hey guys im trying to make up my mind on my frame should i replace the whole thing this would make the car go on the road faster but i would have to do alot of tranfering or should i wait till september to bring my frame into school and get the whole thing rewelded. another key point if i do a full frame swap i can use my teachers houst instead of taking the body off with 2 jacks and some wood also i could get the car back together for next summer with the frame swap.......
i would say frame swap if you find a good one, and also for the fact that as you are transfering stuff over you can get new pieces such as all new brake and fuel lines, and any rubber body mounts and stuff. You can also run all your lines easier without the body in your way. And, you can make it all pretty!!!LOL
One warning. If you do go the frame swap route, I can almost guarantee a whole lot of extra expense you didn't allow for. It will be the "well, since it's apart now, I might as well do this and this......." and soon enough it turns into a serious resto project.
However, it's certainly a lot better repair than patching.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Let me give you some fatherly advice. I don't think you want to be repairing this car your entire life, you'd rather be driving it. To be honest I never understood the concept of taking 4 or 6 or 10 years to get a car on the road. I don't even get having a dozen cars that don't run lying around. So on that basis patch it up as best you can so it can be properly saftied and drive it. One day you will have a career and good income then you can do whatever you want with a better starting base. Don't waste a lot of time and money on this car.
Depends on your perspective. In this case I think Ray's advice is very good - get it on the road and use it. Once you tear it apart it may be apart for years and there's not much enjoyment in that.
But I'm not completely aligned with Ray on another point. I appreciate that some people are quite happy to have one car they really like (that's what my wife wishes for me just so we wouldn't have so much stuff), and in a way I envy that. But for those of us who have diverse interests one car won't cut it.
In fact I would say that despite all of the nice cars I do have, every one is a compromise - the closest I could get at the time to what I really wanted, but either couldn't find, or couldn't afford. So I'll probably always be looking for something else. And I'll likely have more than one car until the state tells me I'm no longer fit to drive - which I hope won't be for many, many years.
Depends on your perspective. In this case I think Ray's advice is very good - get it on the road and use it. Once you tear it apart it may be apart for years and there's not much enjoyment in that.
But I'm not completely aligned with Ray on another point. I appreciate that some people are quite happy to have one car they really like (that's what my wife wishes for me just so we wouldn't have so much stuff), and in a way I envy that. But for those of us who have diverse interests one car won't cut it.
In fact I would say that despite all of the nice cars I do have, every one is a compromise - the closest I could get at the time to what I really wanted, but either couldn't find, or couldn't afford. So I'll probably always be looking for something else. And I'll likely have more than one car until the state tells me I'm no longer fit to drive - which I hope won't be for many, many years.
Agreed. For me, a long term project car is therapy. I love to spend my evenings in the garage. Some guys like old cars but just want to drive them. That is fine. We each look at the old car hobby from a different angle.
I'm not a TV guy. Later evening, computer time but I like to try to accomplish at least some small thing pretty much every evening if there is time.
A car needing frame repair will likely end up being long term, for sure.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Let me give you some fatherly advice. I don't think you want to be repairing this car your entire life, you'd rather be driving it. To be honest I never understood the concept of taking 4 or 6 or 10 years to get a car on the road. I don't even get having a dozen cars that don't run lying around. So on that basis patch it up as best you can so it can be properly saftied and drive it. One day you will have a career and good income then you can do whatever you want with a better starting base. Don't waste a lot of time and money on this car.
Let me give you some fatherly advice. I don't think you want to be repairing this car your entire life, you'd rather be driving it. To be honest I never understood the concept of taking 4 or 6 or 10 years to get a car on the road. I don't even get having a dozen cars that don't run lying around. So on that basis patch it up as best you can so it can be properly saftied and drive it. One day you will have a career and good income then you can do whatever you want with a better starting base. Don't waste a lot of time and money on this car.
I agree, time, circumstances change. Sometimes what you can buy a decent car for, can be a lot less doing the job, you are wanting to do. Been down the road you are thinking of travelling, it sure can have a lot of twist, turns and yes some dead ends.
Jonathan, I would really have to agree with Ray (73SC). When I was your age, I dreamed about what my first 67 Chevelle was going to look like and how it needed to be restored. In the end, I dropped in a 300hp 350 with a turbo 350 and 3200 high stall. For me at 16, this was plenty of car. The body was a little rusty and I had to patch the trunk to keep the gravel road dust out but I had more fun with that old malibu than any other car I have owned and it was not pretty. Don't worry about how it looks. Make the car mechanically sound, so it passes safety, and then have fun. The pretty cars will come to you in the years ahead.
Every once in a while I see a full size Chevy or Pontiac (usually 4 dr) that has a solid frame but not much potential for restoration. So, my question is, which full size frames might be worth bringing north for resale to a CP owner needing a good frame for his car.
