86 442 frame-off

[EagleEye]

if you do that, bring doors. lots of doors. you will make a mint.

that's a fact, jack.

drop off 2 to me on your way

[EagleEye]

doors are out. the body doesn't flex at all, not sure where you heard that.

here's a pic of the media blaster loading it. the straps are going through the rear taillight holes and the firewall.

that does look pretty sturdy even though it looks crude.
let us know if any dis-alignment occurs.
that would relieve me of any worries.

[calcutlass]

i got a question for ya mrfrost. when u cut the inner wheel weld. u cut in the seam or did u come out maybe a half inch or less

[jackfrost]

I cut out a half inch or so.

however, this was before my friend Gregg let me know that moving the tub isn't really necessary. for the most part, you can just cut where the tub meets the trunk floor, and then hammer it into place. the frame notch is only an inch or so, and doesn't require a lot of extra space in the tub.

since the body is still on the frame from being sent to the media blaster, I centered the body on the frame, and he's right. the tub itself only needs to move inward maybe half an inch to an inch. I'll try and get a picture of what I'm talking about.

having said that, there is a lot of rust where the tub meets the trunk floor, and it will need repair on both sides regardless, so I'm not sure if I could get away with it or not.

[jackfrost]

here are the minitub pics. this is on the DS, I cut out the tub and cut into the body a little. the frame is already notched, so you can see the body notch wasn't really necessary.

this pic is from the trunk:


and from inside:


the body is centered on the frame.

[jackfrost]

and a small update. a couple weeks ago I got some epoxy primer on the core support, sway bars, controls arms...

this last weekend I finished stripping the outer fenders and one door, and got some epoxy on them:



hmm... always love suprises hiding under body filler:



mixing epoxy:






door is nice and wavy, eh?

[ProTouring442]

door is nice and wavy, eh?

Nah, that'll buff right out...

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[jackfrost]

I am very excited. last night I won a Millermatic 140 Autoset on eBay for $620 to replace my old Clarke POS. it includes cart, wire, gloves, a full tank of argon/co2, and is practically brand new. I tried it out a little and it welds so smooth. just goes to show how important good tools are.

now I can actually get to patching some panels.

[Code Red]

I am very excited. last night I won a Millermatic 140 Autoset on eBay for $620 to replace my old Clarke POS. it includes cart, wire, gloves, a full tank of argon/co2, and is practically brand new. I tried it out a little and it welds so smooth. just goes to show how important good tools are.

now I can actually get to patching some panels.

(comes over and steals his argon tank) hehe

[calcutlass]

if you do that, bring doors. lots of doors. you will make a mint.

doors and trunk lids lol ive seen some horrifing trunk lids the only thing that was keeping the trunk from fallin off was the pin stripes

[HotRods442]

I just found this picture of the car a couple years ago after I did the suspension upgrades (b-body spindles w/ 12" brakes, eibach springs, bilsteins)

What is your honest opinion of these upgrades? Handling better? I'm considering similar upgrades and would like to know how much difference it really makes to a G-Body 442. My 80 is an A, but close enough.
BTW-That's a lotta work you're doing, bro. Nice job, so far. Long live 442's!
HotRod
1980 W-30 442

[CruizinKev]

very nice project man

[ProTouring442]

What is your honest opinion of these upgrades? Handling better? I'm considering similar upgrades and would like to know how much difference it really makes to a G-Body 442. My 80 is an A, but close enough.
BTW-That's a lotta work you're doing, bro. Nice job, so far. Long live 442's!
HotRod
1980 W-30 442

Actually, since your '80 has the formal roof design, I would think it was a G. The Malibu and Lemans, with their sloped rear window and lack of an opera window on the side makes them A bodies. The distinction came about in '70 with the standard Cutlass S, Skylark, Chevelle, and Lemans were all A bodies while the Cutlass Supreme, Monte Carlo, and Grand Prix were G bodies.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[jackfrost]

What is your honest opinion of these upgrades? Handling better?

well, all at the same time, I upgraded to Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks, Global West upper arms, b-body spindles with 12" 1LE brakes, Del-A-Lum bushings in the front arms, and new steering links. the difference was night and day, but I can't say which upgrade made what difference. not very scientific.

I would say springs and Bilsteins are the best bang for the buck for these cars after frame bracing. also, I felt hardly any bumpsteer with the b-body spindles, but maybe I wasn't driving hard enough, or over uneven surfaces.

[jackfrost]

Actually, since your '80 has the formal roof design, I would think it was a G. The Malibu and Lemans, with their sloped rear window and lack of an opera window on the side makes them A bodies. The distinction came about in '70 with the standard Cutlass S, Skylark, Chevelle, and Lemans were all A bodies while the Cutlass Supreme, Monte Carlo, and Grand Prix were G bodies.

well, you're sorta right and sorta wrong.

The General Motors G platform (also called G-body) was an automobile platform designation used for mid-sized rear wheel drive cars from 1982 to 1988. G-Bodies began production designated as GM A platform (RWD) cars in 1978, but were redesignated to G when the GM A platform (FWD) was introduced in 1982.

In 1988, most G-bodies were moved to the new front wheel drive GM W platform, although the Pontiac Bonneville moved to the H-body. GM later used the GM G platform (FWD) designation for unrelated full-sized cars.

The G-body designation was originally used for 1969-1972 Pontiac Grand Prix and 1970-1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo personal luxury coupes. Between 1973 and 1981 the coupes with formal rooflines were designated as A-Special and after 1982 dubbed as the G-Special. These Specials included Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Buick Regal two door models.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_G_platform_(RWD)

[jackfrost]

so, an update... but no pics yet.

last night I finished stripping the driver door and quarters. and... I think my driver door is toast. it looks like someone used a grinder to block it down at some point, and there are some nice rust holes in the skin. not to mention dozens of little dings and waves.

but i'm officially done removing things. no more seam sealer, no more paint. my wife is out of town, so I anticipate lots of work this weekend patching holes. i'd also like to lay down some epoxy on the body shell to not worry about surface rust.

i've also fully welded the seams from the floor pan to the rockers and to the firewall.

[zman1969]

wish you northerners would contact us down south when you want a project to start with- you could pick up a clean shell here for 500-1500$ and take it home and have so little rust to deal with. my 69 needed rear floors, trunk pan and outer wheelhouses replaced not bad for 40 years old - man I grew up in Chicago and I dont miss the rust!!!!! good luck with your car -how big of tires can you fit now?

[ProTouring442]

well, you're sorta right and sorta wrong.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_G_platform_(RWD)

Hmmm... except of course that it forgets the 70-72 Cutlass Supreme which used the same formal roof body as the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix, but on a standard wheelbase frame instead of the 4-door frame used by the latter two.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[jackfrost]

just a couple of cell phone pics - just doing one patch at a time:

[CRCRFT78]

Looking good.