Stev
Active Member
Parts painted, missing tub fabricated, tub welded in.
Tub took a lot of tucking, trimming, tweaking and swearing. Not perfect, but better than what was there when i started.
Tomorrow, the floor footwell.
New Member, New Polara
- Thread starter Stev
- Start date
Parts painted, missing tub fabricated, tub welded in.
Tub took a lot of tucking, trimming, tweaking and swearing. Not perfect, but better than what was there when i started.
Tomorrow, the floor footwell.
3175375
Senior Member
Doing great!
Stev
Active Member
Got rained out sunday and today so I couldn't finish the floor. Two days I really can't afford.
Just for the car show I'm very tempted to do the stupid thing and not swap the front frame. It's barely together, I have no idea how it's holding on. But grandpa drove it like that for years, so two more days
We'll see how much time I have left after i get the car on the ground. I'm certainly not fixing the fuel tank in time, it'll be drinking from a jerry can for sure.
I better sort out the title this week too...
Stev
Active Member
Getting there. It's almost 300 inches of welding on that footwell. **** me.
Also getting my diff back was a huge ordeal. Bodyshop guy is my friend but man is he unreliable. I was to pick it up friday but got delayed, and it turns out this week he went on an unnaounced vacation to the moon without telling anyone. Even though he told me last week that his vacation was in september. Had to track down the landlord of the building to get into the yard to pick up my stuff.
Cool.
Also the parts fairy visited again.
Ow my money. Again.
9 Days before the show/hot rod run. I am making this ******* thing if it kills me.
Oh yeah, got some funny stickers for it too.
71Polara383
Kid with ballcap
9 days and the entire rear unibody structure is still on the ground...
Let's go!
Let's go!
That's a lotta welding!
Looks like your not working and just hobbying for the next 9 days. Hope ya make it!
Looks like your not working and just hobbying for the next 9 days. Hope ya make it!
Stev
Active Member
Floor's done. Braced the rockers totally, started cutting out the very last of the floor.
I intended to finish this smooth, but frankly at this point i want the world to see the 12 hours of welding i put into this thing. 23-1/2 feet of it.
Also the posi in the rear end is incredibly good. Even with my full bodyweight against one wheel I still can't get the posi to slip at all. Must have been rebuilt at some point, no way it's 60 years old.
Tomorrow.
Last edited:
You're disrupting my work day LOL. I see an alert to a message in this thread... and I log in to look. polara addict eh?
Looking great. I am excited to see your progress and result.
Stev
Active Member
Took a lot of fighting but it is in.
Lotta welding to do tonight. Still intending to swap the front stub frame before friday, seems doable.
Stev
Active Member
Nevermind, I'm in trouble.
The driver's side bracket that sits in the rocker is about 3/8" forward. However, the other side, and every other important mating surface is exactly correct.
You can see how close the original weld locations are to each other. Both tubs, front and rear locating surfaces. Plus the rear tailgate sill panel is completely maxed out, pressing up against the back uniformly all the way across. All Agree exactly, except for that one bracket.
I ran the alignment test. E and F disagree by half an inch. 70" to 70.5". Shop manual says 1/4" is the tolerance.
I tried everything to try and pry it back but there just isn't much to bite on, plus it's maxxed out in the back, no room to budge. I have absolutely no idea where this discrepancy is coming from, it seems entirely localized to that one single bracket.
The only thing I can think to try is parking the rover behind the car and using a ratchet strap to pull the leaf spring pad forward. Either it works, I pull the car off the rack, or it does nothing. Assuming nobody dies, if it doesn't work I think i'll just weld it in tomorrow regardless, and adjust the leaf spring pad with a shim once I can measure the wheelbase.
Iunno.
Also got hit with the third noise complaint in the last two weeks for working on the car too much. Philistines.
The driver's side bracket that sits in the rocker is about 3/8" forward. However, the other side, and every other important mating surface is exactly correct.
You can see how close the original weld locations are to each other. Both tubs, front and rear locating surfaces. Plus the rear tailgate sill panel is completely maxed out, pressing up against the back uniformly all the way across. All Agree exactly, except for that one bracket.
I ran the alignment test. E and F disagree by half an inch. 70" to 70.5". Shop manual says 1/4" is the tolerance.
I tried everything to try and pry it back but there just isn't much to bite on, plus it's maxxed out in the back, no room to budge. I have absolutely no idea where this discrepancy is coming from, it seems entirely localized to that one single bracket.
The only thing I can think to try is parking the rover behind the car and using a ratchet strap to pull the leaf spring pad forward. Either it works, I pull the car off the rack, or it does nothing. Assuming nobody dies, if it doesn't work I think i'll just weld it in tomorrow regardless, and adjust the leaf spring pad with a shim once I can measure the wheelbase.
Iunno.
Also got hit with the third noise complaint in the last two weeks for working on the car too much. Philistines.
Last edited:
Stev
Active Member
Good idea? Hell no. Best idea? Yup.
Got the alignment test to exactly 70-1/2" on both sides on E/F, within 1/16". I can weld it in guiltlessly now. Whole car moved forward 1/2" on the jackstands. Probably the sketchiest thing i've ever done.
Now to roll around underneath it welding **** and hopefully it doesn't all come crashing down. 6 Days remain....
Nice!!
3175375
Senior Member
Good work !
this one’s for you :
My wife and I were pumped for seeing Aerosmith in November in Omaha and now we’re bummed because the band has hung it up…
this one’s for you :
My wife and I were pumped for seeing Aerosmith in November in Omaha and now we’re bummed because the band has hung it up…
Stev
Active Member
That or this
The things we do for love.
Also turns out it was that bodyshop to blame once again. Now the floor's in position the rear flange is bent up against that angle iron still floor the body shop made. Gonna trim the flange down and call it good.
She ain't winnin' pebble beach, that's for sure. But she'll be waaaaaaay better than she ever was.
Last edited:
Stev
Active Member
So I trimmed the tang off the back and it fit better, but it was still low...
Turns out that angle iron isn't even remotely square, and bends down at about a 3 degree angle on the driver's side.
The ride never ******* ends.
I have to take it out from the top, which is what i was going to do anyway. Can't do anything until the car is on the ground and I can get the tailgate open again, as that angle iron is also the tailgate sill now. My solution is to tack it in place in a few easy to reach spots. The actual sill is bearing the weight of the car as it should, just not fully welded in. It's tied in enough to take lateral load as well.
Is it good? God no.
Is it good enough to just putter around for the rest of the summer?Not really Yes!
I'll tear into it this winter, pull out the entire sill face and make it from scratch, and make it properly with the donor's drip tray in there too. But until then it's good enough. I just want to drive the stupid car man.
Tomorrow she'll be back on the ground, turn it, and start pulling the front end off. I can pull the front end and motor off my truck and have it back on in a day, I think I can do it here in five.
Sat in the rumble seat for the first time in about 20 years. Felt good.
Turns out that angle iron isn't even remotely square, and bends down at about a 3 degree angle on the driver's side.
The ride never ******* ends.
I have to take it out from the top, which is what i was going to do anyway. Can't do anything until the car is on the ground and I can get the tailgate open again, as that angle iron is also the tailgate sill now. My solution is to tack it in place in a few easy to reach spots. The actual sill is bearing the weight of the car as it should, just not fully welded in. It's tied in enough to take lateral load as well.
Is it good? God no.
Is it good enough to just putter around for the rest of the summer?
I'll tear into it this winter, pull out the entire sill face and make it from scratch, and make it properly with the donor's drip tray in there too. But until then it's good enough. I just want to drive the stupid car man.
Tomorrow she'll be back on the ground, turn it, and start pulling the front end off. I can pull the front end and motor off my truck and have it back on in a day, I think I can do it here in five.
Sat in the rumble seat for the first time in about 20 years. Felt good.
Stev
Active Member
...or, come to think. I could just cut the tang off completley and leave the angle iron forever. An ugly but safer solution.
I hate.
I hate.
Stev
Active Member
3 Days Remain.
3175375
Senior Member
Keep on keeping on !
71Polara383
Kid with ballcap
You did it you crazy bastard. You did it.
Similar threads
