How to Mount a Modified Race Car Body
Mounting a body on a Modified dirt car and replacing body panels is one of the perpetual chores in racing. But having the right tools and materials will greatly simplify those race car body fabrication jobs. Below are some of our favorite products and a few tips for mounting a race car body.
Can I Install a Race Car Body to a Chassis by Myself?
As with just about any job, many hands make light work. An extra pair of hands can be tremendously beneficial when wrestling large sheets of aluminum into the shear, brake, and onto the car. That said, it is possible to fabricate a race car body by yourself. Whether you’re working alone or have plenty of help, having the proper parts and tools will make the job much easier.
Tips on Installing Race Car Bodies and Panels
In addition to the fabrication of the panels, building race car body braces is a job that can consume lots of time. Fortunately, Speedway Motors offers a few kits that are designed to simplify this part of the job.
Race Car Body Braces and Mounts
Speedway Motors Universal Modified Race Car Body Mounting Kit includes the angle aluminum and straps to mount your door and quarter panels. This kit includes four 60” long pieces of 1” by 1” 1/8” thick angle aluminum for the bottoms of your doors and quarter panels as well as six pieces of 36” long 1” by 1/8” flat aluminum strap. You will use a full 60” length piece of the aluminum angle for each door. You can cut the remaining two pieces in half and install one on the bottom of the quarter panel and around the middle of the quarter panel.
Pre-drilled angled aluminum is a handy way to mount your body panels. Speedway Motors offers a wide variety of aluminum angle race car body braces, including individual pre-drilled body braces you can cut to length. If you’re running a race car aero kit or race car body rocker panels, finding a way to mount them can appear tough, but the universal modified body mounting kit or pre-drilled aluminum is the solution. Just slip the rocker panels between the door and the bottom brace made from the angled aluminum.
Instead of rivets, use a race car body bolt kit with threaded clips to fasten the bottom of your door and the rocker panels to the angled aluminum. We also recommend using body bolt washers to help keep the body from tearing out at the bolt holes. Using bolts makes disassembly for cleaning and service much easier. Put five to six bolts on the bottom of the doors and three to four on the bottom of the quarter panels.
Race Car Body Parts and Panels
While many builders still prefer to make their Modified doors and quarter panels from the same aluminum sheet used for the deck, some are switching to the MD3 Modified Plastic Doors and Quarter Panels. These panels are made from high-impact plastic and are designed to be more resistant to denting and bending than traditional .040 aluminum while weighing the same. Speedway Motors carries these and other stock car body panels from Performance Bodies as well as other parts like dirt track race car spoilers and race car aero kits, all designed to make it easy to build and replace the body on your race car.
Best Tools and Body Fasteners
Sourcing your race car body panels and braces is only half the battle. Speedway Motors also offers a full line of auto body fasteners, body panel rivets, and race car body building tools.
How to Use a Spring Steel Hole Punch to Mount a Race Car Body
Tempered spring steel body fastener material is often favored over aluminum straps to mount the doors and quarter panels to a modified because it can spring back out if body panels get pushed in from contact. It can be a better option for race car body braces instead of the aluminum strap, especially for the right rear since it will spring back into place if it gets hit or pushed in. But the spring steel can be harder to work with than the aluminum. You will need to use a spring steel punch for race body installation to make holes in your spring steel straps. The material is significantly harder than aluminum and is difficult to drill (and hard on drill bits). A spring steel punch allows you to easily make ¼” holes in 1” x 1/16” spring steel by inserting the material, then hitting the plunger on the top of the tool lightly with a 3-4 lb. hammer. The tool also has built in stops for accurate and repeatable hole placement.
While the spring steel punch will make your life easier when working with bulk spring steel, Speedway Motors also offers pre-cut spring steel in various lengths with slotted holes on each end. The pre-cut kit can save even more time, eliminating the cutting and dressing process as well as hole punching.
Hanging Race Car Body Panels with Rivets
While we recommend a bolt kit for the doors and quarters, much of the rest of the body will be attached with 3/16" race car body panel rivets and 3/16 rivet washers. While a hand operated rivet tool is fine for a quick repair, a pneumatic auto body rivet gun, also called an air riveter, is an absolute must have if you're going to be doing a lot of riveting. Your hands will thank you! A heavy-duty air riveter will completely change the game compared to the hand riveter. We also recommend the double ended 3/16” drill bits to drill the rivet holes. Obviously, there are plenty of uses for rivets around the race shop. Check out our guide to rivets and how to use them for more tips and tools.
In addition to bolts and rivets, you may also find a need to use quarter turn fasteners. Also called Dzus buttons, quarter turns are especially handy for panels that need to be removed quickly and often. For more on these handy fasteners and how to use them, check out our quarter turn fasteners guide.
Oval Track Racing Classes Rules and Regulations
The processes, parts, and tools discussed in this article primarily apply to Modified and Late Model bodies, but Speedway Motors also carries dirt track race car body panels and race car body kits for Hobby Stocks, Sprint Cars, and even a few others. Regardless of what car or class you’re running, it’s very important to consult the rule book before you start building your body. Below are links to the 2024 IMCA and RaceSaver Sprint Series rules:
