Vert frame under a hardtop, whats involved? I have a damaged frame (possiby bent) under my 71 skylark at the moment. What would be involved in putting a boxed vert frame under it instead? ie: Are all the body mounts in the same location? or would i have to cut/drill/modify to plop the body on top.... What kind of a weight difference are we talking here? Any other important things i may need to know... I found a frame for cheaper than the repair, and just weighing my options here. EDIT: Suspension upgrades will be in order for the car as well, with funds pending. It will be headed towards a "pro-touring" or "streetmachine" route. Are there swap issues with suspension peices? ie: convertible only, or hardtop only peices that wont interchange. Thanks for any help.
your boxed will be better and all the same ....the only thing I'm not sure is that cross member might be differ size ...o No: somebody will chime in on that boxed frame is always preferred bcs its structurally stronger
I thought the late 60's to early 70's frames were all boxed, only the mid 60's A bodies were diff between 'vert and HT cars? I'm sure an expert will tell us...
hehe, i was hoping that would be you guys :laugh: But no, the hardtops were definately not boxed. Atleast in 70-72. (ive only owned 71 hardtops so i guess i cant speak for the 60s.) Im definately liking the idea of boxed being stronger, but i dont want to run into issues with "convertible only" parts later down the line. motor mounts, body mount, gas tank, bumpers, etc etc etc. I hope everything is interchangeable. When you say crossmember, do you mean the tranny or the engine crossmember?
Not too worried about the tranny crossmember. Might have to be custom with what i have goin in there anyway. Also a quick search on jegs for suspension kits showed no specifications for verts or hardtops only. Just for engine weight and aluminum heads etc.... Guessing thats for spring weights. I think im gonna move on this frame deal. Thanks for the reply rex.:TU:
No problem putting the boxed frame on under the car, everything will interchange suspension wise. GS's had boxed convertible frames under them until 1967. 1968 GS cars had standard framed under the coupes.
Weight difference is minimal...you are only talking about the filler to make the C-channel boxed...maybe 30 lbs. When you do the swap, you will need to use the convert/boxed frame trans x-mbr. You will also need to order all new fuel and brake lines from front to back since they will not be inside the frame rail but on the frame rail.
Thanks George thats helpful. 30 lbs is peanuts, not too worried about that. Brake and fuel lines are also not a concern, since the ones on my car now are shot anyways, and i would have had to replace them anyway. Im gonna go check out the frame this weekend, it looks decent. Cant be $200. Thats something like 160 USD with exchange rate nowadays.
Non rotted convert frames around here are about 1500 bucks. And they're hard to come across. Regular hardtop frames are plentifum and cheap. You said your frame is damaged. How bad is bad? In most cases, a frame machine can bend it back into shape relatively easily. Its been a while since Ive priced it out, but I cant see it being any more than $700 or so for a few tugs. Mike Garrison might have a better idea on costs involved. The frame and body on my 71 was bent when I bought the car. I didnt notice the buckle on the roof or the fact that the front section of the frame was making a right hand turn. They bent it back perfectly and all the dimensions were right on afterwards. Just some food for thought before you undertake a frame swap.
Yea my freind keeps telling me to get it fixed... He has a bodyman that just does little jobs, and is really good to him for pricing. If i cant find a frame, ill just get it fixed. The damage is a hole about the size of an apple or a tennis ball. It looks like an impact hole, like the guy pulled a dukes of hazard and crashed on a rock. the frame on that side of the car is slightly higher than the other. Plus im sure theres a bit of rot round the fuel tank section of the frame as well (seems to be common). In any case, i know the frames go for around 1500 which is why i was surprised to find this one. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.... He told me the frame is rotten in the back.... Oh well. There is one more frame i have access to for 1200, but the catch is it comes with a cutlass on top. I dont have room for the car and dont wanna be responsible for crushing the car, which is why im avoiding that one.
Typically whaty happens is over time, sand and salt deposit inside the boxed rails. Once the sand and debris get in there, it stays wet all the time eventually rotting away the rails from the inside out.
You could special order a GTO hardtop with a heavy duty frame (convertible frame)as an option all the way up to 72. I would guess you could order it in any a body... its a bolt in and the trans crossmember is special to a convertible. I believe the cross members are re popped for the chevelles..really stiffens the chassie up and makes them pretty sold drivers.
