DIY Girdle- PlasmaCAM?

[gijoe985]

We've got a PlasmaCAM at our high school metal shop. For our project car, is there any reason why we shouldn't try cutting out our own main girdle? How thick of steel would it need to be? We may not want to take the extra time for this, but we've got all the tools here to do it.

 

[bling5tatus]

The reason is it probably takes a few tries to get it right. When you pay for a part like that from a vendor you're paying for R&D.... not the piece of metal itself and the electricty and cutting bit used to cut it.