Frame off advice

[sinistral_leo]

Hey Guys,
So I am at a fork in the road as far as my resto goes.

Do I put the body on before my engine comes back from the engine shop, then fuddle with the install on my back.

OR

Wait for the engine to come in, drop it in the frame with the body still off, then after everything is done (exhaust, fuel) drop the body on.

My body is currently dangling in my garage. I still have to replace the rear quarters, repin and fix rot o the doors, do an interior, wire the whole car. and I can't do any of it with the body resting on a 4X4 and a engine hoist...

Thanks in advance.

 

[melloelky]

Hey Guys,
So I am at a fork in the road as far as my resto goes.

Do I put the body on before my engine comes back from the engine shop, then fuddle with the install on my back.

OR

Wait for the engine to come in, drop it in the frame with the body still off, then after everything is done (exhaust, fuel) drop the body on.

My body is currently dangling in my garage. I still have to replace the rear quarters, repin and fix rot o the doors, do an interior, wire the whole car. and I can't do any of it with the body resting on a 4X4 and a engine hoist...

Thanks in advance.

you kinda answered your own ?'s with this one.you don't want to do much of that work with the body in the air.it's best to do any work that involves panel changing like a1/4 with it resting on the chassis.you can change it in the air sure but you would want to make the final fitment with it bolted up to meet the doors etc to get the final lines all squared up with the rest of the panels before you start welding.i wired my car and am doing the interior now with it on stands and it's a pain.you wouldn't be able to finish the wiring on the hoist because it's not near the engine battery etc.you don't want to build the exhaust without the body in place because you won't know where the body's gonna land in relation to the exhaust once its dropped back on. your list of things to do with the body looks a lot bigger then the list with the engine.I'd say put the body on and get going on all that work until the engine shows up.no sense in waiting around to put the engine in and then start working on the body.put the body on and start on the bodywork,wiring and interior they are gonna take a lot more time than putting a motor in and making an exhaust.look at it this way,with the body on the frame it will kinda dictate where and how things are gonna be routed etc.

 

[sinistral_leo]

Yeah, I kinda did answer my own questions, and I did this today...

 

[melloelky]

progress,it's what's for dinner.nice

 

[bukweet]

Now, start your bodywork but leave the front off of it until the engine is in.
There is a lot you can do on the back half and it will still be a lot easier to do the engine install with no fenders to lean over.

JMHO


8)
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