Front Frame Rail Repair / Engine bay make over.

Canadian1968 · February 22, 2015, 07:27:22 PM

I pulled the trigger on tearing the front end apart when I discovered my drivers side frame rail was rotted out at the shock tower/ control arm brace. The condition of the engine bay it self had been bothering me for some time as well. So I dove head first and have the entire front end disassembled, motor removed and engine bay components pulled out. I should have taken a few more pictures during the tear down but I didn't really think about making a thread about it at the time !

Here are the pictures that I have of as I pulled the motor with the help of a couple buddies from work. And pictures up to my current state.

Canadian1968 · February 22, 2015, 07:30:36 PM

Engine Out, Transmission cleaned up,

Patronus · February 22, 2015, 07:32:09 PM

Well, ya gonna smooth it all out or what?

fy469rtse · February 22, 2015, 07:33:40 PM

cleaning up and painting and detailing that engine bay,
will just improve an already nice car ,

keep posting , threads like this will always help the guy's with similar problems to whats involved

Canadian1968 · February 22, 2015, 07:36:30 PM

last one from today....

Canadian1968 · February 22, 2015, 07:44:25 PM

Quote from: Patronus on February 22, 2015, 07:32:09 PM
Well, ya gonna smooth it all out or what?

I will probably smooth out some of the big spot welds and anything else major I don't like

You barely see the mess in the picture , with the motor still in from drivers side. In the shock / control arm area. Its just a mess!!
Again in the picture where I started to strip the driver side inner fender, you can see a garbage patch that someone had put in a number of years ago !

I will post some more detailed pictures of what is there/ what is left of the part I need to repair , before i cut it out. Which a little bit way, I need want to make up some better rolling stands and get the car leveled where I want to start cutting pieces out !!

No body laugh at my jack stands sitting on my tire dolleys !!! Hey it worked ok!! lol

Patronus · February 22, 2015, 10:42:48 PM

I love doing the engine bay. With motivation it usually happens quite quickly, as opposed to the 18 months of the block. With all the bits/etc. you really make it your own.

fy469rtse · February 23, 2015, 12:15:19 AM

we dont laugh at fellow charger members on here

what ever works ,
i had similar rust and damage in one off my other cars , new rails weren't availiable back then , but i think i still would have repaired just the area like your doing

tan top · February 23, 2015, 02:24:09 PM

Canadian1968 · February 23, 2015, 06:34:02 PM

I snapped a few pics of what I found when I went to remove the control arm. When I tried to hammer the cam bolt out of the control arm bushing, it started to peel back the brace in the center of the shock tower. That is why its been cut. Then you can see the top of the rail is pretty much gone and had just fallen inside the rail. I am hopefully going to try and save the section where the bump stop, flex hose bracket are, but will see when I get it cut out.

Further down you can see where someone has patched where the rail meets the rear bottom splash shield/ rocker attachment. I will be ordering a new piece for that. The other picture is me leaning over the fender and taking a picture of the other side of the rail from the top. You can see another patch , and where they had welded the brake distribution block to

.

Canadian1968 · February 23, 2015, 06:36:00 PM

other side patch

72Charger-SE · February 23, 2015, 07:24:52 PM

FWIW: I found that a John Deere Planter Frame is the same (height and width) size (a little thicker steel) as the frame rail in my car (72 Charger). When I patched an area was almost a perfect fit...

Total Cost: $2 for the frame part from the local junk yard.

Canadian1968 · March 29, 2015, 03:14:49 PM

Well I have not done to much in last 3 weeks I got a horrible cold that kept me off week for a week , and then still made me miserable for the next week and a half !. I am back on my feet now and was able to get out to the garage to do a bit of work.

I got the car raised up to a comfortable working height, and made sure it was was level. Then I took a various measurements to record the placement of the old shock tower.

I got as far as drilling out all the spot welds that hold in the tower, and then called it a day. Next will be to removed the tower and start making templates for me frame repair. !

fy469rtse · March 29, 2015, 06:26:40 PM

looking good so far , i like seeing the owners of these cars go the extra mile to repair properly ,
taking shock tower out the way will make the repair to frame rail a lot easier,
shock tower can be repaired out of car and those nice neat spotweld removals will make it a easy one to re in

:popcrn:stall

Canadian1968 · April 03, 2015, 07:13:46 PM

It took a bit of work but I got the shock brace removed today.

The upper reinforcement brace that goes from the top of the shock brace to the inner fender gave me some trouble as it has been worked on before and had addition welding holding it along with the factory spot welds. So I was not able to move this out of the way like I should have been which would have made pulling the shock brace easy. Instead had to do some prying and cutting of the brace to get it out, was either that or hack into the inner fender which I did not want to do. I will have to figure something out for when I put the new one back in.

The metal of the inner fender is very thin it didn't take much to cut threw a bit as I hammering around with seam splitter. Not to mention the fact that some of spot welds were right on the edge of inner fender itself. I am going to cut a new piece and replace it.

I can now see down into the frame. I happy to see the bottom still looks very solid and I sure I can save it.

fy469rtse · April 04, 2015, 03:35:17 AM

nasty , but half way now ,
? Goings do the side first then top , or pull the rail , almost to that point , but good work , keep at it

Canadian1968 · April 04, 2015, 06:08:38 PM

I took off a section of the top today and scrapped/ vacuumed all the crud that was in there. The bottom part, and K frame anchor area are very solid. This should make things a bit easier as I can leave an original section in for measurement purposes. I will start on the engine side, top and probably , wheel side last. Then put the new shock brace back in. I will cut out mangle lip of the inner fender , this will allow me to slide the new tower right in with out the problems I had removing it. Then final piece will be the inner fender lip, and weld it all together !

Dmichels · April 04, 2015, 08:13:55 PM

Looks better now that all the rust is cut out. you will have is welded up solid in no time keep up the good work
Dave

fy469rtse · April 05, 2015, 12:19:46 AM

Yep looking good , it won't take long from here,
This is going to ensure this car survives a bit longer, engine bay in paint to match rest ,
No more ford black out engine

tan top · April 05, 2015, 01:46:48 PM

matrout76 · April 06, 2015, 08:14:37 AM

i may have missed it...but the two shock towers look different...

is it just the photo, or are they actually different?

Canadian1968 · April 06, 2015, 05:45:52 PM

They are the same , well as close as a reproduction will be ! They will look different because I cut the bottom off the old one , there was no sense in trying to take it off cleanly as I knew it was garbage so I just savedy self some work and cut it out . It also sitting at slightly different angle which may make it look a bit different

Canadian1968 · April 11, 2015, 06:22:43 PM

Well another productive day out in the garage. I was able to make up my first template of the inner side of the frame rail. And get it cut out.

Canadian1968 · April 24, 2015, 10:03:22 PM

Time for another update.

I picked up my steel . We measured a piece of the original frame that I had cut out to try and match, of course it didn't have a consistent area to measure with the 40 + years of age. I ended up going with 12 gauge which was slightly thicker than the biggest measurement we could find on the original piece, but my other option was 14 gauge which was under.

I got the template cut out. I just used a simple thin-cut off wheel and my patients. Honestly didn't take that long at all. A couple test fits and a bit of grinding to removed the old welds and make everything line up.

The break I have access to is not big enough to do the 12 gauge. So to get my 90 degree lip I cut along the seam and left 1/2 gaps. This allows me to bend / hammer it over in the vice. I then welded up the gaps left by the cuts, worked out great !

igozumn · April 25, 2015, 09:20:29 AM

Nice!

Canadian1968 · May 04, 2015, 07:18:46 PM

With the first side tacked in place, I got to work on the opposite side. Because the previous patches, and then a new floor that had been installed a few years ago, there was one heck of mess in order to removed the frame - to - rocker brace. When they put the floor in they did not want to deal with the brace patch that had been put in , so they left 5x8 section of the old floor and then just lapped the new one top. Basically a huge metal sandwich mess! To get it all out I had to cut a hold in the floor. As well I noticed that the inner rocker and outter rocker were starting to get a bit transparent ! Only about 5" back , so I will patch these up while I am at it.

A little more work but nothing to crazy

Only snapped a couple pics at the end of the night. will get a few more later this week .

Canadian1968 · May 15, 2015, 05:59:15 PM

I am hoping to make some good progress this long weekend. I have the other other side of the rail already tacked into place, the patch in the floor is done, and I test fitted the shock tower. I finally got my frame - to - rocker brace and test fitted that as well. Everything is dropping right into place, so I guess I am doing something right !! Hopefully this thread shows some people that a job like this can be done with the most basic of tools and in a garage !. I am a painter by trade not a body man. Although it does help to be around people in the trade with all the knowledge I could ever need, this is a learning process for me at the same time. !

Stay tuned for the updates at the end of the weekend !

JB400 · May 15, 2015, 06:07:29 PM

Canadian1968 · May 18, 2015, 08:56:00 PM

Update from the weekend. I didn't get as far as I wanted, but still made some good progress. Got the internal brace made up and welded into place, as well as the bottom section of the rail, where the brace connects to the rocker. The rail in 90% welded in, I just need to make the top piece. I test fitted the shock tower everything looks to line up great.

A couple pics, of the progress. I won't win any awards for my welds but I had a buddy of mine who is a licensed welder look over my shoulder to make sure I was getting a good strong weld. I will clean them up slightly with the grinder before everything is done..

Canadian1968 · May 30, 2015, 08:57:09 PM

Things are really moving now. The frame rail is completely welded in. Tonight I welded in the shock tower, and got started with the patch of inner fender. !

Canadian1968 · May 30, 2015, 08:58:52 PM

More

70-500-SE-EXPORT · June 05, 2015, 07:47:44 AM

awesome job! I did a similar rust repair on my old 70. I cut out half of the front driver side rail and welded in new sections I made. I did this rather than replace the entire rail because I wasn't sure how the aftermarket would fit and was concerned it would may not be perfectly located since I do not have a chassis jig.

Canadian1968 · June 08, 2015, 05:44:00 PM

The frame repair is pretty much complete. I finished the inner fender patch. Welded the bump stop support in place, and welded in the frame to rocker bracket as well !

There will be a bit more clean up as I prep the metal for epoxy. But for now this is how it will stay, as I move onto the engine bay clean up. !

Canadian1968 · June 08, 2015, 05:45:27 PM

.

tan top · June 09, 2015, 03:11:05 AM

looks good

Canadian1968 · July 14, 2015, 09:04:06 PM

Its been a while since I put an update. Here is progress to date. The engine bay was stripped to metal, minor dents and dings fixed. I then sprayed epoxy ( SPI for those interested ). Waited a day and then sprayed with primer ( SPI ). Sanded and then went with a single stage urathane to match the body color. I am pretty happy with how the single stage turned out!

I can now start putting things back together. I still need to do the outter side of the inner fenders, as well as front of rad support which will be all black.

JB400 · July 14, 2015, 11:17:16 PM

Looks good

tan top · July 15, 2015, 01:59:42 AM

looking good

keepat · July 17, 2015, 05:48:33 AM

Great job on a big repair! Look awesome!
Pat

mopar4don · July 17, 2015, 07:07:16 AM

Quote from: Canadian1968 on July 14, 2015, 09:04:06 PM
Its been a while since I put an update. Here is progress to date. The engine bay was stripped to metal, minor dents and dings fixed. I then sprayed epoxy ( SPI for those interested ). Waited a day and then sprayed with primer ( SPI ). Sanded and then went with a single stage urathane to match the body color. I am pretty happy with how the single stage turned out!

I can now start putting things back together. I still need to do the outter side of the inner fenders, as well as front of rad support which will be all black.

Is this normal using a single stage for the engine bay? single stage just means there is no clear. Right.
I just want to understand this step.
Thanks

Pete in NH · July 17, 2015, 08:20:22 AM

Quote from: mopar4don on July 17, 2015, 07:07:16 AM
Quote from: Canadian1968 on July 14, 2015, 09:04:06 PM
Its been a while since I put an update. Here is progress to date. The engine bay was stripped to metal, minor dents and dings fixed. I then sprayed epoxy ( SPI for those interested ). Waited a day and then sprayed with primer ( SPI ). Sanded and then went with a single stage urethane to match the body color. I am pretty happy with how the single stage turned out!

I can now start putting things back together. I still need to do the outer side of the inner fenders, as well as front of rad support which will be all black.

Is this normal using a single stage for the engine bay? single stage just means there is no clear. Right.
I just want to understand this step.
Thanks

Hi,

Single stage is a paint type that does not need to be clear coated although you can if you want to. The other paint system is basecoat/clear coat. Base coat paint is relatively fragile and soft. It must be clear coated to protect it and provide UV protection. You can kind of say today's urethane based Single Stage paints have their clear coat mixed in already although that's not quite their true story but makes it easier to understand. Single stage can be used in engine compartments and is easier because you spray two or three coats and you're done, no need to go back and clear coat. Single stage metallic however, can not be sanded or heavily cut without disturbing the metallic particles and changing the way the paint appears. For that reason people prefer to use a base/clear system with metallics.

mopar4don · July 17, 2015, 08:25:17 AM

Thank you very much!

Canadian1968 · July 17, 2015, 08:51:01 AM

Quote from: Pete in NH on July 17, 2015, 08:20:22 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on July 17, 2015, 07:07:16 AM
Quote from: Canadian1968 on July 14, 2015, 09:04:06 PM
Its been a while since I put an update. Here is progress to date. The engine bay was stripped to metal, minor dents and dings fixed. I then sprayed epoxy ( SPI for those interested ). Waited a day and then sprayed with primer ( SPI ). Sanded and then went with a single stage urethane to match the body color. I am pretty happy with how the single stage turned out!

I can now start putting things back together. I still need to do the outer side of the inner fenders, as well as front of rad support which will be all black.

Is this normal using a single stage for the engine bay? single stage just means there is no clear. Right.
I just want to understand this step.
Thanks

Hi,

Single stage is a paint type that does not need to be clear coated although you can if you want to. The other paint system is basecoat/clear coat. Base coat paint is relatively fragile and soft. It must be clear coated to protect it and provide UV protection. You can kind of say today's urethane based Single Stage paints have their clear coat mixed in already although that's not quite their true story but makes it easier to understand. Single stage can be used in engine compartments and is easier because you spray two or three coats and you're done, no need to go back and clear coat. Single stage metallic however, can not be sanded or heavily cut without disturbing the metallic particles and changing the way the paint appears. For that reason people prefer to use a base/clear system with metallics.

This explains its pretty well. I did this in my garage, which is why I decided to go with the single stage. As little spray time as possible was what I wanted, but applied properly you can`t tell if its a base clear or single stage product. I have a few tiny dirt specs on the top of the fenders, since its single stage I can`t really wet sand and buff as I could possibly ruin the metallic . My option would be to sand down and respray the tops if its bothers me that much.

Dino · July 17, 2015, 10:31:20 PM

Nothing wrong with single stage paint!

Some paints take cutting and buffing a little better. It all depends on the paint's composition so if the tops bother you then I say go for it, nothing to lose. If cutting doesn't do it then just respray. It's not easy and sometimes downright impossible to get s metallic or pearl SS cut and buffed without creating spots or clouds. With a small dust nib sander you have a good shot though. No need to sand all of it.

Good job by the way.

PlainfieldCharger · July 18, 2015, 08:21:22 AM

Great job on that repair!! Frame rail repair

Canadian1968 · August 05, 2015, 06:44:29 PM

a few small progress pics. I finished the front of the rad support, sprayed the inner fenders with epoxy and then a 2 part bed liner. Its all sealed up now !! I started to put back in what I can for now, but not to much more I can do until I get the engine rebuilt. I plan on putting the K-member and engine in together from underneath

Dino · August 05, 2015, 07:19:01 PM

Nice work!

I'd get the brake lines in though.

Canadian1968 · October 26, 2015, 07:05:54 PM

A long time since any update. I have been busy though... well more so my wallet than my hands lol

Canadian1968 · October 26, 2015, 07:14:22 PM

one more

Dino · October 26, 2015, 07:58:02 PM

Awesome!

Are you going to reinstall the drivetrain from below?

plasticman-32 · October 26, 2015, 09:16:08 PM

man the bay looks clean.. what did you use to strip all the paint and smooth it out? it looks really well done

Canadian1968 · October 27, 2015, 06:24:14 AM

Quote from: Dino on October 26, 2015, 07:58:02 PM
Awesome!

Are you going to reinstall the drivetrain from below?

Yes I am planning on putting the entire drive train in from under the car . First time tryin this but it really makes more sense the more I think about it !!

As for the question about the engine bay . I started with paint stripper to remove most of grime and top layer. I then used a combo of wire wheels on a drill and grinder . A wash with degreaser, then final pass time to over everything with 80 grit

mopar4don · October 27, 2015, 06:51:41 AM

I really like the color of the motor (Petty blue)
What was the stock colors from the factory for engines?
What made you decide to go with this color?

Canadian1968 · October 27, 2015, 10:33:50 AM

Quote from: mopar4don on October 27, 2015, 06:51:41 AM
I really like the color of the motor (Petty blue)
What was the stock colors from the factory for engines?
What made you decide to go with this color?

That is the stock / original colour for the engine. Mopar turquoise was for all BB 67 an 68 I believe.

The other colors help accent it , possibly why it may look a bit different

Dino · October 27, 2015, 11:18:27 AM

I'm doing the same work you're doing but I just removed the heads form the engine so I have a ways to go. Let us know how that dolly worked out and if you'd do anything different. I've never installed an engine from below either.

Patronus · October 28, 2015, 04:34:39 PM

Just checked back in, and wow! Well done sir.

Going to be smiling from ear to ear next time you pop the hood.

Canadian1968 · November 07, 2015, 06:59:01 PM

With help of 2 buddies , we put the engine / transmission back in. I must say installing from the bottom was really easy, and painless !. All I can say, is make sure your Engine dolly has a set of nice swivel casters to help move the drive train under the car , other than that its just a matter of lowering the frame over the holes !

Canadian1968 · November 07, 2015, 06:59:40 PM

pics

Canadian1968 · November 07, 2015, 07:00:45 PM

pics

Canadian1968 · March 06, 2016, 08:02:59 AM

Things have slowed down a bit with my daughter running around . But I finally got the front suspension all finished . Just need some flex hoses !

SmashingPunkFan · May 02, 2016, 09:25:13 PM

This is super impressive. I will definitely tapping into this thread when I repair my front frames. The k-fame looks smashed in the frames like a hard landing, and it tore the rails. I'm very glad it's repairable

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Front Frame Rail Repair / Engine bay make over.