Thanks for the support guys. Yea abodyjoe, the headers are gonna be a challenge. I would like to get away without cutting the inner fenders, but if it comes down to it then I guess it might end up going that route.
Today I cleaned up the support areas for the inner fender brace. My brother in law Bryan had the idea to box the lower frame rail, instead of just welding plates to that folded metal on top. It's probably overkill, but it gives me some peace of mind. Just tack welding everything for now until I can borrow a bigger welder from someone.
