Frame rail surgery

by **Brant** » 10 Mar 2006 17:49

I am aware there are safety caps designed for frame rail support, but I'd rather a more proper solution. My rear passenger rail is in need of surgery. I do not want to cap it - that just doesn't seem right. I would like to purchase something of the like, but of proper demensions, so I could have the areas of rust cut out and new area welded in. this way it could be ground down and appear correct once painted. Surely those restoring hemi and 440 cars don't cap it, so what are they using when needed?

Do we know anyone offering this for our challengers? Cause I don't!

by **Jon** » 10 Mar 2006 19:47

I saw an automotive program and the front frame rail they replaced came from yearone. It is a common problem on the E bodys. Don't know about the rear though if there is enough demand to produce them.

Jon

by **dave-r** » 10 Mar 2006 21:07

I had a really bad front frame rail on my Australian Charger. It is a very common problem on those cars where the RHD steering box bolts to the frame.
The bad section was about 12 inches long on three sides of the frame (not the top).

What I did was cut out the bad stuff one side at a time and welded in a new piece that was shaped by making a cardboard template first.

I did this for all three sides completing one bit before starting the next so that there would be nothing moving out of shape.

Now in my case i was not too worried about cosmetics. So I overlapped the edges to make it easier for myself. But if i had wanted an "invisible mend" I would have trimmed the steel to fit exactly in the area cut out so that I could grind the weld flush afterward.

Of course this will not work if you need to replace the whole framerail.

As far as i know Year One only sell the Auto Rust Tehnicians cap type of frame repair kits. The guys I know that have completely replaced a frame rail cut one from another car.

by **1168** » 11 Apr 2006 18:04

Year one sells some rear frame rpair rails patrt numbers:
MS704LH-$181.00
MS704RH-$181.00
MS704LHRH-$340 for both

by **Brant** » 09 Aug 2006 17:22

Thanks a million. I had looked but couldn't find. This will help. Cheers

by **R DOGG** » 01 Feb 2007 4:55

I dont know if you get Spike TV's "Powerblock" that is shown on the weekends, but they showed a episode called musclecar this last weekend where they replaced a set of year one rear rail caps on a 1970 Challenger. I have been an auto body frame tech/shop owner for the last 25 years and it was a proper repair and looks to be much stronger than stock. It is an awesome build that they are doing, and I met the shows host at this years SEMA show at the show area called Mopar Hall. He was checking out the 08 Challenger. Nice guy. They sell copies of their episodes on their website powerblocktv.com. The show you want to search is called musclecar.

by **dave-r** » 01 Feb 2007 11:08

Good information. Thanks. :thumbsup:

by **Eddie** » 01 Feb 2007 17:50

Brant, if you want a "contact" on aquiring factory components that are rust free but used and in excellent cond. let me know. It wont be cheap but will be guaranteed.

by **Brant** » 06 Feb 2007 15:33

Thanks RDog. I actually saw that and realized I should be able to find them. That Powerblock show is great. I'm going to try and get that video. Thanks again for the reminder.

Eddie, thanks for the source. I will contact you if I need to get in touch with your source. I'm currently trying to get some reproduction steel as they used on theat PoerBock show. thanks agian my friend.

by **Eddie** » 06 Feb 2007 18:43

Anytime. let me know if I can help.

by **R DOGG** » 12 Feb 2007 3:21

No problem Brant. That Powerblock Challenger build is called project Overkill. It is just plain awsome what they are doing. I am attempting to do something very similar right now. I am down to the left rear corner, the last corner to recieve metal work. Probably two weeks more of fabrication.

R DOGG............ OUT :fight:

by **70 340** » 14 Feb 2007 11:12

what dave did on his oz charger i had to do on my VG coupe (69 dart in the usa). Dave what year is you charger? I had a VJ.

by **dave-r** » 14 Feb 2007 13:13

Mine was a 1971 VH6-H-29 Charger 770 automatic with the "Fireball" 318 2bbl. :biggrin:

It does not exist now.

Apart from the chassis rail i also had to replace the inner and outer sills, all bodywork from 10 inches up, and the top few inches of each front wing (fender).

No spares available. I made all the sheet metal bits myself. The tops of the wings were too tricky for me though so they were "repaired" with chicken wire and fiberglass. Finished off with a thick later of body filler! :shock:

The boot lid I made from scratch. It was not as flat as I had hoped to make it. :oops:

Then I set fire to the rear seat when welding under the car.

I was lucky the rear window smashed from the heat because the flames went out that way and saved the rest of the car. I had the fire out myself (with Dads help) before the fire brigade turned up.
That was fast work because I lived in a third storey flat and I only had one bucket to fill with water. It took four buckets of water to put the fire out but only bacuse my Dad managed to remove the back seat and let it burn away from the car.

So after that I had to make a full interior myself.
Grey bathroom carpet (rubber on the back) for the floor and two shades of grey cloth material on home made door cards that matched the race bucket seats I installed.
I also made an ally dash panel to fit all the guages in and for the top of the center console because the heat had damaged them as well.

I never replaced the rear seat. Just fitted two big hi-fi loudspeakers in there instead.

Well I was very young.... :lol2:

by **ianandjess** » 15 Feb 2007 12:39

well dave you certainly know how to get a laugh thats for sure
cheers ian

by **Goldenblack440** » 16 Apr 2008 14:39

So what happened to the Charger so that "it does not exist now"?? Don't tell me you wrote it off (totalled) after all that work?

steve

by **dave-r** » 16 Apr 2008 15:17

It just vanished one day. I think it fell into a rift in Space and Time.

by **botari123** » 17 Apr 2008 0:53

i replaced both rails on my 74
got them from padock

by **botari123** » 17 Apr 2008 1:03

goodmark is making complete
rear rails now
they are on website
www.goodmarkindustries.com

by **botari123** » 17 Apr 2008 1:22

hear is picture of paddock part CC103LH
best i could do from the website
www.paddockparts.com

Rear Frame