I'm getting a few different opinion on this. I har a car hit this '64 T-Bird on the p***enger side from and warped and cracked the jack points. I had a few tell me it is not structural lart of the frame, and that I should be able to keep driving. I have never repaired a frame before. I'm debating whether I am going to cut out and weld a frame patch or try pulling this. Does the damage look extensive?
Need a side to side comparison to see the real extent of damage. That said, I drove a '62 Comet that had the INNER frame rail pushed over three inches with no problems. Not many frame shops are 1. going to have the dimensions on file to pull that out and 2. are going to warranty fifty year old-plus sheetmetal against tearing.
Yeah it is a unibody. I'd have to look into unibody frame repair, and most of what I have learned before was full frame. This is the "good side", this is what it is suspposed to look like. I can also say there is no body rust around the vehicle, the bondo slapped everywhere was filling in dents to hide an accident.
I recall these unibody cars as having a 'limited half-life', having been in the ch***is and wheel business for a number of years... However, on relocating to Canoga Park/Tarzana, Ca., this very model was often observed being driven around Hollywood Blvd. by successful young talent scouts, sporting chinchilla overcoats and wide brimmed porkpie hats, with a whole BEVY (maybe 5, 6...) of 'Actresses', highly made up, in full evening dress...and the T-Birds weren't even 'crouching'! It was a mystery to me... Only in L.A.
Drive it unless you aren't comfortable with the damage extent. It looks like someone took it over a curb more than once. My late wife, her OT Mercury Marquis had extensive frame rot behind the lower a-arm. That went to the s**** pile.
I am not a professional body/frame man but that doesn't look too bad to me. Its ugly, but with a unibody, you have the entire rest of the body/frame as one piece keeping it together. If it drives good, I wouldn't worry about it. I am sure we have all seen a lot worse traveling the roads for years. Just one guys opinion..
Personally I'd leave it be until you were ready to do a restoration. Simply because, once you start taking the fenders off to get to the pull points correctly, you're likely to be badly surprised to find rust where you didn't expect it. These are the largest unibody production cars made second to the 61-65 Lincolns. They're basically enormous Falcons and subject to much of the same rust issues. Do like Bachman Turner Ocerdrive and "let it ride" for now
As a frame man, I'd say fix it if it were mine. Metal has memory, the longer it stays like that the worse it will be to fix and the more it will cost. If it's in a stress area it will crack and fracture and move out from there. It looks pretty rough as far as metal condition is concerned which is another reason I'd have it fixed if you plan on restoring or keeping it. I've fixed much worse.
It has the look of being an extensive repair once you start on it. It will be a "where do we start, and where do we stop" fix. If you intend to keep it, get started on the fix pretty quickly, and start on this corner. From pictures, its hard to tell if the body will hold together as its pulled back. If it does, great, if it doesn't, you will have a lot of panel replacement in your future. Gene
Is my memory failing, and my question is not quite on topic, but are the front fenders welded to the aprons on these?
The front fenders are removable, but the wheel wells or "inner fenders" are welded. I have to cut them out to peform patch repair.
Thats a hard hit. I would get that on a frame rack immediatly. Maybe need to cut the mangled section out when pulling it then weld in a section from a clean donor's floor.
The Jalopy Journal
