If you’re sure that the damage up front is just from being dragged by a chain at some point it’s probably fine but I would do a thorough inspection of all of the mounting points for rust issues before going much further.
I am not sure. That is a guess based on the car being off the road since 1978 and the center of the front stub frame being pulled forward. It is possible that before 1978 the car was involved in a front end collision of some type, but I think the area would have been pushed backward. The car has been through at least 5 owners, a dealership, and then Dan.
The farmer who drove the car in New Mexico until 1978 treated the car as a beater. When it broke down, he could've dragged it with a tractor to a point where a tow truck could take it to the gas station. It was sitting in the gas station parking lot and the station was being shut down. That's where the 1st owner - that Dan was able to find - bought the car in 1978.
According to Dan, when the car was in Colorado before it went to New Mexico, someone cracked the 440 block, which is how the 383 ended up in the car. The 383 that I removed, had a cracked head and had leaked anti-freeze down into cylinder #8 since 1978. The distributor was missing so mice nested in the front of the engine, and the engine was locked up junk. Also, the bottom of the car is still caked with New Mexico soil, as was the dashboard and interior before I cleaned it.
Given how the car was not cared for, it is amazing that it survived to this point. Who knows which owner jerked it around with a chain?
That history being given, my main concern is the bent right side strut rod. I'm concerned that if the car was pulled hard enough to bend the strut rod, the front of the stub frame might be out of alignment, which might throw the lower control arm out of alignment. I don't know how to tell. And I may need a frame shop to tell me.
I'll look for rust at the mounting points. Thanks, Ben
