Maybe change the front while working on the back!

Doug,

Just another idea to throw out there. I like idea on the supports for keeping your current struts. Go ahead and get rid of the lower frame rails and put in some round tube. My car was built at first with the lower frame rails there and with round tube. Then they removed the oem rails later later. The rules for the class the builder was running said you had to have stock front frame rails, but there was nothing that said the suspension had to attach to them. Later, the rules were relaxed and they removed them and the same inner front sheet metal you want gone. They left the core support, wish it was gone, but they wanted something to bolt the stock front nose and sheet metal too.

My car was built with Strange struts, but your idea above would work with a round tube lower and the tubing would not cost too much.

I still have the front frame rails from when they chopped them out. AT LEAST 35 lbs each!

Couple of pics of the car under construction with all that crap in place:



now, with oem frame rails removed:
forgive the BBC, that was the builder's deal:



More pics of the build and details in these albums:
http://s374.photobucket.com/albums/oo186/dgcole01/t%20bird/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ32

http://s374.photobucket.com/albums/oo186/dgcole01/TBird%20at%20Home/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ32

http://s374.photobucket.com/albums/oo186/dgcole01/T%20Bird%20mock%20up/