Who doesnt run inner fender wells

[biohazardbill]

Just asking the question...

And for those of you who don't..... how dirty does it actually get under the hood and what did you do to brace the core support?

[markeb01]

I trimmed away the main portion of my front inner fenders, but retained the section that holds the hood hinges & springs, which is also strong enough to brace the radiator support. It made a big difference in engine cooling and ease of working on the front of the truck, since I can now climb in and stand on the ground when needed. Since I kept the part directly over the tires, the engine compartment doesn’t really get any dirtier than it did before. The only splash in rain and snow ends up on the firewall directly behind the tires. If you're interested the entire modification process is detailed in my build thread starting at post 95 on page 4, and continuing on to page 5:

Normally in the spring I hose that area off at the coin op car wash, but this year it wasn’t that dirty so I didn’t bother. This is how it looks today after a winter of driving:

[gixxer711]

love your valve covers!! how do you went the crankcase besides the breather on the filler tube.

[markeb01]

I designed a custom adapter to fit on the back of the passenger side valve cover, and my son machined it up. The hard pipe points towards the rear of the distributor and connects to the smog valve inboard of the throttle linkage. From there is goes to the back of the carburetor and is virtually hidden. It’s been in place for several years and works perfectly with no clearance issues either.

Here’s a thread showing the details, including plans for the pieces:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=366853

I could have angled the top of the external piece, or painted it black for even more stealth, but nobody has ever noticed it yet. Spectators just assume it’s a 327 like the fender emblems state.

My son has different employment now so we won’t be fabricating any more. I suppose something similar could be created using a grommet and push in PCV valve, but some type of baffle would be needed to keep oil from entering the valve.

[MisterC]

Dang Mark! In the couple of years I've been reading your posts on this forum, I never noticed your inners were trimmed away. Another stroke of genius! That is an awesome design!