G Body Frame question

[tiorunder]

My Frame on my '80 Malibu 2 door Hard top is getting crispier as we speak. I am a bodyman and I know better than to try to patch it up. I have access to an excellent '82 Malibu WAGON Frame. The wheelbase, I believe, is the same. Does anybody here know if I can swap the wagon frame for the rusty one? Are they the same????

Thank you very much.

 

[Phoenyx]

Nope, from what I have heard there are basically 3 types of gbody frames. Wagon, ElCamino, and everything else.

 

[Blake442]

You are correct in that the wheelbase is the same, but the wagons have a different left rear frame rail to accomodate the side-fill gas tank.
You could make it work, but it'd be less work to find a normal 2 or 4 door frame.

How bad is your current frame? If it's just the typical rear frame rail rot, you could always just section in a clean set of junkyard rails. There's a guy on eBay in Cali that has them up all the time. There is also a fellow up in Canada that makes new ones.
Or you can just back-half the car!
That's why the previous owners of my friends 'bu tubbed the car... the rear bumper fell off... :lol:

I'm a bodyman as well, and I've patched and sectioned several frames...

 

[joe_padavano]

Nope, from what I have heard there are basically 3 types of gbody frames. Wagon, ElCamino, and everything else.

Correct. The Elco has a unique 119" wheelbase. The wagons have the same 108" wheelbase as the sedans, but the rear frame rails and rear body mounts are different.

 

[tiorunder]

Hey! thank you both for the info and here is one more question. What other frames are a direct swap and what years? Are we talking Regal, Cutlass, Monte Carlo, 2 and 4 door frames between '78 and '83 ??

Thanks again

 

[adumb]

i believe it would be 78 - 88 monte malibu grand prix regal cutlass any, 2 or 4 door

 

[GP403]

don't forget the change in '82(?) with the extra c-member mount locations...

 

[tiorunder]

What change would that be??

 

[maliburacinfreak]

i beleive the front frame horns are a bit longer on some 81-up cars, GPs and montes i think.

 

[Phoenyx]

I know for sure that some have different front frame horns, but I'm not sure on what models/years.