body fix
#1
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
body fix
to continue with my current delema of not having a drivable body....
my rear axel is shifted over about two inches. what are the chances of fixing this???
it is an '80 body, with '81 rear disk brakes, suspension, and limited slip differential.......
my rear axel is shifted over about two inches. what are the chances of fixing this???
it is an '80 body, with '81 rear disk brakes, suspension, and limited slip differential.......
#3
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
i am not sure.. i have not been able to get it up on anything yet, to crawl under and look.
situation that i know so far is that the car is kinda 'c'ed. on passenger side front and rear ends, the frame is bent in a bit.. this causes most of the body to not allign, i.e. hood, lights, and drivers side door cannot open.. i think that if the body is straightened out, all will pop back into place.
all i can tell, at this point, about the rear axel is that from the outside you can visually see that it is over. but my guess is that the control arms are alright, but that becaue the frame is bent, the mounting points are probably ofset with it.
situation that i know so far is that the car is kinda 'c'ed. on passenger side front and rear ends, the frame is bent in a bit.. this causes most of the body to not allign, i.e. hood, lights, and drivers side door cannot open.. i think that if the body is straightened out, all will pop back into place.
all i can tell, at this point, about the rear axel is that from the outside you can visually see that it is over. but my guess is that the control arms are alright, but that becaue the frame is bent, the mounting points are probably ofset with it.
#4
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Location: Ft. Worth, Texas, US
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If you have a Haynes (Blue) Manual on page 244 is the Body Checking dimensions chart. Get under the car and take some measurements, you’ll know pretty quick how far out you are.
Thought you were going to find a new carcass to put you driveline in.
Thought you were going to find a new carcass to put you driveline in.
#5
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
i am still looking into that option. my first choich, if my budget allows, would be to reserect this one.. there are a few things done to this body, and interior, that i really like and would like to keep if possible...
i will grab a friends jack stands, and measure things today or tomorrow.. is there a specific point of no return here that i should be concerned with??
i will grab a friends jack stands, and measure things today or tomorrow.. is there a specific point of no return here that i should be concerned with??
#6
8krpm is not enough
yeah, take all measurements with your wallet
once you take a peek under there, and get some measurments, goto a body shop or 12 and get some opinions and quick and dirty ball park estimates. That'll be the easiest way to figure out if you can afford to fix it or if it's definatly time for a new body.
just my .02,
-- mister insomnia.
(t minus 7 hours until I gotta go to work, and i've been up since 7am. argh.)
once you take a peek under there, and get some measurments, goto a body shop or 12 and get some opinions and quick and dirty ball park estimates. That'll be the easiest way to figure out if you can afford to fix it or if it's definatly time for a new body.
just my .02,
-- mister insomnia.
(t minus 7 hours until I gotta go to work, and i've been up since 7am. argh.)
#7
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
okay, here is one other question that i forgot about..
assuming that i can find a way to get some juice in the battery, or push start it, do you think that it would be cautiously drivable with the rear axle out as i am describing??
as in well enough to get it to a body shop or two, and then back to my place (so that i donot have to find a trailer or pay for a tow truck)
assuming that i can find a way to get some juice in the battery, or push start it, do you think that it would be cautiously drivable with the rear axle out as i am describing??
as in well enough to get it to a body shop or two, and then back to my place (so that i donot have to find a trailer or pay for a tow truck)
Last edited by riffraff; 08-09-01 at 03:54 PM.
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#8
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
so i just got back from looking at my car.. the only thing that i could notice under it was that the sway bar was bent down on the passenger side....
#9
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Originally posted by riffraff
okay, here is one other question that i forgot about..
assuming that i can find a way to get some juice in the battery, or push start it, do you think that it would be cautiously drivable with the rear axle out as i am describing??
okay, here is one other question that i forgot about..
assuming that i can find a way to get some juice in the battery, or push start it, do you think that it would be cautiously drivable with the rear axle out as i am describing??
Also if the dimensions are different you have bent the car, dependent on how far you bent it a body shop may be able to straighten it out on a frame machine.
#10
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
os far as driving the car goes.. i drove it a matter of 20 yards or so in a straight line, to a place easy for the tow truck to grab it, and from the side of the street to the sidewalk, where it was dropped of at.. that is all..
also, the weld next to the muffler seems to be split, and hanging down. that was not something that i noticed before hand.
also, the weld next to the muffler seems to be split, and hanging down. that was not something that i noticed before hand.
#12
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
i keep forgeting to bring a camera when i go down to the car (it is not at my place). it cannot be much more than a couple miles from the body shop... i figure it is probably safe, just need to find a time to do it, when i can have someone follow me; just in case..
i still want to bring it down, kinda out of curiosity, but it is looking like i am going to have to rebuild. i am trying to get into contact with a few people who i know have series one bodies, that they donot want. i just need to check them out first to make sure that i have a reasonable body to work with here.
i still want to bring it down, kinda out of curiosity, but it is looking like i am going to have to rebuild. i am trying to get into contact with a few people who i know have series one bodies, that they donot want. i just need to check them out first to make sure that i have a reasonable body to work with here.
#13
hey riffraff,
when i wrecked my gslse, the prices quoted to fix it were WAY too high for my budget. instead, i found an 82 in excellent shape inside and out(garaged for 10 years), for $750. that may be cheaper than most body work. then pick and piece a whole car from the 2, and you'll still have a ton of spare parts. heck, you'd probably be able to sell some of the parts here to get your $750 back! lots of folks neglect their rotaries(it's sad, isn't it?) and have nice looking , nonrunning sevens. it's just a matter of finding them. good luck to you with the repair/resurrection!
when i wrecked my gslse, the prices quoted to fix it were WAY too high for my budget. instead, i found an 82 in excellent shape inside and out(garaged for 10 years), for $750. that may be cheaper than most body work. then pick and piece a whole car from the 2, and you'll still have a ton of spare parts. heck, you'd probably be able to sell some of the parts here to get your $750 back! lots of folks neglect their rotaries(it's sad, isn't it?) and have nice looking , nonrunning sevens. it's just a matter of finding them. good luck to you with the repair/resurrection!
#14
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
Originally posted by rotorhead
hey riffraff,
when i wrecked my gslse, the prices quoted to fix it were WAY too high for my budget. instead, i found an 82 in excellent shape inside and out(garaged for 10 years), for $750. that may be cheaper than most body work. then pick and piece a whole car from the 2, and you'll still have a ton of spare parts. heck, you'd probably be able to sell some of the parts here to get your $750 back! lots of folks neglect their rotaries(it's sad, isn't it?) and have nice looking , nonrunning sevens. it's just a matter of finding them. good luck to you with the repair/resurrection!
hey riffraff,
when i wrecked my gslse, the prices quoted to fix it were WAY too high for my budget. instead, i found an 82 in excellent shape inside and out(garaged for 10 years), for $750. that may be cheaper than most body work. then pick and piece a whole car from the 2, and you'll still have a ton of spare parts. heck, you'd probably be able to sell some of the parts here to get your $750 back! lots of folks neglect their rotaries(it's sad, isn't it?) and have nice looking , nonrunning sevens. it's just a matter of finding them. good luck to you with the repair/resurrection!
out of curiosity, how long did it take you to do yours? my plans right now are to only be around for a month, and then try to finish out the year abroad. hopefully this will be enough time to mix and match the interior, and swap the drive line.....
#15
i ended up waiting too long to swap the engines, so my 13b locked up. unfortunately, i didn't know about the ATF treatment to unstick the engine and i lost a ported 13b because of it. but i found a running engine from a wrecked car, all accessories (AC too!) for $800 and took 2-3 days to install. as far as swapping the interior, i'm sure you could strip and reinstall the whole thing in a day, even if you take your time. swapping stuff on sevens is pretty easy just try to finish it on a day with a good lightning storm. that way you could stand on top of it in an old lab coat screaming "it's alive!......ALIVE!!!". bonus points if your shop assisstant is named igor.:p
#16
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
well, lightning does not usually strike here, but i will be sure to call my friend igor when we are finished..
i didnot realise that it would be that easy to swap the dash and carpet.. figure the consols and doors would be easy enough, but...
how long did you have your engine sitting around before you swapped it.. i am just woundering if i should be concerned..
the plan is to, if this is how i go about it, to swap the interior, sterio, and all the goodies first. and have a the car complete as i want it before touching the drive line..
i will probably order a new exhaust soon too, so that i can to the obligitory mods at the same time...
i cannot wait to get the seven back on the road again. . and hopefully it will be running better after than before...
i didnot realise that it would be that easy to swap the dash and carpet.. figure the consols and doors would be easy enough, but...
how long did you have your engine sitting around before you swapped it.. i am just woundering if i should be concerned..
the plan is to, if this is how i go about it, to swap the interior, sterio, and all the goodies first. and have a the car complete as i want it before touching the drive line..
i will probably order a new exhaust soon too, so that i can to the obligitory mods at the same time...
i cannot wait to get the seven back on the road again. . and hopefully it will be running better after than before...
#17
you're swapping the dash, too? that might take as long as the rest of the interior. the carpet is really easy, just make sure you have or borrow a cordless drill. it'll make everything SO much faster and easier. if your engine is able to be started and run (in the current car) until warm, i'd leave it in there until you're ready to swap. that way, if it takes longer than you plan, you could still start it once a week to keep the internals lubed.
#18
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
i donot know if i will replace the dash.. that all depends on the condition of the one in the new body.
my engine runs fine, as far as i can tell, at this point. i was planning on that being the last swap.. however, only one problem to starting it every so often. battery is dead. and because my front is misaligned on my current body, i cannot open the hood. thus i cannot just start it.. any ideas on that problem.
my engine runs fine, as far as i can tell, at this point. i was planning on that being the last swap.. however, only one problem to starting it every so often. battery is dead. and because my front is misaligned on my current body, i cannot open the hood. thus i cannot just start it.. any ideas on that problem.
#21
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
Originally posted by JIMMY54
What about push starting it? That's the easiest way since you can't open the hood.
What about push starting it? That's the easiest way since you can't open the hood.
#23
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
Originally posted by P.O.S. Racing
Riffraff, How much are you figuring a body shop is going to charge to fix your car?
Riffraff, How much are you figuring a body shop is going to charge to fix your car?
#24
push starting a seven is no prob, i did it in my old 79 for a month before i saved enough to fix the starter. you don't even need a hill. just get her rolling, hop in , and pop the clutch in 2nd gear.
#25
smog nazi destroyer
Thread Starter
i will go ahead and make sure and get the engine running today or tomorrow.. the last thing that i want at this point is a ceasd engine on top of the body damage.
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