A-Body Frame/Body Jig

[CFD244]

when I have it up on jacks, completely gutted (no engine, transmission, k-frame or interior, that the drivers side frame rail is off the jack by about 1/2 inch. Doors, trunk and hood open and close fine

Exact same situation with my 340 Demon. I have 1/4 inch.

 

[Cuda416]

Thanks for all the pics. That gives me a lot of ideas. The best idea is to bring my car to your shop for the frame rail replacements. Too bad you're so far away. The next idea is to use the bumper bolt holes to locate the rear of the rear rails and the front of the front clip. I'll have to study my car to see about the mid supports. My car is straight and doesn't appear to have ever been in a wreck so I can probably verify and get good original measurements. I'm close to an Alro Metal Supply outlet and the generally have good tubing cutoffs that they sell by the pound. I don't think I want to spend for I beams since this is probably for this car and maybe one other. I don't ever plan to do this for anyone other than myself and maybe a friend or one of my sons. I think maybe a truss structure like you have under that first Duster would be the way for me to go. I'm assuming I'll need to do a full trunk pan with the rear rail replacement but I'm hoping to save the front floors. I'll have to drill a lot of spotwelds I guess.

One thing I would need to consider is how to get the body up on a jig and back off of it since I don't have a lift.

A stripped A-Body is not that heavy. Two engine hoists would easily do the job.

 

[DC 340]

A question I have for all the "former drips under pressure" is how much frame rail/body twist is tolerable for an a-body street car. My 67 Barracuda vert was tagged pretty good in the passenger side before I inherited it. I had the frame "straightened" at a shop, but I notice that when I have it up on jacks, completely gutted (no engine, transmission, k-frame or interior, that the drivers side frame rail is off the jack by about 1/2 inch. Doors, trunk and hood open and close fine, but before I weld in frame connectors I want to know if further adjustment is needed.

That would be your call for sure. I think that is a tough question. Are you able to visually detect that "twist" in the unibody structure when comparing levelness of rear of car compared to front? On front end alignment, can or does it fall within spec? Are door gaps visually acceptable? If all that says OK it may not be worth the effort to fix IMO.