Rotten Front Passenger Rail

[Sweet T]

Hey guys I was wondering if anyone has changed out a front passenger frame rail.  I'm seeing sunshine through three sides on mine around the shock tower.  The only side that is decent is the bottom.  Top is completely gone, inside at least a 16 inch repair needed,  and the outside would bust through if I gave it a good wack with a hammer.  Oh yeah there's one more spot near the front that's busted through.  I don't really like the capping idea. 

My biggest concerns are realignment of the new rail and will the car lose it's squareness when I drill the old one out?

[Blown70]

Have you got one. or do you need one?

[Sweet T]

I don't have one yet.  I'm about to order one from National Moparts in Ontario.  I'm looking for experiences with changing these out, I'm planning on doing it myself.  I'm starting to get too cheap to pay others for this kind of stuff.

[Doc74]

I'm a bit confused as to which rail you mean, do you have a picture ?

[daytonalo]

The alignment part is easy , just remove k-frame , note x-dem prior to removal , install new one . That is great to hear that someone makes that part , I also don't like the capping idea , looks like shit ! I had to make 20 inch of driver side frame rail on my daytona clone

[MoparManJim]

I was looking at there web site,  http://www.autorust.com , I don't know if that will help or not. 

[AutoRust]

 That is great to hear that someone makes that part

No one is making a new frame rail, they have used ones that are cut out of wrecks

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[daytonalo]

I viewed it somewhere , and it wasn't a cap !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AutoRust]

Nigel at Moparts in Canada sells used ones, cut from wrecks.
I am not aware of anyone stamping a new front frame rail for B-Body cars. Tooling costs have been quoted to us, about $250,000 per side.
If someone was stamping them, I am sure it would be for the E-body first. Thats a lot of coin to invest, 1/2 a million. What would you have to charge for one? Even Goodmark declined making them.

Our kits are now welded internally, took us a while to develop the technique. If your building a numbers matching, rare Mopar, go to the desert and try to get a good rail from a donor car. If your building a driver, A cap will buy you 25 years of safe driving, without having to do a complete restoration.
I know a lot of folks are of the thought that all Mopars are investments and everything should be done perfectly anytime anything is done to them. And thats OK if thats there approach.  We talk to a ton of people that dont want to spend major money, just want to repair it and keep driving it for a few years, they buy a kit, and slip it on, weld it up, and are out driving again in a week or 2.
I understand there are 2 schools of thought there, and often times there are 2 very different opinions about the best approach.
I have learned it usually boils down to 2 things
Budget and skill levels. Some folks have a big budget and can pay to have a #1 resto done. Some folks have a very high skill level and can fabricate and rebuild a car very nicely.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks that dont have a lot of either, and they are just as passionate about the hobby. That doesnt make them any less worthy of being in the hobby, it just makes there approach a bit different and within there skill level and budget

[daytonalo]

I'm sorry it was a e-body rear frame rail that I saw somewhere

[AutoRust]

No one is stamping a full rear frame rail for an E-Body. Sherman has a short rear for them, thats all thats available.
Tooling for a full frame rail, E-Body Rear is in the same range as a front one, around $250,000. And you need 2, so its still a half a million to shell out. I dont think anyone is going to go thru the trouble to tool up, it takes at least 18 months to complete one that size, perhaps double time to do Left and Right. And again, what do you sell one for? Perhaps $1000 each ??   Yikes, ya think there are that many people willing to wait that long, and pay that much? A good business model dictates you would need to sell 1000 of them @ a $1000 each, within 5 years.And thats without writing in a substantial profit margin. Do we think this hobby will peak before then? Its a tough to see the future. I understand a lot of people are in for the long haul, but thats a lotta dough to put up....
But wait, I still need to do the front rails, so there is another half a million.
Its not easy to pull it off. AS much as we would like to, how can you justify that kind of outlay of dough, without a positive business model.
Goodmark declined it, so you could think its not a popular idea.

[daytonalo]

I guess it was the short frame , it was on speed channel