As i am starting to get deeper and deeper into the project, im starting to see that i have ALOT more rust than what i would have expected, to the point where i am considering taking the body off the frame to do the restore ( pus it makes it easier to work on the suspension.) How would i go about doing this? Do i simply(im sure its not) take the body off and set it on the ground or do i have to own some kind of stand?
get a rotissery , or make one...there are a few people on the FGF "L" list that have plans for one to build,...are you on the list?? If not maybe its time...go here.. web page to sign up...
after you do ask who has a rotissery or has plans of how to build a rotissery... w that you can easily get to everything..
is it required to have on of these rotisseries as soon as i take the body off, or can i set it down on the ground or on top of some tires, ec.. ? How much would i be able to get a simple rotisserie for?
I have my body sitting on a 2"x 6" board under the rear part of the rocker panels. The board is sitting on a dolly and the front of the car is sitting on the legs of an engine stand, also on a board. I can roll it around, and in and out of the garage. I did build a rotisserie, but have to get the rear frame rails installed before I can hook her up to it which won't be until next spring, if I'm lucky. The rotisserie bolts through the rear bumper mounts on the rear side and the subframe mounts on the front of the car. I'm on Long Island, NY and I guess metal costs more here, I paid almost 200 for the square tubing and about 90 for two engine stands from Harbor Freight. I got plans from the internet and modified them for my application. I have always done "overkill" on any project, so I think it will be strong enough to hold my car, but as yet haven't tried it. Good luck.
Almost forgot, you may want to put some braces across the door openings to prevent the unibody from flexing. I did this to my convertible because there is no roof for stiffness. I don't know how much of a problem this is on coupes, so you may want to ask before spinning it around on a rotisserie.
Ill take a couple pictures of the body and see what you guys think. I know alot of it needs to be replaced but imnot sure as to the extint of the problem and how much the structural integrity has been comprimised
Here's what I'm thinking since I don't have a way to lift the body. I'm going to build a 2x6 frame with some extensions that will reach the rear frame rails. (the rearend has been removed already) I'll slide it under the car and then raise it up high enough to bolt on wheeled trailer jacks with side mounts to the 2x6 frame, 2 per side. You can buy them for less than $20 each. By raising each jack I should be able to raise the body and wheel it away from the subframe after disconnecting brake and fuel line and body bolts. I'll then have to take the body to someone else for blasting and new sheetmetal.
I built, for a different purpose, a frame measuring 4' x 8' of 3 1/2 clear douglas fir 4" x 4" x 8' posts, and installed six industrial casters underneath it. I stacked on approximately 2200 pounds of oak lumber, and if I hitch it to the truck I can move it around. The entire assembly is done with lag bolts and washers, all 5/8" hardware, and casters rated 250 lbs. each (I had more wood than I anticipated, so the casters are overloaded). This has been in service for two years without any sign of weakness. Load stress noises occured for the first half hour of use.
The side frames are each composed of a full length 4 x 4 x 8. The three crossmembers are 4 x 4 x 4. Lag bolts draw the pieces together, and then the casters are installed at each corner and midpoints. I could easily have used two center cross members and two additional casters and increased the load bearing capacity to a full ton.
A larger version could readily accomodate a car body. The side rails are continuous support beams, and should be sized to support the rockers. It can be readily disassembled and stacked until the next use.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
I know you are talking about a frame off restoration but I would like to caution you on the time and the cost of restoring a rusted out car. I just recently sold a 60 Impala convertible that I owned for almost 20 years. I never did fully finish the restoration but I put more money into that car then I could ever hoped to have gotten out of. If this bird does not have any major sentimental value I would sell it and find a better project car. They are out there and well worth the search. Once you start down the road rust the cost just keeps climbing. I would suggest taking a few steps back and really look the car over before you do any work. If this is your first restoration look for another car.
Ok, well the pictures are gonna have to wait... cameras bein' tricky. SO basicaly i have the floor pans rusted through, some of the truck floor (back left, drivers point of view, near the wheel well) possibly most of the trunk floor, but it may just be sruface rust, some of the inner quarter panel area, right under the quarter windows, and rear frame members. Im under the impression most of this could be replaced *without* taking the body off, as long as i had an air chisel and some welding experiance, neither of which i have. But i am willing to learn to weld, ive heard people say if you get the easy kind of welder (mig or tig or something) its not that hard. Im just worried about cutting out the seat pans and cutting soemthing like the frame or other stuff in the process. So much stuff to do... just looking forward to be done with the dysassymbly part and back to what i like: putting stuff together.
Take your time, label everything you remove. Put all nuts, bolts etc. in zip lock bags. Use a Sharpie to label them. Take pictures if you can. Don't toss any parts until you have the new ones to match up bolt holes, sizes, brackets, and fit. Good luck.
I'll add a question here since I'm David's dad and we are doing this together.
What is the name of the panel that the rear upper shock towers go through. I need to replace that area since we have a rust problem around the right rear shock tower.
