how hard is it to take off the front quarter panels and everything from the firewall forward in order to do some suspesion work, put in a new 455 in place of the old 350, possibly change to disk brakes int he front and do some inner fender work on my 70 skylark. what exactly is involved in this.....?? thanks, charlie
Easy to take it apart but much more difficult to fix everything and put it back together. If you have never done anything like that I would advise you not to do it by yourself.
Had the same question for my friends when I first bought my '71 Skylark. Learned a lot watching others & listening to some pretty sound advice. Step # 1 - take a lot of pics. These can be invaluable when time to reassemble. Ask a lot of questions...folks here seem to be able to help no matter what the problem. Someone here has always done it twice before. Step # 2 - get lots of baggies with some type of labelling system. Mark down every piece location, keep them stowed safely.The parts will more than fill a garage! No matter how bent/twisted/broken it may appear, don't throw it out until you have a replacement installed & are completely done. Step # 3 - expect the worst on every nut/bolt you have to turn. Age plays havoc with steel parts exposed to the weather.Wait until you get a caged nut that has a broken cage. Penetrating oil soak everything well before you start. Step # 4 - whatever you might allow for time to do this - double or triple it! Step # 5 - the rest is just like a big Mechano set you might have had as a kid. Start with the bumper & hood, you'll need a hand or two with these heavy pieces. Step # 6 MOST IMPORTANTLY what ever the cost- get your buddies to zip up the old "pie-hole" & plead absolute insanity when $$ are discussed in front of the Mrs.. This is part of "The Code".. Good fillers here are " free", "he was going to trash it","I traded for your hair dryer"! he got himself a new one & didn't need it",
hey guys thanks a lot for the info! this is more than probably a dumb question ...but is there any welding involved in taking off the front body etc? if so, what kind and how much, and what skill level is involved? thanks for the info
No welding and the front has fenders and the back has quarters. There is a lot of bushing work that requires care in using a press . Get someone else to do it. There is also a lot of careful torque work on bolts and nuts that require you to be able to read and understand drawings in an assembly manual.
^^^^^ Important point. You should really invest in an assembly manual if you don't already have one. I also have been shooting a lot of video as I go so I can get different angles and can decribe important details that I'm sure to forget by the time reassembly comes. I've already referred to the video several times and have found myself describing details on tape that I had already forgotten! I highly recommend a video camera, if you have one. Borrow one, if you don't.
