'69 fastback frame rail/torque box question--with pics

[helrazr70 10]

I have a '69 fastback that has been wrecked and shoddily repaired in the past...and to add insult to injury, the LF frame rail under the tower and both shock towers are rusty. On top of all that both front aprons and core supprt have been cut off and the strut rod housings are mangled/bent.

 

Needless to say, I need pretty much everything from the firewall forward. The only salvageable part is the RF framerail...and it may be tweaked since the framerail distance varies +/- 8mm between the end of the rail and the shock tower.

 

Here is where my question comes in:

 

I just bought a complete Mustang front clip with big block shock towers. I am trying to decide the best way to swap it in and keep everything lined up within specifications.

 

My thought is to separate the frame rails/shock towers/aprons as an assy from the firewall and torque boxes on both the clip and the car while leaving the seat support rails in place as a guide as to where everything should line-up when going back together. I figure if I start with the whole car level and the front frame rails level--that I should be able to slide the new rails/clip into the floor pan supports/rails until:

 

the aprons mesh the firewall perfectly

the frame rails slide to the proper depth in the floor supports

and the front frame rails are level like the originals were

 

Does this sound like it would work?

 

How hard is it to separate the frame rails from the torque boxes without hurting the rails or torques boxes? (both the car and clip have VERY solid torque boxes) Should I leave the torqueboxes attached to the replacement frame rails and swap them in also?

[SlimeGold 69 15]

I would leave the torque boxes, floor extensions and all on the good clip and install it that way scince it's all so nice. I would not seperate the torque boxes from the frame plus it would be easier to seperate them from the rocker panels. Even leave the cross brace that runs up under the trans tunnel that ties the floor supports together on the good clip, to keep every thing square. It's alot of spot-welds to drill out of the floor but it would be worth the trouble. If your car was hit hard before, make sure your firewall is not tweaked or pushed back any. If you leave it in one piece, installing it and keeping everthing square would be much less of a issue IMO.

[helrazr70 10]

The reason for not wanting to use the clips floor supports is because the guy who cut up the car sawed into the trying to cut them with a sawzall equipped with a wood blade. He dug in pretty deep in places and sawed the passenger side end "ears" off.

 

...also it seems as though using the original floor supports would help keep things more square because if I swapped the whole assy it seems as if I could be off side-to-side.

 

It does make more sense to detach the torque boxes from the rockers vs separating at the frame rail. It looks like there is less cutting and I will have better reference points when mating up the assy sung the torque boxes.

 

I guess another possibility is to break everything loose on the clip to the point of swap-readiness and then install new floor supports on the clip...but if I were doing that, I have nice ones on the car...

 

Unfortunately I am on call all week and must drive a company vehicle...and the clip is still in the back on my truck at work until next Monday. Sooo...my progress will resume next week, giving me time to plan.

[SlimeGold 69 15]

Well that does cause a problem if he cut up the floor supports. How bad did he cut them? Anything that could be welded up and repaired? I would still try to keep it all together if possible. Maybe if you take your whole clip out of your car, floor supports and all, you could use some pieces of them to graft on to the damaged supports.

[daley driver 10]

Dont you wish Dynacon would get there heads out of there %#$@ and build a 69fb body!!!!

[helrazr70 10]

Dont you wish Dynacon would get there heads out of there %#$@ and build a 69fb body!!!!

 

 

They are... soon. (supposedly --you know how internet rumors are...)

 

If you look at their website, they have tons of 69/70 parts that are being reproduced. Some are available now and some are being shown but are not available. Word is that they are working toward reproducing the 69/70 like they did the 67/68.

 

They released the complete cowls this year. I am going to try to use the lower section from the clip I got. I have to buy the upper section since both of mine are rusty under the cowl to apron brackets.

 

They are making '69/'70:

 

taillight housings

folddown rear seat moldings

headlight buckets

complete firewalls

hoods

fresh air vents

taillight panel to rear 1/4 fillers

etc...

 

Check out some of their parts:

 

http://dynacorn.com/site/04home/home.html