Changing out the old Stubframe

[mopar_4life]

Hello,

I'm back with my car for a few weeks and Im doing a pretty major project. I'll be changing out the rough and rotted stub in my 65 Polara. I spent most of the day just cleaning up the garage and making it an usable space. But I did have time to prep the old frame to get it in to the car. Tomorrow I'll start taking apart my car.

Any suggestions?

I'll post pictures of the process. My wife says she will help with that. She is reading in the garage while Im working on it.

Thanks and have a great evening.

Eric

 

[The Horvaths]

The process itself is pretty simple. The most important thing you can do is take pictures and bag/tag any loose parts.

 

[live4theking]

The process itself is pretty simple. The most important thing you can do is take pictures and bag/tag any loose parts.

A note book isn't a bad idea either to make notes such as this comes off before this... The "y" pipe of a 68 newport I dealt with years ago trapped the torsion bar on the passenger side, if there are any remnants of an exhaust system hanging around it might be best just to get them out of the way now.

 

[ItAintJustPaint]

I did this a few months ago, it was educational! Here is the posts, many here had great suggestions.
Support for stub-frame removal

 

[mopar_4life]

Had a productive day today. Had to run some errands in the morning but got the subframe prepped for coating. Then started tearing apart the car. Everything was going great for a while but my fenders are falling apart. It seems that the car was in an accident and the body shop did lots of horrible repairs on the fenders. Both of them are filled up with bondo and other garbage. At some points I think there is more bondo then metal... I'll be searching for another set, perhaps something will come up.

Thanks

Eric

 

[The Horvaths]

Had a productive day today. Had to run some errands in the morning but got the subframe prepped for coating. Then started tearing apart the car. Everything was going great for a while but my fenders are falling apart. It seems that the car was in an accident and the body shop did lots of horrible repairs on the fenders. Both of them are filled up with bondo and other garbage. At some points I think there is more bondo then metal... I'll be searching for another set, perhaps something will come up.

Thanks

Eric

Darn. Sorry to hear that. I guess it's better to find it now then later.

 

[mopar_4life]

Hello,

I got the old one out yesterday. It was pretty rough. Fell apart as it was coming away from the car. It looks like its not the original frame to the car, it was out before (had tape holding down the body shims) and there was remains of yellow writing on it(to me thats like a junk yard writing). I noticed a difference between the frame that I have and the one that will go in.
Where the torsion bars attach to the rear of the frame. The new one is solid. Like the ones in this link.
For Sale - 1965 Stub Frame

The old one had a torsion bar isolator that held the torsion bars and they just passed through the frame. I don't have any pictures of that. I can take one in the morning.

The torsion bars both measure at 47 inches.

Will this matter?

Also is there isolators that go inside of the rear transmission crossmember?


Thanks

Eric

 

[mopar_4life]

Well, My two weeks of working on my car has come and gone. It was a great learning experience and am glad that I did it. It took me 4 days to take apart the car down to the subframe and to remove it.

We pulled the engine and found out that most of the bolts holding everything together was just hand tight... valve covers and oil pan. Thus had a healthy coating of oil on it.

In the process of changing out the gaskets we found out there were several stuck valves and push rods. We too the Heads into the shop and had hardened seats put in while they were there.

While that was out and about I got the new stub in. It looks so much better. This is where we kinda stopped. I was working on the car Tuesday of the second week. And our usual body guy stopped by to talk to my dad about fixing some rust on his truck (above wheel wells). We got talking and I was telling him that I got a quote for 15000 dollars for complete paint job and body work. (I got the quote to see how much I need to save). He thought that was quite high. So he left and I continued on the car. The next day he came back and talked to me about doing all of the work on the body next spring ( as long as his health is good 73 year old gentleman). He came back with a price that I cannot refuse. He wants me to have the car blasted, recommended the dustless blasting. He says it will remove everything and he can fix everything a lot easier. So the car will be painted next summer so the subframe will need to come back out. We have a older trailer frame that we mount our bodies on to take cars over to his house (across the street from us).

That being said, I didn't want to continue putting stuff back on the car just to have it come back off. It was Wednesday by this point. So I spend the last day and a half getting the motor back together. Didn't wan't to leave it all apart. Got it mostly together and painted. Then I spend the last day just organizing all of my parts. It turns out I have tons of extra parts that I didn't know about.

Well overall it was a good time. I'll be heading home often to be able to work on it. I'll attach a bunch of pictures. To show the progress.

 

[mopar_4life]

Engine is out!

Subframe is out

Ne

 

[mopar_4life]

Which Seat is correct?

 

[Polara_500]

Which Seat is correct?
View attachment 98931 View attachment 98932

The second one, (bottom).

 

[mopar_4life]

The second one, (bottom).

Thanks, Do you happen to know what the other one fits?

 

[Polara_500]

The buttons look kinda familiar, but I can't say I remember enough to even guess.

 

[pomonamissel]

i've got a 65 880 rag , thinking of the same process . are you going to disc brake yours ? my is a little hotrod'd so i'm wanting to up grade . love the car bud . great job . love to see her finished .

 

[mopar_4life]

i've got a 65 880 rag , thinking of the same process . are you going to disc brake yours ? my is a little hotrod'd so i'm wanting to up grade . love the car bud . great job . love to see her finished .

Yes I will be going disc brakes. I don't know if I'll use the wilwood kit or go with scarebird.

 

[pomonamissel]

i've looked abit , scarebird is mainly a adapter company using stock factory components ( chevy calipers) but in my mok-ups with chrysler 11.75 dia rotors and 15'' mag rims , the chevy p/u caliper(12'' rotor which is only 1/8'' larger than the chrysler ) and has more room between the caliper and the rim then the chrysler caliper w/ mount , and it won't be knocking off the tire weights , the ramman modifies stock stuff and builds , wilwood builds there own stuff ($$$$) , ssbc builds and uses factory stuff , well my thought is if a racer . fine i bit the bullet for high price vendor only supplied . but street i want easy and readily available components i can get from napa or o'rilley's , ect .... i understand that the 73 c body stuff can be assembled on these 65's , spindle out . two piston calipers 1.25 thick one piece rotors . earlier and later stuff is different of course . but the earlier stuff is not as durable , and 65 - 68 was the budd set up , very difficult to get a wheel to fit over , and the parts are very very costly to renew , i do know that .