Mustang Transmission Tunnel Custom Support

Purpose:
1) Provide support for the relocated parking brake.
2) Provide strength for custom seat belt attachments.
3) Provide a meeting point for the 16ga floor pans.
4) Add to the overall tightness of the unibody.

Here is the finished work with the welds ground down. Don't mind the swiss cheese floor pans, that will be fixed later. The following steps will show how I went about making this transmission tunnel support grid. It is best to create this while replacing your floor pans so you have room to use C-clamps. I relocated the parking brake to the middle of the tunnel previously and the metal was too thin to support pulling up on the brake. It wound up flexing with each pull up. I initially thought about just doubling up the metal by sandwiching a piece of sheet metal underneath and spot welding the whole thing but decided a flatbar grid frame would actually be easier, stronger, and and more versatile.
I wanted to see if my idea would fly so this is just an initial testing to see how well the flat bar fits. Circled in yellow is where the relocated parking brake was bolted to. The shifter hole is labeled for orientation. As mentioned, there was too much flex. I think these are six foot pieces of flat bar. It's 1 1/4 by 1/8. I love this flat bar, I've found many uses for it all over my Mustang to stiffen up vulnerable areas. Check out the radiator support page for more flat bar madness!
This was the fun part, getting the tunnel to bare metal. I'm working with an angle grinder using a 20 gallon compressor so this took probably 3 hours. I used a wire brush to get as much undercoating off and then used a ROLOC course 2" disc to get it to bare metal.
I'm pretty sure these holes are the seat belt monts. All I know is I had a desire to cut them out...
I didn't really need them anyway. I can always make my own custom seat belt mounts.
Getting the flatbar in place here. Measuring and trying to make them as even as possible.
Lucky for me my submarine level was just the right size to put across the two flatbars right under the shifter hole.
Side flatbars after welding. At this time I did not consider spot welding the bars in from the other side but it looks like it will work out fine this way too.
The flatbars are welded to the ends of the rear floor extensions as they come down under the tunnel.
The flatbars are welded to the transmission crossmember at the front.
Next up I made templates for the crossovers.
The crossover pieces start as these flat segments. This is the first one right before the shifter hole. How did I get them to conform to the tunnel support ? I lay on my back and with the car jacked up and pressed my heel into the bar as it lay across between the side flatbars...
After my heel did half the work of bending this piece, I use clamps to get it to hug as best it can the tunnel.
Here is the second crossover piece that will run right under the distinctive *hump* on the tunnel.
Crossover number two clamped into place, ready for welding.
After the 3rd and 4th crossover was welded in place I took a shot of the area where the parking brake was relocated to on the tunnel. I'm still not satisfied with the support this area will have for the parking brake so I will weld a full piece under here between the 2nd and 3rd crossover bars.
Making the template...
	Under Construction! Stay tuned, more pictures on their way!