I am going to start the restoration on my 1951 convertible in November. I am pretty confident in the frame/engine/mechanicals part of the restoration, so that is where I want to start. The problem is, the floors, the trunk, and the rockers are pretty rusted. should I get the rust fixed before I pull the body off the frame? Or is it okay to lift it off 'as is', and put it on a body cart? I'm leaving the rust repair, and body work to a professional
You can repair the floor either way. If the car is clean as in no rust!! then you can do it on the frame. If it's rusty, thenyou need to get it apart and cleaned up. That will take bracing the body with 1" tube across the doors top and bottom if the rockers are bad. across the body at the cowl and "B" pillar area and then a few across to keep everything square. Make sure you put the tubes in so you can work, it's really a pain to work around the tubes. I just put a complete floor pan in a 60 El Camino with out any problem, but I used lots of bracing. Tinbasher
Hey Charles, I'd strongly suggest that you brace the body, both fore and aft, as well as "X" it prior to removing it from the frame! Try to keep your brace placement out of the areas that will need cutout and repair, but if a body with much rust damage is removed from the frame without good bracing things get problematical quickly! Drop-tops are very prone to "tweeking" if not properly braced. Good luck, Swankey Devils C.C. "Hypocrisy is the Vaseline of social intercourse"
I would recommend doing as much metal work now before removing form the frame. This will enable you to align the doors, the gaps, and it will be much stronger when removed from the frame. If you try to put panels on after it is off, stuff could move just enough to make it a mess that would be really hard to fix and you have no references to align it to. Do some bracing in the door jambs before changin the rockers and floors, then reinforce even more before removing it form the frame.
I always pull the body. Make sure everything fits, and brace as mentioned, but make your braces removable. Just weld washers where needed, and on the braces. Use pre-existing holes as much as possible. I never weld bracing directly to the car. Make sure you brace this car well. Cross brace throught the passenger area, and brace from the cowl and windshield frame to the rear quarter inner structure. Then get a rotisserie and put it on that. The time you save restoring that one car is worth far more than you'll spend on the rotisserie. I just saw the last line, you said your taking it to a pro for the work. You should talk to him first.
i'd say, while it can be done both ways, the less expiernced should do the metal work, with the body on the frame, so you can be sure all the parts will line up at final assembly. as you gain expierence with more restos, you get a feel for short cuts , and easier ways to do things. with that car, id brace it , even on the frame. once its sqare and tight, take it off, and finalize the body work and paint it. skull
Here's a generic set of pics showing some bracing. I'm not affiliated with them at all. http://www.accessiblesystems.com/udb.php
I would first get the car on level ground sitting with all 4 tires aired up. Then get a replacement body mount kit and proceed to do your panel replacement while the body is still on on the frame. You can brace and remove the body later for underside detailing on a rotisserie once you complete panel replacement and know the body is square. There are many war stories on the tri-5 Chevy forums about cars that have all they're replacement metal welded in while off the frame that wind up being way out of wack once placed on the original chassis again. Also make note of the placement and number of body shims placed under the original body mount biscuits to help get you in the ball park upon body reassembly.
The Jalopy Journal
