Frame, Tail and Trunk Rail Replacement

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Darren 72

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
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Location
NH
My Car
1972 Mach 1
Hi Guys,

Wondering if someone can shed some light on this.  Dry fitting new tail piece and trunk cross rail .  Noticed flanges from frame which are suppose to weld to trunk rail are off.  Right side is off 1/2".  Other side 1/4".  I know the car has been hit and repaired on the right back side so maybe frame isn't right.  Very bad repair.  Discovered some crazy things when I pulled apart.  Anyone else see this?  Nothing ever fits right but wondering why its off two different measurements.  I'm pretty sure new trunk rail has to line up to the end of the truck extension patches or the tail piece wont be flush to it.

Thanks,

Darren

 







 
I'm not a body person so what I'm going to say might not carry much weight. I would think at this point the most important thing is to figure out what it will take to make everything square and for the measurements to be correct for trunk lid to fit and close properly at the tail light panel. Looks like you are going to need to add a filler. Sounds like something really knocked the frame rails out of whack. If hit in the rear the rails could be have been compressed (bow) at the bend in the rail a little causing the difference in length. I would also take some measurements starting at the front rails and see if they are square or not and work my way back. Might help shed some light on what is out of whack. I would check squareness by measuring diagonal. Might want to check the total length of both sides also.

Good luck.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I see this happen pretty often not just with a Mustang but any restoration project. The first place the car needs to go it to a frame shop to have the chassis measured and put back to spec. Then you start removing panels and replacing. The chassis should be supported by a JIG or Fixture to keep the chassis in the correct plane. When you start to cut pieces off the car will let gravity take over and can be bad. Shops the do lots of panel replacements have either fixtures of tables they can sit the chassis on to make the repairs. That way, doors, trunks and such align when you go back together.

You should never do any panel replacement on a rotisserie. You use that when spraying primer and prepping the body. Any fitting or replacement needs to be done with the body supported correctly. 

You might need to go to frame shop even now or many regrets in the future. If the chassis is not square the car will probably dog track or go down the road with the front and rear wheels offset sideways to each other. 

The provided Chassis dimensions from the Ford manual that were put up gives you a place to start checking. Every piece in the welded chassis has tooling holes that were used to position the part in the correct place. With rust, crashes even driving across like the median of an interstate can twist and warp the chassis. Jacking the car or lifting incorrectly can also bend it.

 
I see this happen pretty often not just with a Mustang but any restoration project. The first place the car needs to go it to a frame shop to have the chassis measured and put back to spec. Then you start removing panels and replacing. The chassis should be supported by a JIG or Fixture to keep the chassis in the correct plane. When you start to cut pieces off the car will let gravity take over and can be bad. Shops the do lots of panel replacements have either fixtures of tables they can sit the chassis on to make the repairs. That way, doors, trunks and such align when you go back together.

You should never do any panel replacement on a rotisserie. You use that when spraying primer and prepping the body. Any fitting or replacement needs to be done with the body supported correctly. 

You might need to go to frame shop even now or many regrets in the future. If the chassis is not square the car will probably dog track or go down the road with the front and rear wheels offset sideways to each other. 

The provided Chassis dimensions from the Ford manual that were put up gives you a place to start checking. Every piece in the welded chassis has tooling holes that were used to position the part in the correct place. With rust, crashes even driving across like the median of an interstate can twist and warp the chassis. Jacking the car or lifting incorrectly can also bend it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice!

 

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