67-76 floor into a 65...

nitro_rat said

Just be mindful of how much weight you're adding vs strength. The strength of the torsion bar crossmember comes from the "depth" of the member itself, not from the thickness of the top or bottom plate. You can easily add a bunch of weight without making an appreciable increase in strength...

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100% agreed on this. That was the reasoning behind my "layered" approach. i don't think my little two layer idea will come close to the height of the original, but since it's layered, I'm hoping for an effect similar to how layered composites work. I have some other variations of the idea floating around in my head but nothing solid yet. I think first and foremost, I need frame connectors, which will allow for some nice "boxing" and "triangulation" options. Of course, instead of 1/4" bar stock as a second layer, I could cut a profile, say from the 1/4 plate, but keep it's height down to an inch or so, less so at the top and more along the lower sides, much like the factory shape. A box like that "should" be stronger than the 11 gauge sheet metal used if done properly and still be as strong and light as the original. (maybe)