remaining framework for the new front clip. He had already spent nearly an hour centering the chassis on the level plate and setting the car at the proper height.
A quality chassis builder should be capable of repairing practically any wreck damage and ensuring that all the suspension pickup points are right where they should be so that the car handles just as it did before
The truth of the matter is this should never be a problem. A quality chassis builder should be capable of repairing practically any wreck damage and ensuring that all the suspension pickup points are right where they should be so that the car handles just as it did before. It does require an investment in a level plate and jigs, and definitely quality fabrication skills, but it can be done.
01. This was a different...
01. This was a different car that was in the shop, but it makes an interesting illustration. The team that owned the car installed the engine and suspension in the car as soon as repairs were done in order to hit the track that weekend. They felt they didn’t have time to paint the new steel, so it is easy to see here how the repairs the Hess crew had completed integrated in with the original remaining chassis.
02. Here’s the original front...
02. Here’s the original front clip that had already been cut away when we arrived. The car had taken a hit on the right-front wheel hard enough to collapse the lower control arm and move the entire front clip to the left. Instead of trying to pull everything back into position, it’s easier (and cheaper) to simply cut away everything forward of the damage and weld up a new clip. Plus, the new clip will utilize Hess’ front suspension that has been very successful on the track lately.
03. Cornet used a cutting...
03. Cornet used a cutting torch to separate the damaged front clip from the rest of the car. A torch leaves a bit of a ragged edge, but Cornet says it is preferable to using a saw because it is faster and cheaper when you consider the cost of all the blades you will go through.
04. Notice how the firewall has been wrinkled around the lower support tube. That’s a sign that the tube was bent inward during the wreck. And the gap around the hole on the lefthand side shows that the tube didn’t completely return to position once the bent clip was cut away. Cornet noted all this and determined that the tubing that remains hasn’t lost its structural integrity. He’ll wait to see how the new clip fits up before deciding whether more should be cut away. 
06. Here’s an interesting...
06. Here’s an interesting trick: To make life easier and cut down the amount of times he has to change discs, Cornet puts a rough sanding disc both in the standard position and on top of the backing plate. This allows him to sand from both sides, reducing the amount of twisting and “fabricator’s yoga” he has to do to clean up all sides inside that framework of tubing.
05. After finishing with...
05. After finishing with the torch, Cornet uses a disc sander to clean up the rough edges. A grinding disc can be too aggressive and requires a very gentle touch. When doing this you have to be careful only to sand or grind away only the rough edges left by the melting action of the cutting torch. Make sure you do not thin the walls of the tubing that will remain.
07. Cornet and Tommy Byrd...
07. Cornet and Tommy Byrd (foreground) place a portion of the new clip into its approximate position on the fabrication table. Normally, the clips are fabricated ahead of time all the way back to the point where they connect to the framerails. But since this clip is being fitted to a chassis from another fabricator, this clip ends at the spring buckets. Everything from there back will be fabricated specifically for this chassis.
08. This is obviously not the same car, but it is easier to see with this chassis that’s still under construction. Before he can weld anything up, Cornet and Byrd set the ride heights on the level fabrication table. But, like with this new chassis under construction, it works opposite the way most people think. The car is set on a baseline level and then adjusted according to height changes. For example, the baseline number for the ride height may be six inches with the left-rear an inch higher. But for chassis repair and fabrication, the heights work opposite. The car is set up 6 inches off the plate, but the left-rear is at minus an inch (or 5 inches). This way the chassis can still be built on a level surface for accuracy, but once the suspension is installed the left-rear corner will sit 1 inch higher like it should. 
09. The correct height for...
09. The correct height for the front clip is set with fixtures that bolt to the table on one end and the sway bar tubes and front pivot for the lower control arms on the other. Remember, the car has already had its centerline established on the fabrication table.
10. The downtubes have been...
10. The downtubes have been left long on purpose. After the correct height is set for the clip, the tubes can be marked and cut to the right height.
11. A cutting torch may have...
11. A cutting torch may have done the work before, but for greater accuracy Cornet uses a cutoff wheel.
12. With the downtubes at...
12. With the downtubes at the proper height, Cornet can slide the clip into place. The fixtures bolt into position on the work table ensuring that the clip stays in line with the car, which—as previously mentioned—has been centered and locked down on the table as well.
13. Finally, the clip is...
13. Finally, the clip is now properly positioned so that the front suspension pickup points are properly aligned, the wheelbase is correct and the ride heights are right. Now all that’s left is to get it connected to the car.
14. Cornet uses lengths...
14. Cornet uses lengths of 2x4-inch square tubing to join the clip to the framerail connectors.