When a solution doesn’t exist for a problem during a build it will force a chassis shop to create their own to make sure the final product will function correctly. Chassis Engineering builds a variety of cars and while fabricating a chassis recently for a customer’s Camaro they were having a hard time getting big tires to fit correctly under the body to achieve the desired ride height. Their solution was to develop a Stretched C-Panel for 1967-1969 Camaros that would allow for big tires to work with a factory steel body.

The development of the Stretched C-Panel first began while Chassis Engineering was building a Camaro for a customer that was to be raced in Top Sportsman. Using the customer’s factory steel body wouldn’t allow the car to reach the desired body ride height with a set of 16×33 tires under the body. Previously a set of large side panels would need to be added to get the larger wheel tubs in for these tires, but the Stretched C-Panel allows the final ride height to go from six-inches to three-inches.

Curt Perry from Chassis Engineering explains why it’s so important to be able to get a car to meet the preferred ride height when it’s being built.

“Having the ride height set to where you want it from the start makes everything else easier when adjusting the car. With the correct body and chassis ride height in place, you can then get the four-link in the correct position easier. It also helps the car react better and easier to tune chassis-wise.”

The actual installation of the Stretched C-Panel on 1967-1969 Camaros is a pretty straightforward process. Chassis Engineering has developed this product in such a way that it can be done in a shop or by a racer in their home garage with the correct tools and skills.

“What they have to do is cut the original C-panel out of the car, place this one in position, and tack it in. You then have to go on the inside and gut where the C panel is to finish up, then you do the body work to smooth it out. The guys that have seen them or heard of them have been buying them, and we’ve sold a lot so far as well as installed them on cars at the shop. They have been used on everything from Top Sportsman to Outlaw 632 cars. When it’s done someone who knows Camaros inside and out might notice, but the average person can’t see the difference because of how well they fit,” Perry says.

If you want to get some extra rubber under the rear of your first generation Camaro talk to Curt and the team at Chassis Engineering about their Stretched C-Panel kit.