Hinge pillar replacement.

[john87442]

So I have the typical of T-top rust from leaking over the years and wanted to replace the hinge pillar along with the A pillar, have torn everything down yet to see just how bad everything is but I'm sure I'm in for a treat. I have been looking around and so far cannot find new Sheetmetal replacement for the 1987 442, any recommendations?The next thought was from a junk yard out west but I would really prefer new stuff. As always thanks in advance.

 

[CopperNick]

Until you get the door off and the paint and associated crud stripped off the A-pillar you won't really know how deep the cancer has gone. The elephant here is that unlike body and floor panels, structural stuff is limited in terms of both availability and variety. An old school repair shop would likely go looking for a donor pillar assembly and harvest what is needed from that.

You don't specifically mention which side, drvr or pass, is being renovated but if you elect to source your replacement from a southern/western yard, make sure they give you not only the immediate pillar but a good chunk of the adjacent firewall and lower rocker panel/floorboard as well.

Having that extra material available to you could prove invaluable to you in the event that the damage is more extensive that first believed and extends further into the adjacent areas than thought. The additional sheet metal might bump the price, or not. Depends on how fast the yard guy can cut it out and not having to get intimate with tight spots makes them happier and the job faster and smoother so the cost could prove cheaper. Oh yeah, do not forget that there is a body mount under that A pillar and it would be nice to get that pocket intact along with the lover fender mounting clip pocket that is spot welded to the firewall flange. Got pictures of all this somewhere, or ask cause my passengers side on My Monte is exposed so I can take a shot of two of it as a reference if needed.

The other thing here is that it can be a whole lot easier to mate and match the larger repair section as a unit and graft it into place than trying to dissect it for just the panels and bits most needed. Using it as a complete unit makes aligning it for the install a lot simpler and lets you use the body mount as an alignment guide into the deal



Nick

 

[john87442]

so here are a couple pics of the rust. not sure what else ill see once i get into it. good advise about getting more then just the pillar. thanks.
Both sides seeing rust but drivers side is much worse.

 

[CopperNick]

Okay, what your picture seems to show is a situation that I have dealt with myself. Thing to appreciate here is that at that point in the pillar there are multiple layers of metal that come together in a combined stack. To effectively evaluate your degree of damage, both the door and the dash have to be removed. The dash in particular has to come out in order to learn if there has been any rust damage or deterioration on the firewall behind it. There is a specific post this subject that another member posted just in the last few days. It is detailed enough that it should give you some idea of the amount of work needed to dismount the dash from its attachment points. Since it seems inevitable that you will have to deal with both pillars to one degree or another. getting it out of the road is an important first step just to protect it from damage if nothing else.

With both the dash and door out of the way, you might find, once you have made it down to bare metal, that your repair job might be easier to accomplish than you presently believe. However, not making book at my end on that probability and with the dash out you can get a better appreciation for any damage that the cabin floor toe boards have suffered.

For anything that you do or undo, take plenty of pictures and if possible print them to hard copy jic your phone or camera gets lost or broken. If the time line for your project gets prolonged for any reason, having pictures with plenty of detail in them will be of great benefit to you during the re-assembly phase. Hit the supermarket and buy a few boxes of Baggies and a black marker; bag and tag ALL the small bits and pieces and bolts with plenty of notes as to what came from where. Even if the bolts and screws are rusted junk, they are also still samples for sourcing and acquiring replacements.


Nick

 

[john87442]

Thanks Nick I’m taking this down to the frame, rebuilding a 1969 350 for it also. Like the baggie idea. Just getting started with this project and I’m sure there’s plenty more to come with questions

 

[CopperNick]

Questions are always welcome; just be aware that you may not like the answers. Good clean crisp pictures of the problem or damage are great; making diagnosis and suggestions a little easier to do.




Nick

 

[ck80]

The more rust damage you have, and based on those pillars it sounds like a lot, the more you might think about tack welding some cross bracing in before removing the body from the frame. Gbodies are kinds flimsy everywhere without rust damage letting them flex even more.

 

[CopperNick]

+1. The bracing would also keep the floor and remaining pillars aligned to each other should you find that it will be simpler to cut away the entire post and replace it with a donor unit. Bracing in all three dimensions, front to back, side to side, and diagonal would be the best insurance that all that metal stays more or less where it ought to be.


Nick