86 442 frame-off

[jackfrost]

well, my project isn't nearly as cool as what ya'll are doing, but here's whats happening:

I have an Olds 403 smallblock coming together, so I was planning a motor swap this winter. then I got to thinking, pulling the front clip isn't so hard, and it'll let me clean, detail and paint everything in the engine compartment. of course, nothing is that simple, and it becomes the classic "mightaswell" case.

before:


progress:




to get at the bolts for the right fender, you need to open the door... since it's like 20* outside, I just jockeyed the car around with floor jacks.

there's a good foot in between cars...



to get the HVAC unit out, the dash has to come out. (i didn't know this before I started) now look:


at this point the old 307 is ready to come out. i was underneath the rear unbolting the driver tailpipe, and I put my hand up between the frame and body, where there is a body bushing behind the rear wheel. well, i pulled out this:


that's supposed to be a bolt.

but the frame appears solid, which is usually a problem on these cars.

soo... now I know the body needs to come off the frame at least a little to put new body bushings in it (not so bad, since it will firm up the ride as well). then I get to thinking, well, if I lift the body all the way off, I can clean up the frame and get it painted up nice. also, i found some rot in the floor on the passenger side that needs repaired, so the rest of the interior will be coming out.

my biggest problem (besides lack of money) is space! as you can see from the pics, i have two cars in the garage, and not much room on the sides. my house has no basement and tiny attic. I think the Javelin might have to sit outside in the snow for a few weeks.

anyway, that's the current state, minus a couple small things I've been working on after work. i'll add more pics later.

[frankenstang]

Rent a storage shed for the Jav. I'd hate to leave my scrap out in the midwest over the winter. Really surprised the rear frame rail isn't rotted thru. We used to get those G bodies in all the time and see the rear bumpers bouncing as the car went up on the lift!

Good luck with the project.

[WS6]

I nearly bought an 87 442. I really like those cars. good luck

[Code Red]

another fiberglass forums guy on here huh ;-)

[jackfrost]

another fiberglass forums guy on here huh ;-)

yep. I got some FG ideas up my sleeve...

[jackfrost]

a little side project today... removed the bumperettes, and cut some 16 ga. to fill the holes in the bumper



use the first as a template for the second



one side down...

[jackfrost]

lots of progress this weekend. borrowed a hoist from a friend and put it to good use...












almost done...

here's what was left of the body bolts...

some were perfect, some, not so much.

[jackfrost]

also (finally) found some wheels



TSW Nogaro

they have 17x8, 18x8 and 18x9. not sure what size i'm going with yet, but I have been looking for a clean 5-spoke design forever, with low offset. i will still need adapters, but less than an inch.

[SixSpeed454SS]

nice project

[jackfrost]

it was 60* here yesterday, so I got to play lots.
frame and body are completely separated!











i know all this wasn't in the plan, but I'm glad I went this far. all the body bushings were toast: 1 fell out without seeing a ratchet, 3 or 4 of them were rusting through the frame, and will require repair. today I discovered my brake line to the rear (the only one that hasn't been replaced) was paper thin. i can't believe it wasn't leaking.

and, there is more rust damage than I thought to the body. so it will be good to get in there and clean it up, and prevent any more cancer. i need to start practicing butt welds.

[Code Red]

wow I hope that setup holds up

[deuce_454]

awesome.... i can only recomend boxing the frame and installing aluminum mounts... it takes alot of the "canoe" handling out of a g.gody... and the ride supprisingly isnt that harsh.. just "honda like" and the best is that its not much more expensive than doung nothing and installing new rubber....

i see some tubular controll arms up front, are you running tall ball joints as well?? if not then that would be my next suggestion... (the rear controll arms can do with some boxing as well

[jackfrost]

i will be boxing the frame and using Energy Suspension mounts. i'm also going to notch the frame around the rear wheels, and box the rear control arms.

the front has 12" discs, b-body spindles and Global West UCA's.

[jackfrost]

wow I hope that setup holds up

heh... i had to get the body up that high to clear the frame. it's lower now. and more stable.

[jackfrost]

well, its been awhile since the last update. I've been working a lot trying to pay off the furnace so I have some car money again...

anyway, I took the jump and started cutting on the car

frame notching:



and mini-tubbing:
before

after



I sure hope I can put it all back together again...

[Tony_SS]

Looking good Dave - keep at it!

[shizzy]

looks great! looks like you had a little bit of rust thats going to be taken care of with the mini tub job there.

[jackfrost]

so I've hit sort of a big turning point in the project: there's a lot more rot on the body than I was aware of, which made it pretty much impossible to put it back together without fixing it.

so I took a couple days off to decide what to do, and ended up deciding to go whole hog, rip it all apart and do it right the first time. so now I'm pulling every thing off that isn't welded on, in preparation for media blasting the body.

in doing so, I found even more rot: the t-top frame, on the driver side around the windshield, the back of the t-top frames, under the stainless trim, and a spot in the backseat under the seam sealer. i'm starting to think seam sealer is evil. most of it on this car just seemed to trap moisture and rot out the steel, instead of "sealing".

I also found a hairline crack in the windshield, after taking off the trim. so add a new 'shield to "the list".

so, I feel better knowing that EVERYTHING will get fixed right, and there won't be anymore stuff hidden from me, but man is it discouraging.

on a positive note, I found a guy who sold me a whole driver's side floor pan for $60. it looks almost brand new.

will try and get some more recent pictures to share my "adventures".

[rmccubbin]

That's some awesome work Dave. Keep us updated with pics!

[jackfrost]

alright... here's some of the carnage:

passenger footwell


rear seat, passenger side


T-tops



driver floor


driver quarter, old repair


and here's the one that made me decide to go for the media blasting. this is supposed to be a body mount, right behind the driver rear wheel


that one will be fun to fix. I think i will probably cut out that whole section and build a box out of 16 ga that will be the body mount.