I'm sending you my suggestions for the mounting points. I would also recommend that you bond in some steel plates or square tubing into the body points so that you can weld the body onto your frame for a permanent and rigid structure.

There is a detailed "manual" that Dale has created for you to view (in regards to this section). This instruction manual is on how he built his IFG Phantom Roadster. (click on his logo to visit his web site)

Click here to visit Dale's section on: Chapter 9 - Body Mounting

Dale Van Blokland

I took the big plunge and permanently mounted the body.

I started by running a string from the center line at the back to the centerling at the front. I then made sure the string lined up with the marks on the body. I then checked the body in several places to make sure it was level as was the body.

I glassed in the sections that I had cut off to mount the body.

This was accomplished by bracing them in place, cutting matte and then applying resin. I will finish off the bottom side with Bondo.

Forward Body mounting

Two things here, in the fore view, a .5x.5 from the frame to the corner of the wheel opening. Second, under the turn signal, a rounded 1x1 welded to the frame and glued to the body.

Body Mounting

Here are a couple of locations that I supported the body. I used .5 x .5 and a urethane adhesive. I put some solid pressure on it afterwards and it is really strong.

Dale "Doc" Smith

I made my share of mistakes and do-overs so I wanted to pass on a method of approach that finally made everything work out when it came to aligning and installing the D&R roadster on the frame with everything aligned. (Thank you Robert, who pointed me in this direction)

For the doors, top, and front, and rear portions of the body to all be in alignment you need to put the body on the frame with the basic rudiments of support and than

Align the front of the roof with the windshield top

Position the top so it's even with the door strip

Make sure the rear of the top is exactly equal with the body

Make sure the top is equidistant on both sides

and that the top is sitting flat on the body

I had to raise the windshield surround 1/4 inch to make everything line up right

Finally install a cross brace, I used 1/2 conduit with the X part bolted also, and now you can move the body anyway necessary to achieve correct alignment of the body on the frame so that the wheel wells and body are equal side to side with out concern for the top and doors lining up.

Tim Watson

Just got done bonding my body down. After talking with the tech's at 3M I decided to use a product I have used on my boats. 3M 5200, is noted for being very very strong. The tech told me it is similar to the window weld but stronger! I went with the fast dry, it sets in 1 hour, slow dry sets in two days. You must work fast with the fast dry. You can find it a Lowes hardware or a marine store. I used 1 1/2 tubes.

Just today, as a matter of fact, I welded the body onto the chassis. The car is quite solid. Weld points at the rear trunk area, at the support near the rear window to the firewall, the A-pillar, the door hinge support and the front bumper subframe.

Now for the topic at hand; for those with IFG bodies keep in mind that you may have to do some fancy cutting and welding in order to get the bottom of the windshield flush with the body.

I've had my body for 4 years now, hanging on my gantry. The years had caused the body to bow-out, which resulted in a gap of about 1/4 - 3/8 between the center of the windshield and the body. And my windshield wiper rotor support plate didn't help much either. I installed and welded the plate onto the body tube while the body was suspended.

To alleviate the problem I made 3 cuts into the stiffener tube that is bonded to the body at the windshield area. After aligning the body, and prior to welding, I jacked the tube up with the windshield in place. This was done using a 3/4 square steel tube acting as a lever and my old Fiero jack. I cranked the jack up until the body mated with the bottom of the windshield. Then I removed the windshield and welded the A pillar support. Then the cuts I made to the support tube. Now I have a perfect fit.

Just keep this in mind when you are ready to PERMANENTLY mount the body.

Derek Greving - I've seen enough to know that the correct wheelbase for the Diablo is 104.3"...is the correct width 80.3 (to the outside of the frame or to the outside of the car)?

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Endre (Andy) Bujtas - The 80.3 inch width you mentioned is a MAXIMUM body width value - excluding the mirrors. It occurs some point over the rear wheel wells since the body is quite curved - as looking from the top down to the body. I measured my body some 3 years ago and it was this width value. The car/body is quite wide. My car barely fits into a closed car transport trailer.

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Derek Greving - I appreciate your responses. The question was the result of a conversation I had with Ken Essler (of NAERC) who said that, upon telling him I was interested in an SCE tube chassis installed under one of his kits, that it was not ideal for his kits, because they (his kits) are the correct width of the Diablo (and Shelby puts all IFG bodies on his chassis' - which are supposedly wider)...any comments regarding this info?

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Endre (Andy) Bujtas - I believe he may be right. The IFG body (which I have) may be about an inch wider, but who's to say that the NAERC body is smaller? Anyway, it really doesn't matter. Apparently, Ken Essler does not know much about the SCE chassis - which is a version of the original IFG tube chassis like I have. If the SCE chassis follows generally close to the original IFG version, there should be no problem mounting any fiberglass Diablo replica body onto it - except, of course, if the body was not made with the correct wheelbase, etc.

The IFG/SCE tube chassis is not as wide as the body - it does not extend out to the body perimeter, but somewhere in between. Therefore, it doesn't matter what Diablo body is placed on it. However, it may require welding (or possibly cutting/relocating) the body mounting points for a different body manufacturer. IFG bodies are surrounded by a 1x1 square tube steel frame molded into the fiberglass. You clean off some of the fiberglass and weld the steel in the body to the tube chassis to form a rigid structure. Therefore, to utilize an SCE/IFG tube chassis on a body such as CRP/D&R/NAERC may require adding special mounting hardware - either onto the body or the chassis - in order to permanently mount the body to the chassis.

The only other possible caveat might be the location of the rear firewall relative to the kit's rear window panel - or where the rear window section rests onto the chassis. I know that the IFG tube chassis, which uses the Fiero seating section, modifies the Fiero rear firewall by bending it inward a bit in order that their rear window rests onto the original Fiero rear window sill. But it wouldn't be terminal if the body did not exactly rest onto the sill at this location. It simply would mean cutting, bending and re-welding a section of the firewall to fit.

Finally, regarding the width, for me wider is better! No one would ever know the difference. A wider stance would only make the car look more aggressive.