Hi everybody! I'm going to look at a 1967 Firebird rolling chassis and I was curious what to look for in a good shell as far as rust? thanks in advance!

Look for no rust. Worst locations are frame areas, behind all the wheels, rockers, spring perches, floor pans, bottom of window gutters. (Pretty much everywhere) good luck!!

Thank you. Is there a difference between a 4 on the floor body and a auto body or is it simply just a hole?

Just sheet metal. You can go either way. Biggest difference is A/C verses non A/C.

Look for something that resembles a new Dynacorn body.

Which are dismal.

I've known of 2 cars that were built with Dynacorn bodies (Camaros) at 2 different professional restoration shops. I know the body men well. Both finished the job and said never again...and both ended up charging the customer about $10K+ extra (unplanned/unbudgeted) to spend hundreds of hours to get the parts to fit the body and/or the body to fit the parts. Basically they both had to disassemble a large portion of the Dynacorn body at the spot welds, reshape panels, and weld it all back together. Not to mention straightening EVERY SINGLE panel to get them straight enough to look good in paint. Plus strip off the crappy primer from every nook and cranny and put a decent primer on it...

So basically you buy a $15K+ body, and spend another $10K+ (or hundreds and hundred of hours) to get the panels to fit and get the body straight, plus blasting it to bare metal and re-priming in order to accept a nice looking paint job.

Both swore they will flat out reject them in the future (or at least will simply be up front and say "OK we'll do it...but we have a $15K Dynacorn labor upcharge", and both said it would have been much easier and cheaper, with better end results, to just rebuild a rusted out body from scratch with individual repro parts, than to assemble another "new" Dynacorn body car...

Sorry - I was just kidding.

I bet the problems didn't end at the bodyshop. Bring the car home and try to fit door glass, weatherstrips, belt mouldings, bumpers. I know too well what its like to use profanity in the presence of first gen F bodies. To spend all that money and never really be happy? Buy one of 68tpls's cars so he can start a new one and save a lot of grey hair. lol

Good...I just never know...

I just feel so sorry for people who choose to go that route, with aspiration of a NEW, RUST FREE car,only to have their dreams of "easy" restoration completely crushed and their wallets raped in the worst way...

A friend had his Dynacorned, new body , cutting in Bird parts...with paint , engine rebuild etc, ended up at $100k! (he bought the rustbucket for $16k), obviously not worth that...he may have a 40-45k car at best...but a very nice car., just not 100k worth

So no aftermarket shells... My shell is rotten. Well, hopefully this parts bird has a good shell and not any SERIOUS cancer... Wish me luck people!!! I'll be sure to bring a magnet too...

Matt, post up some pictures.

I know there are some places that can re-body a shell and do so on a body jig.

There are a few of us that have brought cars back from the dead. I spent a year doing metal work on mine, so I have a litte idea what it takes. A rust free shell wont be impossible to find but wont be easy or cheap unless your really luck.

Very sorry to hear you got screwed on your purchas.

The most solid of cars can have issues, you just can't see them until after they have been to the blaster.