Front frame rails - engine bay side access holes?

[mungus]

As I'm still I Mustang novice, who can tell me what is stock on the front frame rails. My question regards access holes on the engine bay side. My car has these largish access holes on the LHS but none on the RHS. Web searching showed some very old looking RHS rails WITH the holes too. So now confused I checked the appearance of what's on offer for replacements with CJ's. Most have the access holes, but some of the front patch kits don't... (photos attached, apologies to any owners as my iPhone camera died, so I downloaded these). First is 67 OEM (LHS), second is repop (access holes marked).





With web searching revealing some of both types being fitted on what looked like old cars, just what did they have? The access hole is a boon if your bumper bracket nuts get stripped, so was this an update, that my car got on one side after a ding? The photo below is another repop rail kit, but WITHOUT the big access holes.



My rails are actually good, I opened them up, cleaned then out, primed a lot and closed them back up. All good. But I'm just wondering, as if I'm going to get the annular cutter out to match them up on the RHS, then now's the time...

Oh and BTW I found this passenger side rails below, that doesn't have the dent on the bottom edge, for the steering idler arm. Is that really not necessary? I though they all had them. Or do they excpect fitters to warm it up with the oxy and belt it in with a ball pein hammer?



Just checking I know the whole deal before I head towards 2K satin blacking the engine bay etc.

Thanks in advance.

[Shaunp]

maybe its to make the repros easy to make

[mungus]

Maybe...

However I have found quite a few photos of very old looking cars with the holes and the OEM bungs fit them, plus they are right behind the captive nut plate for the bumper brackets, so...

I’m angling more towards adding them on the RHS, just to allow the access and make everything match up in there.

Who knows? Maybe Kerry?

[ozbilt]

They had the holes.

[mungus]

Thanks Kerry,

Makes me wonder why I’ve found so many old looking rails without them, AND with them. Another old example below, this one with the holes. As some of the repair kits don’t have them I can only guess there’s been some rail replacements so long ago that they now have an old patina.

I’m thinking one big clue is the chassis bung kits seem to contain enough of the right sized bungs to fill those holes.
There would be 4 spare without them.

So anyway I’ll drill the holes!

[ozbilt]

Remember there were 3 factories producing them and the missing holes could be usual from one plant. However, all the 67's and later I have worked on (probably a few) all had the holes.

[Shaunp]

my San Jose car has no holes and it is all original metal not crashed or rusty. It is a November 66 built 67.