Air Bagging a Bomb on a Budget - Part 1

Place a tape measure over the outboard edge of the welded strap under the outside of the crossmember, measure up approximately 3 inches, and draw an arch up and all of the way around the shock tower. (Refer to photo 12 for a better look at the shape).

Then cut out the area as marked. (Eddie "The Butcher" used a DRAG-ON 38 plasma cutter with built-in air for the cutting.)

Next, clean up the rough edges where the metal was cut out with an electric grinder.

Here's how the tower looks after being cleaned up with the grinder.

Two tower reinforcement plates are cut from 1/4-inch sheet steel.

Weld the plates on each side of the tower and reinforce the factory welds around the tower. (Michael "The Beader" used a Lincoln SP170T MIG welder.)

Here's how the reinforced tower looks after being cleaned up again and ready for the airbag.

Next, use the plasma cutter to remove an area from the lower control arm as shown.

Weld a piece of 1/4-inch plate steel into the control arm, running a bead around the top side and underside of the plate.