Lthlwpn and Pete, I agree with both of you! After being into older and classic cars since I was 15, I have reluctantly put that all behind me. Don’t get me wrong, the interest is definitely still there, but this can be an extremely disappointing hobby at times.

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

Frame replacement help

poncho62 · ADMINISTRATOR

Not sure whats all involved as I am not a body man. I do know that its a unibody. They would probably have to build a jig for everything to fit in the proper location. Maybe someone on here is willing to take it on, but I have a feeling it ain't gonna be cheap.

Jeff66 · COLDWATER, ONT

It is what it is I am afraid.... I had to do same on my 66 K code mustang.
It is time consuming. Cheapest way, is to do it yourself. It takes more time, but you will save money. Farmed out job is expensive! Good luck with it!

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

poncho62 wrote:
Not sure whats all involved as I am not a body man. I do know that its a unibody. They would probably have to build a jig for everything to fit in the proper location. Maybe someone on here is willing to take it on, but I have a feeling it ain't gonna be cheap.

The couple shops i went to never even mentioned what was involved or using a jig. The most i got from them was a quick look at the car and a rough guess of 40+ hours at $98/hr. I figured it wouldn't be cheap but $4K for a single frame rail seems a bit steep.

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

Jeff66 wrote:
It is what it is I am afraid.... I had to do same on my 66 K code mustang.
It is time consuming. Cheapest way, is to do it yourself. It takes more time, but you will save money. Farmed out job is expensive! Good luck with it!

I wish i could do it myself but i dont have a shop at my house to work on it or a good enough welder that i trust doing frame work.

This car has been a headache since i got it. Its been sold three times. Twice the people never came back to pick it up after leaving a deposit and once a guy came back and asked for me to give his money back after leaving it in my driveway for 2 weeks.

Im pretty much to the point where i might just call someone to drag it out of here and scrap it.

Ground Pounder · Senior Member

Easy...
ontariorodders.activeboard.com/t61920759/years-gone-by/
P/m with any questions.
Quotes you were given are nothing short of extortion.

Pete Moss · GTA

Any chance of posting some pics of the area that needs replacing?

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

You do amazing work! I had a feeling they all high balled me and agree completely about the quotes being extortion.

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

The previous owner tried to put a small patch on the frame but did a very poor job of it. Id like to replace the whole passenger side rail so i know it will be solid. As it sits now i wouldn't dare drop an engine in it. Im afraid it might just fold up.

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

The drivers side isn't in much better shape either

Builderrhys · SARNIA, ONT

That`s some major shock tower notching. The work that has been done definitely needs a redo. It looks like very poor welds. The intent was there to do the right thing, just not the quality. Nothing is impossible to repair................................................ Rhys.

Ground Pounder · Senior Member

p/m sent Lthlwpn

DJD · SCARBOROUGH, ONT

what is this mustang , coupe , convertible or fastback ?

I'm thinking of the car's value compared to cost to fix .. one would not make as much sense as an investment as the other two ..

is the rest of the car ok ?

something has to motivate your decision , I'm just asking what that may be

Pete Moss · GTA

DJD wrote:
what is this mustang , coupe , convertible or fastback ?

I'm thinking of the car's value compared to cost to fix .. one would not make as much sense as an investment as the other two ..

is the rest of the car ok ?

something has to motivate your decision , I'm just asking what that may be

The above is absolutely correct ...

That front end is a complete mess. The towers have been notched, the frame has been patched the inner fenders patched too. Sure, all that can be replaced but at what cost? If the front frame is that bad, what does the rest of it look like? (my experience has been the rear of the car rusting first).

If this is a notchback, I'd say it isn't worth fixing (my own opinion) in a cost vs. value perspective. If it's a fastback (my fav and the most valuable) I'd think hard about selling off the replacement rails then cutting that entire front end off and changing it over to a Mustang II front suspension.

Even at a "good" price, this might not be worth saving, depending on the rest of the car, the body style, and you attachment to this particular car (bought it in high school, grandfather bought it new etc).

I'd suggest you crunch ALL the numbers that it's going to take to get this thing back in shape ... paint, interior, wheels tires, gas tank, engine/trans rebuild, suspension rebuilt, brakes etc etc etc before making a decision. By the way, projects like these ALWAYS end up costing more than what you figured. In my opinion, if this is a 6 cyl notchback, you are NEVER getting your money out of it.

One other thought ... for a car needing this much work, this had better be your dream car, the one you've always wanted, can't live without otherwise you are quite possibly going to tire of it rather quickly as it not-so-slowly drains your wallet. You'd be MILES ahead if you started with something solid (due to your not having a workspace or trusting your welding ability), possibly even something running and driving.

So, all that being said ... any chance you could tell us more about the car itself (body style, engine/trans, etc pics help) and what you were asking for it. Maybe someone here, capable of doing the work themselves, might find it interesting enough to purchase.

The question in my mind is not "can it be repaired" but "should it be/is the repair worth it".

There is a LOT of repair done to that entire front end, most likely due to rust. Is there anything solid left to weld a new front end to or is this going to mean firewall and floor repair as well? Ever heard of the "snowball effect"?

Pete Moss · GTA

Lthlwpn wrote:
"The previous owner tried to put a small patch on the frame but did a very poor job of it".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking at these pics, I see a LOT more than just a "small patch" has been done to this front end.

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

I've given up on the car and gave it to my kids. They can do whatever they want with it as far as im concerned. Im done with classic vehicles and all the bs that goes along with them.

Pete Moss · GTA

Totally understand, I'm basically there too. My present daily is a 1981 car that I am swapping out the V6 and installing an early V8 into (lots of BS with the MOE). Not a "hot rod", just want a bit more power than the dog of a V6 puts out. Once I am finished the install (should be later this week if I'm lucky) I can officially say that, other than upkeep, I am pretty sure I'm finished with old cars too.

I still like and appreciate old cars but I am not a "drive it to a cruise and take the lawn chair out of the trunk" kind of guy and I've done the "rod" as a daily thing and after a while I got tired of that too.

I swore to my wife that this is the last old car I'm doing and I've been true to my word as I've already sold off, given away or tossed out most of my "stash" of parts (still keeping all the tools though).

That being said, just for interest sake I'd still like to know what body style your Mustang is/was.

iron horse · HAMILTON, ONT

Lthlwpn and Pete, I agree with both of you! After being into older and classic cars since I was 15, I have reluctantly put that all behind me. Don’t get me wrong, the interest is definitely still there, but this can be an extremely disappointing hobby at times.

To have anything really nice, I mean pristine, which is what most of us want, you are looking at having a ton of cash invested. Check out Legendary Motor Cars in Halton Hills website or Barrett Jackson auctions on TV, and you will see exactly what I am talking about.

As far as building your own, I hope you have a big shop, a lot of tools, a lot of time, a lot of knowledge, etc. The car I presently use as a “toy” is a 2012 Genesis Coupe. It is comfortable, fast and has all the toys. True, it’s not a 65 GTO, but it probably costs 75% less than one. I can take it anywhere without worrying about where to park or what the weather is going to be like. I even take it out in the winter if it’s a nice day and the roads are dry.

This hobby is still exciting. Nothing gets my heart pumping like listening to a big block Chevy fire up, hearing a car with a blower at a cruise night, or going to the drags for the day. I admire the folks that can build their own really nice stuff, but sadly I’m afraid that financially the hobby is becoming further out of reach, except for the folks that have really deep pockets. Ahhh, the good old days.

-- Edited by iron horse on Tuesday 24th of October 2017 11:08:39 AM

Lthlwpn · SW ONTARIO

That being said, just for interest sake I'd still like to know what body style your Mustang is/was.

Its a plain jane 68 coupe drag car. Has a roll cage and other stuff. I bought it about 8 years ago to go drag racing with my father, uncles, cousins etc who all have drag setup cars. Work and life got in the way so it sat in storage since i brought it home. Decided i was finally going to do something with it this year but needless to say that didnt happen.

Pete Moss · GTA

Jeeze la-fricken Louise ... why didn't ya say all that earlier? biggrin biggrin biggrin wink wink wink (thanks for responding by the way).

If it's nothing but a notchback drag car (meaning it isn't a Cobra Jet fastback that's going to compete in a concours) and possibly has a 2x3 rear section in it already, I'd remove the front fenders and hood then "clip" it with an easily obtained (and CHEAP) S10 or Ranger front frame section after lopping off all that original rotten stuff.

HOWEVER ... if you are still needing an engine/trans/rear that is setup for drag racing, and the cage isn't to spec etc, you're still going to be into this thing for a LOT of bucks if you're looking to go fast. Better off doing what you're doing and walking away from it ...

A person can spend a fortune just on a 9" rear end when you add up gears, spool bearings, axles, ladder bars, coil-overs, the gear set-up etc.

Pete Moss · GTA

Iron Horse .... yep, I hear ya. Some new cars can be had with four-wheel disc, all-wheel-drive, multi-overdrive transmissions, cruise, air, tilt, power heated seats, 4-doors (not my choice) and over 500hp right from the dealer. Kinda makes a 275hp Mopar 340 with headers, 4.10 gears and a stick seem kinda pointless.

Imagine pulling up to a set of lights, reving up the old rumpity-rump V8 that is bellowing out a pair of Flowmasters then having the light change and getting "spanked" by the new BMW with 4 people inside it. It's just gotten to a "what's the point" point with me now.

I'll drop by a local cruise and still look for old iron tucked out behind a barn and I don't mind helping friends with their cars but I'm done as far as owning one.

I expect to see some "what the hell are you doing on this site?" comments but, as stated, I still "like" the old cars I just don't want to own another one ... been there done that, no interest in doing it again.

Now, should I win the lottery, please disregard what I have just written biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin wink wink biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

-- Edited by Pete Moss on Tuesday 24th of October 2017 05:25:12 PM