BUILD THREAD Rustier then I thought!!!

[abbey castro]

IF you are going to tackle this major project I suggest to get the floor pans about 175ea side. Cut out the old floor and weld the new one in (you don't have to brace the body for flex like you would have to if you removed from the the frame 1st). After welding then remove the frame and blast everything from the bottom up. All of this IF you want to do a good nice frame off job. If not, tar 3/4in marine plywood, cut to fit and craig list it! I had a winter car in Detroit that the plywood worked great on the front floor pans, kept from putting the feet thru the floor and slush from coming in!

 

[ck80]

So I've been waiting to update until I got this completed. When I got the car the top had been stripped down and rattle canned. It had developed some surface rust. So before any research on how to do it, I decided to take it down to bare metal. I started with flapper disc,wire wheels etc.. I didn't know about how excess heat distorts metal,and bad. In short,I jacked the top up.( This fubar actually led me to this forum) Those are low spots. Some 1/2 in deep. View attachment 167553
After accepting my failure, I decided to fix the floor as practice to replace the roof. Also decided to never go in blind again. I now research and form a solid plan. They don't make hard top skins so I searched for a parts car. I found a rusted out 85 with a good roof for 500$. It came with spare qtrs,rockers, 8.8 with trick chassis kit. After stripping the car of any value, I cut the top off at the pillars about 12 in down. I went to oreillys for brake pads but found some stripper that had methylene chloride in it. So I bought it and used it on the top.View attachment 167554
Then I started removing the the skin off my car,very carefully. I wanted to see how it was attached so I removed it like I was saving it. Spot weld cutters for the spot welds and a cutoff wheel for the beads. I used a semi worn down grinding stone to remove the drip rail roof metal until it was free from the car.View attachment 167555
I sanded everything smooth at all the mounting points. Then I broke out the clean n strip wheels. There was a bit of pitting(no holes after poking around) on the driver front windshield area after stripping. So I treated with ospho prior to paint. I just used the rustoleum professional paint. View attachment 167558
At that point I start on the replacement skin. I used big drill bits to drill thru the spot welds. Some had to be wollered out and beat with seam splitters. There are welds to deal with at all the pillars. I just cut it on the topside off the weld. You can see the first cut isn't enough. So I just moved up until I seen the space between the 2 pieces. Repeat on all 4 corners. There's a wad of welds on the b pillar. I cut it just above the welds, don't cut above the indention and you'll be able to weld it up like they did.View attachment 167559
Then I marked all the spot welds on the drip rail and drilled 1/8" holes all the way through. The spot welds are 3/8" long so I shot for the middle. I cut off the outside edge with my cutoff wheel. Leaving a place to get my seam splitters (actually used a 5 way knife since the splitters were too big) in between the panels.View attachment 167574 I had to use a 36 grit roloc to grind away the support metal and leave the roof skin. With the oblong welds i didn't see another way. The name of the game is patience. Only got 1 shot. I also used a hacksaw blade to cut thru the foam that holds the skin to the supports. View attachment 167561
So now its loose but I need help to pick it up and set it on the car. So my sister helped me put the skin on the car. I did everything else alone but I wouldn't advise pick that floppy thing up alone. Once it was up there I started fitting it. Honestly it pretty much dropped into place. I had to bullpin the top middle qtr window holes and clamp it so they lined up. Before I removed the original top I took measurements from the top of the windshield to a fixed(and marked) point. Also the qtr and rear windows were measured. So I just broke out my book and made sure it matched. I put the qtr windows in to make sure it wasn't sitting to 1 side or the other.View attachment 167575Clamping it down along the way. It was alot of welding. Since I had to open the holes so much to remove, they were a PITA to plug weld up. Here to hold the metal tight, I drilled 1/8" holes and used small zip screws to hold it tight. I have clecos but this is better imo.View attachment 167563
The pass side had a small bit of rust on the window. So I just cut a section of window frame from the junk roof and grafted it in. Only removing whats absolutely necessary. View attachment 167565
View attachment 167564
The drip rail was tricky you need vice grips that'll fit down in the rail like the ones on the driver side rail in the picture below.View attachment 167569
Then go along spot welding your holes, but be careful not to blow through the bottom. If you don't get the metal tight it'll blow holes in the roof skin.View attachment 167570
I haven't decided exactly how to finish the pillar to roof seams. They were filled with lead but I'm not using it again. I've seen people fill it all with weld, cap it off with metal or a combo of both. I could use tiger hair or all metal. I'm gonna do a little research and decide later what to do. With my dad coming up from Florida,my sons basketball and having to be a part time teacher I haven't had alot of time to work on the car. My son goes back Monday unless they push it back again. So I'm hoping to put a few solid weeks in(brake and fuel lines, 8.8 install and disc brake and parking brake setup) before I go back to work full time.

You know, the good thing about having removed the old roof so carefully is you can save it as quality alloy strength and thickness patch panel metal to use elsewhere if you need a square or two.

 

[RabbitHoleSS]

IF you are going to tackle this major project I suggest to get the floor pans about 175ea side. Cut out the old floor and weld the new one in (you don't have to brace the body for flex like you would have to if you removed from the the frame 1st). After welding then remove the frame and blast everything from the bottom up. All of this IF you want to do a good nice frame off job. If not, tar 3/4in marine plywood, cut to fit and craig list it! I had a winter car in Detroit that the plywood worked great on the front floor pans, kept from putting the feet thru the floor and slush from coming in!

Thanks,Sound advice. But i already fixed the floor,wheelhouses, back seats,both #2,#5 and drivers #6 body mounts, the wheel arches,rear seat crossmember, driver door inner bottom,trunk floor and roof skin. Damn I think I've replaced as much metal as I've kept.

You know, the good thing about having removed the old roof so carefully is you can save it as quality alloy strength and thickness patch panel metal to use elsewhere if you need a square or two.

I've saved almost every scrap of metal for just that reason. I don't think I'll need anymore but I'm keeping the scraps for now, in case someone needs any patches.

 

[motorheadmike]

So I've been waiting to update until I got this completed. When I got the car the top had been stripped down and rattle canned. It had developed some surface rust. So before any research on how to do it, I decided to take it down to bare metal. I started with flapper disc,wire wheels etc.. I didn't know about how excess heat distorts metal,and bad. In short,I jacked the top up.( This fubar actually led me to this forum) Those are low spots. Some 1/2 in deep. View attachment 167553
After accepting my failure, I decided to fix the floor as practice to replace the roof. Also decided to never go in blind again. I now research and form a solid plan. They don't make hard top skins so I searched for a parts car. I found a rusted out 85 with a good roof for 500$. It came with spare qtrs,rockers, 8.8 with trick chassis kit. After stripping the car of any value, I cut the top off at the pillars about 12 in down. I went to oreillys for brake pads but found some stripper that had methylene chloride in it. So I bought it and used it on the top.View attachment 167554
Then I started removing the the skin off my car,very carefully. I wanted to see how it was attached so I removed it like I was saving it. Spot weld cutters for the spot welds and a cutoff wheel for the beads. I used a semi worn down grinding stone to remove the drip rail roof metal until it was free from the car.View attachment 167555
I sanded everything smooth at all the mounting points. Then I broke out the clean n strip wheels. There was a bit of pitting(no holes after poking around) on the driver front windshield area after stripping. So I treated with ospho prior to paint. I just used the rustoleum professional paint. View attachment 167558
At that point I start on the replacement skin. I used big drill bits to drill thru the spot welds. Some had to be wollered out and beat with seam splitters. There are welds to deal with at all the pillars. I just cut it on the topside off the weld. You can see the first cut isn't enough. So I just moved up until I seen the space between the 2 pieces. Repeat on all 4 corners. There's a wad of welds on the b pillar. I cut it just above the welds, don't cut above the indention and you'll be able to weld it up like they did.View attachment 167559
Then I marked all the spot welds on the drip rail and drilled 1/8" holes all the way through. The spot welds are 3/8" long so I shot for the middle. I cut off the outside edge with my cutoff wheel. Leaving a place to get my seam splitters (actually used a 5 way knife since the splitters were too big) in between the panels.View attachment 167574 I had to use a 36 grit roloc to grind away the support metal and leave the roof skin. With the oblong welds i didn't see another way. The name of the game is patience. Only got 1 shot. I also used a hacksaw blade to cut thru the foam that holds the skin to the supports. View attachment 167561
So now its loose but I need help to pick it up and set it on the car. So my sister helped me put the skin on the car. I did everything else alone but I wouldn't advise pick that floppy thing up alone. Once it was up there I started fitting it. Honestly it pretty much dropped into place. I had to bullpin the top middle qtr window holes and clamp it so they lined up. Before I removed the original top I took measurements from the top of the windshield to a fixed(and marked) point. Also the qtr and rear windows were measured. So I just broke out my book and made sure it matched. I put the qtr windows in to make sure it wasn't sitting to 1 side or the other.View attachment 167575Clamping it down along the way. It was alot of welding. Since I had to open the holes so much to remove, they were a PITA to plug weld up. Here to hold the metal tight, I drilled 1/8" holes and used small zip screws to hold it tight. I have clecos but this is better imo.View attachment 167563
The pass side had a small bit of rust on the window. So I just cut a section of window frame from the junk roof and grafted it in. Only removing whats absolutely necessary. View attachment 167565
View attachment 167564
The drip rail was tricky you need vice grips that'll fit down in the rail like the ones on the driver side rail in the picture below.View attachment 167569
Then go along spot welding your holes, but be careful not to blow through the bottom. If you don't get the metal tight it'll blow holes in the roof skin.View attachment 167570
I haven't decided exactly how to finish the pillar to roof seams. They were filled with lead but I'm not using it again. I've seen people fill it all with weld, cap it off with metal or a combo of both. I could use tiger hair or all metal. I'm gonna do a little research and decide later what to do. With my dad coming up from Florida,my sons basketball and having to be a part time teacher I haven't had alot of time to work on the car. My son goes back Monday unless they push it back again. So I'm hoping to put a few solid weeks in(brake and fuel lines, 8.8 install and disc brake and parking brake setup) before I go back to work full time.

Question:
How do you fit your balls into your pants?

 

[RabbitHoleSS]

Question:
How do you fit your balls into your pants?

Same way you do..... 1 at a time,with a little help.

 

[RabbitHoleSS]

Well I sold my stock 88 7.625 for 350$ and the buckets out of the parts car for 150$ this week. I sold the decklid and spoiler 150$,n90s for 150$, taillight extensions for 50$ last year. Plus the dash pieces, console, headliner, interior pieces, blacked out trim,bumper cover, and uncut wiring harness will sell easy when im done. Plus everything i needed for my car(roof,8.8,qtrs,column etc) I think I paid 600$. My point is if your gonna "restore" your car, the number 1 purchase should be a parts car that fits your needs. When it was done I gave the remnants to a buddy who scraps.

Before the snow hit I went to the picapart and snagged stainless pushlock fittings. I have to go back because I forgot 1x 3/8" straight fitting,so ill verify then but I think I got the 90* fittings off northstar v8s, the straight off early 90s grand prix 3100, and the 45* off Buick rendezvous 3400 sfi. You can get plastic fittings off anything so I grabbed a few. If you want to do your efi fuel lines like this go to post#9 by Anubis in the below thread.

EFI Fuel lines for conversion

Hey guys, starting to try and plan out the fuel system on the 442. so far I have the G-Body parts fuel injection conversion (Brian is the best!) and am going to be running a FITech EFI set up. the factory style sending unit has the stock 3/8ths end on it and I was thinking of running custom AN...

gbodyforum.com

For the brakes I bought a disc/disc proportioning valve,1/4" ags 25' nicopp kit, 6' stick of 3/16" nicopp from oreillys, 25' dorman of 5/16 and 3/8 nylon fuel line, 02 chevy express v8 fuel filter, 3/4" dorman heat resistant loom,3/4" stainless /rubber clips and self tappers. I have about 100$ in the fuel line and 120$ in brake line.The nicopp bends as advertised. But I screwed about 5 flares before I used lube and suddenly my flares were straight. I was gonna use 1/4" line to replace everything but the m/c lines, but I couldn't figure out how to use 1/4" line with 3/16" fittings. If anyone has any insight on this I'd appreciate it.

I couldn't make the double 90* bend at the back brake hose bulkhead without kinking it. I probably should have bought a tubing bender, instead I cheated and ordered a 90* fitting so I can make 1 tight 90* bend and go straight in. I'm using AGS fittings and a/c Delco hoses everywhere so hopefully no leaks. I'm gonna try to rig a way to pressure the system up before it goes back under the body.

I reused the factory clips for the brake line.I put a piece of rubber between the 5/16" fuel line clips/bolts an the brake line and smashed the unused 3/8" side of the double clamps. I soaked them in vinegar for a week,then cleaned them with dawn and hot water. I painted the heads with rustoleum.

I used an early astro 4.3 rear center brake hose. I read Its longer then the gbodys and fits the 8.8 better here on the forum( I cant remember who but, thanks). I got the 8.8 in but I still have to buy some shocks and spohn shock relocators(or make my own) and make a tab to mount the brake hose, cut/flare the rear lines since they're too long and twisted. I'm still researching how to adapt the ebrake to the 8.8.They're too long and I haven't figured out how to shorten them. I think the frame and body might have to be together anyway.

For the fuel lines I routed them on the pass side, both lines together in a loom. I hung them with 3/4" clips and self tappers. The 02 express filter came with a hanger. I ran it a bit long on both ends to make sure I have enough once the cars back together. When I get the last stainless pushlock fittings I'll button it up.

I had already decided on using return style truck rails, but then I read about the holley drop in unit on the forum. I'm probably gonna go this route but since I had the 5/16 return line already I'm gonna run it and tuck it away as backup in case I wanna use efi monte tank/sender.

Holley Sniper EFI 12-306 Holley EFI Fuel Tank Modules - 255 LPH - GM G-Body Vehicles

This in-tank fuel pump module is a high-pressure unit that flows 255 liters per hour (LPH) and is capable of supporting electronic fuel injection (EFI) engines producing up to 550 horsepower. Featuring a pre-calibrated fuel-level sending unit designed to work with the factory fuel gauge for this...

www.holley.com

I'm contemplating notching the frame on the pass side for the speed engineering headers(I also wonder if the 02 sensors hit the floorpan).

I'm gonna use those or hookers. I'm having trouble finding pictures of the hookers installed with a/c. I'm using the hooker mounts to get the engine as low as I can. Hopefully this will keep me from having to modify the floor pan for the t56.
I also started grinding the windshield frame flat and teaching my son to weld. This is his first real practice piece. You can see he was picking it up fairly quick.

Sorry for the long update again. I should probably break my rambling up into sections.

 

[UC645]

What brakes are you running on the 8.8? You can shorten the cables if you need to, although the way I’ve got in mind isn’t a permanent one.

 

[RabbitHoleSS]

I got it with these on it. I've read they work but suck to bleed. Which brakes are you using?

Right Stuff ZDCRD03: ZDCRD03 Ford 8.8" Rear Disc Brake Conversion Kit - JEGS

Get the Best Performance with Right Stuff ZDCRD03 Ford 8.8" Rear Disc Brake Conversion Kit ZDCRD03 parts at JEGS. Shop Now at the Guaranteed Lowest Price!

www.jegs.com

 

[UC645]

I got it with these on it. I've read they work but suck to bleed. Which brakes are you using?

Right Stuff ZDCRD03: ZDCRD03 Ford 8.8" Rear Disc Brake Conversion Kit - JEGS

Get the Best Performance with Right Stuff ZDCRD03 Ford 8.8" Rear Disc Brake Conversion Kit ZDCRD03 parts at JEGS. Shop Now at the Guaranteed Lowest Price!

www.jegs.com

I’m using SN95 rears with a miss-mash of cable parts. Here’s a thread I wrote up on how I got this to work (shameless plug):

8.8 swap with disk brakes- The easy way

If you’ve decided to do an 8.8 swap and want disk brakes, you’ve got few options unless you’re willing to spend a good chunk of change going aftermarket. It is possible to do this with stock parts, provided you’re willing to spend the time to hack and modify. For starters, hunt for an 8.8 out...

gbodyforum.com

Are the cables you’re using from the kit too long to hook up properly by a large amount, or is it just a couple of inches on either side? Getting the length correct hung me up for quite a while.

 

[RabbitHoleSS]

I’m using SN95 rears with a miss-mash of cable parts. Here’s a thread I wrote up on how I got this to work (shameless plug):

8.8 swap with disk brakes- The easy way

If you’ve decided to do an 8.8 swap and want disk brakes, you’ve got few options unless you’re willing to spend a good chunk of change going aftermarket. It is possible to do this with stock parts, provided you’re willing to spend the time to hack and modify. For starters, hunt for an 8.8 out...

gbodyforum.com

Are the cables you’re using from the kit too long to hook up properly by a large amount, or is it just a couple of inches on either side? Getting the length correct hung me up for quite a while.

Thanks,I bookmarked it for future use.
The lady didn't have the cables or couldn't find them when I bought the parts car. I think it was her ex boyfriends rebuild dream that never happened. Its about 2" on the driver and 4" on the passenger too long.
I went to put the wheels on it today and the axles are 5x4.5 bolt pattern
I probably should have checked but I seen the trick chassis gbody kit, spring perches in the right spot and the 5 lug axles instead of 4 and assumed. I guess I'm buying axles. Technically I have net 0 in this rear end so I guess its not a huge kick in the nutz. I took the cover off yesterday to see the condition. It had brand new fluid inside plus it had a slight leak. I'm gonna pull the axles tomorrow,measure and order a set from moser.View attachment 168900