working towards the belly pan [ Archive] - GasSavers.org - Helping You Save at the Pump

Well I was going to work on the belly pan this weekend but I had 2 issues to deal with first. First I changed the tranny fluid out with some mobil synthetic. Then I decide to repair the sagging front bumper cover. You can see it sagged down about an inch. I naively thought this would be a quick fix. Well I'll be pulling out the crunched bumper support and banging the bumper and crosspiece straight again. I post an after pic when completed.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i310/lovemysan/IMG_00291msgAFE87BC2-CF87-4406-A212.jpg

Good luck! I helped my dad pull a bumper support from a junkyard once and it was a pain in the butt.

Jared will prolly tell you to just leave it off though, :p

Jared will prolly tell you to just leave it off though, :pi would if his bumper didnt sag without it. i like my car as light as possible btw, and i left the rear on for balance.

I figured it might be broken in a way pushing it down, but Iono! I suck.

i would if his bumper didnt sag without it. i like my car as light as possible btw, and i left the rear on for balance.

I would leave it out but it stabilizes the lower section of the bumper skin. Tonight I fiberglassed all the broken plastic tabs and brackets back together and straightened the bumper support brackets. The bumper and foam piece were so warped I didn't feel like mending it. I'm getting a fresh one tommorrow at the junkyard. She should be back together monday. I;ll post pics if possible

that sucks. some cars need them for structural integrity, others dont. i know honda only tested their bumper supports at 2.5 mph. meaning anything more than that and your still going to mess up your frame. so i took my front one out. the foglights in my bumper help support the bumper cover so its pretty solid. nobody really knows that its not there...

in your car though, i would leave it in. the flopping would get really annoying

Well I got it 90% good and said uncle. One side looks great the other not so hot. But I accomplished my goal of reducing the gap and firming everything up. Total investment was $20 for the support.

Sad thing is I asked my brother to put the car away for me and he hit the curb(i've done it in the very same spot before) So now it needs an alignment. The belly pan keeps getting farther away.

It gets worse. I wrenched my back working on this. I'm 27 and have never hurt my back. I went to the chiropractor and it was serious enough that he took some xrays. I go back today to look them over and get another adjustment. But do not fear, I will pan this car. I may work on it in when I go to TN. Currently I plan a full belly pan, full wheel and side skirts, and some light modifacation of the front wheel wells. Maybe a boat tail of sorts.

I'm excited to here your plans, but sorry about your back! I've been there but I was too stubborn to see a doctor, :p

Feel better!

The Xrays turned out good. Nothing to serious to deal with. It also pointed out some side issues that I didn't realize were there. He is a biomechanical chiropractor. In other words he fixes your spine to correct other issues. Serious voodoo medicine there. He gives no painkillers either, he fixes your problem and the pain goes away.

If I can't do any more aero mods, I'm going to do an HAI or IAT resistor or relocation. I'm sure I can get 40mpg going home but my short term goal was 45mpg at 65mph. Its not looking like I'll make it.

HAI > IAT, remember. My car didn't like it but the saturns sure seem to.

Serious voodoo medicine there. I'd be careful about trusting a chiro. Most back pain heals itself within a few days anyway, regardless of what a doctor does. Wave some magic beads around at the same time, say a few incantations, and you end up believing the voodoo man cured your ailment.

There's a lot more money in treating symptoms than curing underlying causes, same way as there was a lot more money in making disposable cars than in making a car that would last a long time.

Not to say that your chiro is a quack, just be careful.

I'd be careful about trusting a chiro. Most back pain heals itself within a few days anyway, regardless of what a doctor does. Wave some magic beads around at the same time, say a few incantations, and you end up believing the voodoo man cured your ailment.

There's a lot more money in treating symptoms than curing underlying causes, same way as there was a lot more money in making disposable cars than in making a car that would last a long time.

Not to say that your chiro is a quack, just be careful.


This guy is definatly not a quack. He is cheap by most metropolitan standards. He has excellent moral values. He explained everything to me. Currently I have no back pain except in a few positions. I have some misalignment in my spine that I'm going to get fixed. I like the fact that he does not give out or recommend medications of any kind. Basically his goal is to cure the problem not cover the symtom.