The incredible folding Cuda!

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RSie

Idiot In Training
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Getting my '69 notch ready for surgery.. replacing the whole front clip, torsion cross member, rails, inner fender, radiator support as a unit from a '74 Dart 4dr I parted last summer. I was working on getting it squared up to start cutting out the cancer. It looks to me, that the drivers side is starting to fold up, pulling the firewall away from the floor. The drivers front frame rail isn't straight on the front, has a bend down a half inch or so.
I think I need to get that front clip off before I worry about getting the main body squared up. Advice welcomed!

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I see a lot of rust, a lot of cutting and no bracing....

1x1 square box is your friend.

Did you at least unload the T bars before you cut it?
 
Wow - that's some major surgery!
One of my cars needs frame rails, but I'm starting on the other one that just needs some floor pans so I can have more confidence in my welding skills. I'm subscribed and will be watching and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from this thread.
Best of luck!
 
I see a lot of rust, a lot of cutting and no bracing....

1x1 square box is your friend.

Did you at least unload the T bars before you cut it?
Haven't cut anything.. that's how I got it 10 years ago. Had a replacement floor pan laid over that hole cut by the PO years ago. Tons of 1x1 steel is in my near future, cash willing.
Yeah.. had I found this site 10 years ago, I would have had the engine/trans out, seats, carpet.. pulled out the rats nests and coated everything in used motor oil... wouldn't have costed me anything. If any of you guys get a time machine, go back and kick me in the *** to get busy. :)
 
Dang, sorry bout that. The good news is these cars dont need to be lazer straight.

Pull the engine, release the T bars, get it as straight as you can then tac in some cheep steel, angle iron, 1x1 what ever is cheep and go for it.

Im guessing you dont have a frame table..(i dont)

Put a 8' level on your garage floor see if its flat front to back and side to side. Start pulling numbers off something and go from there.

This is a hard one, like we say. Sometimes you just gotta pick a number and call it good. That becomes your number and work off it.... sometimes that's all you get.
 
The good news is, if your floor is not level we can work with that.

Bad news is, you probably have to hang all the tin and square the car back up before you do any work.

Or maybe you already know how all this works. I don't know. If you need advice, i can help and walk you through it.
Feel free to PM me and we can chat on the phone. It easier to talk it through than type it all out.

I see a lot of string lines, jack stands, wedges and plumb bobs in your future.
 
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Engine/trans is out. I'll have to check if the floor is level, seems to be... 10 year old concrete.
I don't think I'll be able to get anything 'square' with the mess of the torsion support and frame rails/inner fenders attached. I think it's pulled out the firewall on the drivers side from the weight of the engine/trans on it, and that frame rail being so ratty. The cross member only has a few welds holding on the trans tunnel.
I have the whole front clip to put in. I'll need a whole new floorpan, as it's rotted in the back too.
My question is if that's the right plan I should take.. get all that rusted/twisted stuff out, square it up from the firewall back. Brace it up after I get the back 3/4 of the car square. Get the new (74 dart) front clip in loosely, get a new floorpan, then get it all squared up again before I weld it up. Does that sound like a good plan? Or something I should do in there somewhere?
 
I would not do any cutting before you know the car is square to the floor.

I would check all the fender, hood gaps. Jack the car around (up down what ever) untill it looks good with the tin on and call that my "number" numbers cuz you got a lot of measurements to take.

Then i would brace the car and reproduce those numbers with the new front clip.

I just got done cutting the back half off a customer truck and rebuilding it beacuse his "good deal" on a frame was total garbage.
 
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Already messed up, lol. Front sheet metal is off. I did notice the fender gap on the drivers side top was noticeably closer than the bottom. What I'm thinking, is get the inner front clip in loosely. Maybe hang the fenders on, get gaps right, before I weld up the clip?
Thanks for the help, @Cope :)

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Probably a good idea to square up the door openings on each side and tack some square tube bracing in there to hold them square. At this point, those door openings are going to be the only areas to true anything up on, because everything from the bend in the rail(s) forward is untrue.
 
Rusty is right on this. I didn't realize the doors were off the car.

You need to start with something that is good and work from there.

Just make sure when you square the doors they open and close nice with the bracing in.
 
Looks like the torsion bars are holding the car together. I would leave them in till I get it squared up.
 
Their either holding it or tearing it apart depending on how much load is on them.
 
Looks like the torsion bars are holding the car together. I would leave them in till I get it squared up.

I absolutely agree. Also, on another note, if "I" was doing that, BEFORE I braced up the door openings, I would get the car sitting with its weight on the suspension, instead of the frame rails. I believe you will be closer to "square" if you do that.

Hell, get @Oldmanmopar in here. That guy's done everything. He'll tell you the right way. I don't know why I didn't think of that before.
 
Getting my '69 notch ready for surgery.. replacing the whole front clip, torsion cross member, rails, inner fender, radiator support as a unit from a '74 Dart 4dr I parted last summer. I was working on getting it squared up to start cutting out the cancer. It looks to me, that the drivers side is starting to fold up, pulling the firewall away from the floor. The drivers front frame rail isn't straight on the front, has a bend down a half inch or so.
I think I need to get that front clip off before I worry about getting the main body squared up. Advice welcomed!

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WOW, think I`d junk that puppy !
 
I absolutely agree. Also, on another note, if "I" was doing that, BEFORE I braced up the door openings, I would get the car sitting with its weight on the suspension, instead of the frame rails. I believe you will be closer to "square" if you do that.

Hell, get @Oldmanmopar in here. That guy's done everything. He'll tell you the right way. I don't know why I didn't think of that before.
If one corner has a weak spring or torsion bar , it wont set right . I`d rather have it leveled on the frame rails or parts that would keep it consistently square and level ---just me .
 
cut the complete front off and the rear with springs

If the alignment holes are there at the back of the inner fenders do not mess with them

remove the windsheild and Take the complete dash out

.You need to take as much off that shell.from the rear seat forward as possible. You will be putting the doors back on

Take measurements from the rear rails forward . Sides and hump to place the torsion cross properly. That will be the first part that will need to be replaced after fixing the rockers.

Its ashame we just scrapped a rust free notch for the clip for a fast back. I have had them here just as bad and they left perfect. We are now building a fixture as seen below from a perfect 108 body to fix twisted drag cars and rotted ones. But we have done many like this without the stand.

The best thing you can do is make a square and level perimeter stand out of heavy steel angle or beams to set the rockers on and strap weld it in place after you refit the doors and square the openings. Physically seeing the car would be the only way to advise you what needs to be done. there are many bodies out there that are available with far less rust .
Why do you want to save this car? Would be the first thing I would think about. That body has no numbers that are usable. These notch rear bodies are out there . we discard them to fix fastbacks when the customer brings the cars. Don't jump into something that is over your head. Once you start you are commited.

Look at the under side of the cowl I believe you will find it needs one.

Make a perimeter table with attachment fixtures is the first thing to do. Or take it to someone who has one

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cut the complete front off and the rear with springs

If the alignment holes are there at the back of the inner fenders do not mess with them

remove the windsheild and Take the complete dash out

.You need to take as much off that shell.from the rear seat forward as possible. You will be putting the doors back on

Take measurements from the rear rails forward . Sides and hump to place the torsion cross properly. That will be the first part that will need to be replaced after fixing the rockers.

Its ashame we just scrapped a rust free notch for the clip for a fast back. I have had them here just as bad and they left perfect. We are now building a fixture as seen below from a perfect 108 body to fix twisted drag cars and rotted ones. But we have done many like this without the stand.

The best thing you can do is make a square and level perimeter stand out of heavy steel angle or beams to set the rockers on and strap weld it in place after you refit the doors and square the openings. Physically seeing the car would be the only way to advise you what needs to be done. there are many bodies out there that are available with far less rust .
Why do you want to save this car? Would be the first thing I would think about. That body has no numbers that are usable. These notch rear bodies are out there . we discard them to fix fastbacks when the customer brings the cars. Don't jump into something that is over your head. Once you start you are commited.

Look at the under side of the cowl I believe you will find it needs one.

Make a perimeter table with attachment fixtures is the first thing to do. Or take it to someone who has one

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Looks like u are an expert at this for shure !

"We discard notchbacks to build fast backs" , gotta be a s---storm starter !! LOL
 
Looks like u are an expert at this for shure !

"We discard notchbacks to build fast backs" , gotta be a s---storm starter !! LOL

No They were not mine. I only get whats left over after I do the repairs. I cannot keep body's here I myself have no use for. I have to many of my own and I had to buy race trailers to store them. Daves parts Valiant is here because he is probably the only true friend that helps here without asking for something. Most mopar guys that come here need to buy something or steal it. . Dave stops with food and just likes to hang out. Now that is a friend. He knows my soft spot.

I have a 2 story garage 6 sheds and 3 race trailers. And I still have my skid loader and some tractors sitting outside. I live in a residential development. So far I have been pretty lucky. But I have a 6 ft. fence and from the road you cannot see anything. I have a Barracuda FB for parts next door at the neighbors. That I need for parts for someones build. Other then that I only keep 70,71 Dusters and Demons and Harley's. The place is packed. Oh yeah and old 4 wheel David Bradley's. My dad had one and it's Memories. This is why I don't keep the notch backs or the swingers.

I offered several on this site but guys only complain after I scrap them. But nobody even wants to pay scrap rate until they are gone. I have three of my own to finish one to keep two to sell and if someone would make the right offer they can take them now. I just spent the day looking for a floor shift column . I found a pile of them we didn't know were here so I stripped them down and glass beaded the parts I wanted. Plus some extra .

After these I am moving on to a street rod , harley or a automatic hellCat . Thats when the dumpster gets packed. I'm 64 and getting tired of these cars. I want a 8 second 25.5 hidden in a Duster that's it for a-bodies then. I sold this rust free original red 340 sport to Daves friend for $800 That is what I paid. You can't find a motor for that price. But no one ever wants to pay for them. they want them for nothing. I feel better scrapping them then giving them away. If not for Dave this thing would have been stripped.

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Thanks for all the info and advice guys! I have a few questions of some of you, but I have company over, and probably will all weekend, and I think it'd be rude to sit on the computer all day. I'll pop in from time to time.
 
@toolmanmike , could you move this to member restorations? I always think of starting one there, type up a bunch of stuff, but keep putting it off. This is as good as start as any.. can fill in info later on.
 
glad to see you rolling on this Ron, the factory frame measurements will help a lot. not sure it it's the same, but here's the one for my 68' valiant. don't know why my 68' manual skips these for barracuda
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