I need (FRAME) help!!

[jb666]

Ok, my list of problems just grew a bit..

Long story short, I need rear frame rails. '69 Charger.

Besides AMD and YearOne (both have no stock) can you guys recommend anyone to me??

[mikepmcs]

http://www.jimsautoparts.com/body_parts_rear.htm#DS-212077070

maybe this vendor can help.

[jb666]

http://www.jimsautoparts.com/body_parts_rear.htm#DS-212077070

maybe this vendor can help.

Too funny!! I'm trying to get through to them now.. They are fairly close to me, so I could go pick them up..

Thanks!

[Charger-Bodie]

You can also get nice rust free used ones form yards such as Texes acres or Desert valley auto parts.

[WingCharger]

I thought your car has a solid body?

PS: I LOVE YOUR  CAR!!! It is in my top 15!

[jb666]

I thought your car has a solid body?

PS: I LOVE YOUR  CAR!!! It is in my top 15!

Thank you.

I thought so too. Pictures, taken right, can make a car look gorgeous.. My "restoration" was completed in a method that I'd expect from HLPAG. The rear frame rails were trash. They used fiberglass to smooth them over and then caked the undercoating on them... They aren't supporting the trunk area and the driver's side is missing a chunk big enough to fit your fist through..

Certain things were done well, other things were the worst hack job I think I've ever seen in my life.. (the wiring, the suspension, the frame, the finish body work for example).

[jb666]

You can also get nice rust free used ones form yards such as Texes acres or Desert valley auto parts.

Great tip!! Thank you!!

[jb666]

You can also get nice rust free used ones form yards such as Texes acres or Desert valley auto parts.

Both were a no go.. I just called them 

[Big_John]

You could try these guys. I think its a cap that goes over your existing rails. They're not too far from you.

http://www.autorust.com/catalog.html

[jb666]

You could try these guys. I think its a cap that goes over your existing rails. They're not too far from you.

http://www.autorust.com/catalog.html

Thanks John, but the shop owner told me to stay away from caps, to get the full replacement rail. He'll have the car for a while anyways, since he's doing a full harness install (among other things).

[Finn]

How far is your search radius? There is a guy in CA that might have them but I dunno if you wanna ship that far? Let me know.

[gasoline_24]

I have a full rear frame section including the entire rear frame.  However, one rear section would either need braced or replaced.  Otherwise it is in great shape.  I am in KS.

[Daytona R/T SE]

This looks like it's worth a shot

http://www.drmopar.com/

[SFRT]

I had to replace my ds front rail and shock tower. I got it from

http://www.texasacres.com/

excellent item, superfast shipping great price.

[jb666]

I have a full rear frame section including the entire rear frame.  However, one rear section would either need braced or replaced.  Otherwise it is in great shape.  I am in KS.

Well, the section I really need is from the rear bumper to roughly 12" up. Are both sections of yours clean at these points?

[jb666]

Well, I found a pair of brand new rails.. Jim's has them.. What's weird is I offered to pick them up and they said no, "ship only" Either way, no harm no foul, they are on their way!!

[Aero426]

Well, I found a pair of brand new rails.. Jim's has them.. What's weird is I offered to pick them up and they said no, "ship only" Either way, no harm no foul, they are on their way!!

Jim's Auto Parts has a reputation for poor customer service.   I am surprised nobody spoke up here.   Do a search on Moparts and you will see.    People who are local to them go out of their way to avoid doing business with them.   Watch your credit card billing, especially on the shipping.   The "no local pickup" statement is not surprising.

[jb666]

Well, I found a pair of brand new rails.. Jim's has them.. What's weird is I offered to pick them up and they said no, "ship only" Either way, no harm no foul, they are on their way!!

Jim's Auto Parts has a reputation for poor customer service.   I am surprised nobody spoke up here.   Do a search on Moparts and you will see.    People who are local to them avoid doing business with them. 

Yeah, I've heard a few things.. I just don't get it, because they are 1/2 hour from me and about 3 minutes from my brother's place.. I could have picked them up, but the "ship only" policy threw me for a loop. Why would anyone say that?? It'd be cheaper for me to drive up then to ship them.

[Aero426]

Yeah, I've heard a few things.. I just don't get it, because they are 1/2 hour from me and about 3 minutes from my brother's place.. I could have picked them up, but the "ship only" policy threw me for a loop. Why would anyone say that?? It'd be cheaper for me to drive up then to ship them.

People who have bought on site, have said their walk in price changed when they appeared in person.   There is a reason you never see them at a swap meet.   But they have a slick internet site.   My opinion is that like the 24 Hour Plumber with the full page ad in the yellow pages, their objective is to stick it hard to as many people as they can, at least ONE TIME.

[jb666]

Yeah, I've heard a few things.. I just don't get it, because they are 1/2 hour from me and about 3 minutes from my brother's place.. I could have picked them up, but the "ship only" policy threw me for a loop. Why would anyone say that?? It'd be cheaper for me to drive up then to ship them.

People who have bought on site, have said their walk in price changed when they appeared in person.   There is a reason you never see them at a swap meet.   But they have a slick internet site.   My opinion is that like the 24 Hour Plumber with the full page ad in the yellow pages, their objective is to stick it hard to as many people as they can, at least ONE TIME.

So .. She's telling me that if I were to walk into their shop they wouldn't sell me a set of frame rails? That's a ridiculous policy.... How are they still in business??

[Aero426]

They are in business because people don't get the word, kind of like HLPAG.   You probably realize it now, but the "no local pickup" message they gave you is a pretty big red flag.   Very much like HLPAG not wanting you to come see your car and take delivery on site.   Maybe your experience will go OK.   

[jb666]

They are in business because people don't get the word, kind of like HLPAG.   You probably realize it now, but the "no local pickup" message they gave you is a pretty big red flag.   Very much like HLPAG not wanting you to come see your car and take delivery on site.   Maybe your experience will go OK.   

Hell with that, I'll be ordering elsewhere.. I don't have the time or patience to mess around with a company like this.. Plus I can't afford the jail time.

[gasoline_24]

Have you tried AMD?  They have these.  The frame I have needs work on one of the rear portions the same as the one you have.  The other has rust but it is just on the surface and is solid.  If you are interested I have pics, but the shipping to you would be pretty high.

[jb666]

Have you tried AMD?  They have these.  The frame I have needs work on one of the rear portions the same as the one you have.  The other has rust but it is just on the surface and is solid.  If you are interested I have pics, but the shipping to you would be pretty high.

AMD has them on their site, but are 3 months away from actual production.

I just got off the phone with another vendor who said they shipped directly from Goodmark in Georgia, but they have no way of telling if they are in stock or when they could ship..THEN WHY SELL THEM AS "in stock" ON YOUR WEB SITE???

[gasoline_24]

I have a whole bunch of AMD sheetmetal and I would recommend waiting.  It is worth the wait.  I have quarters, fenders, trunk floor, tail light panel, rear valance and other parts.  They are not perfect, but the best of anything I have seen on the market.  I waited a year for the quarters, but I think they are a little better about giving estimates now.

[Aero426]

I would recommend you wait for the AMD parts or the real OEM rails.   I don't have personal experience with the Goodmark rails, but based on comments on some of their other items, I will not buy them.    The B-body outer wheelhouse is one specific part that is incorrect and doesn't fit right.   

I know you are excited about your new car,  and it has been one thing after another - but my opinion is that you need to take your time here.  Get the right parts and have them properly installed.   

[jb666]

I would recommend you wait for the AMD parts or the real OEM rails.   I don't have personal experience with the Goodmark rails, but based on comments on some of their other items, I will not buy them.    The B-body outer wheelhouse is one specific part that is incorrect and doesn't fit right.   

I know you are excited about your new car,  and it has been one thing after another - but my opinion is that you need to take your time here.  Get the right parts and have them properly installed.   

Well, I just called AMD back to see if the other sales rep was exaggerating.. He told me "No, he wasn't, he was being generous, we're actually looking at June 2009".

I'll be taking my chances with another vendor (or OEM/USED).

[Big_John]

http://store.shermanparts.com/cgi-bin/sherman/product_list.html?img_num=171

They show them to be in stock.

[jb666]

http://store.shermanparts.com/cgi-bin/sherman/product_list.html?img_num=171

They show them to be in stock.

I'll call them now! Thanks John!

[Ghoste]

Late jumping in but when you were talking to "her" on the phone at Jims, I'm surprised that didn't turn you off right there.  "She" must have got lucky the night before because her phone manners generally rate somewhere right around evil pig to disgusting hag.

[Mike DC]

 
As a general note about replacing framerails, buying a whole used subframe section is usually the best way to do this if your originals are toast.  You may be wanting to splice it if the metal is solid except the rear end (like a foot or less), but that's about the only time I'd consider a partial swap. 



There are reproductions out there, both partials and whole rails.  But the metal quality of the repros (of any panel) is almost never what the original stuff was no matter what they say in the advertising.  This is a loadbearing item and it can still be found used for a reasonable price.  So think hard before you jump straight to using the replacement stuff.



And when you buy a used clip, you can get the entire thing still welded together as a lump.  So IMHO this is definitely the way to go if you're gonna be replacing so much of the rails that the rear shock crossmember & spring mounts & everthing have to be reattached/replaced. 

It takes some money to de-floor a used clip and re-floor it into/inside the new car.  But on the other hand you're not trusting the new shop to weld all those various loadbearing things back together again.  When you replace the whole section you're keeping a lot of loadbearing (and chassis-shaping) parts and welds that the factory did correctly.  It's just one great big lump of stuff, either it's lined up or it's not. 

 

[gasoline_24]

I was lucky to find an entire rear section in great shape and I would recommend going this way also.  AMD is great, but if you need something now you have a whole lot of options as all the B body rear frame rails from 68-70 should work and possibly even the 66-67, but not sure on those.  I highly recommend the whole section.  I was able to blast the entire frame prime the inside frame rails and undercoat them for some additional protection.  I should be good for another 50 years with this much protection.  This is much better than anything the factory did and unless you remove the entire frame you cannot do this.  Just my 

[Mike DC]

All the B-bodies from 1966-1970 share their front & rear subframes.  Even if you're swapping from a 4dr station wagon to a 2dr convertible as far as I know.  There may be a few odd exhaust brackets to change or some bolt holes drilled in the wrong places here and there, but the basic rails & crossmembers really didn't change in that whole stretch of time. 

This is why decent used parts can still be found affordably even for something like a highly desirable 2nd-gen Charger. 

 

[jb666]

Thanks for the help and advice here guys, it's really making my decision making easy 

[jb666]

Frame rails arrived today and are excellent, thanks again for the help, guys..

The entire back end of this car is apart.. Fuel tank supports, shock cross member, trunk support, and everything in between was TRASH. A 200LB box is arriving tomorrow and the reconstruction will begin..

The "subframe connectors" in this car were a joke and were an example of why HACKS shouldn't touch a welder.. They are out and real subframe connectors (through the floor) are installed/welded in place now..

It's coming together..


The guy doing this work is amazing.. His welds are a work of art, I'm really looking forward to this car being built RIGHT.









and yes, the quarters are next.. But check out the driver's side rear frame rail 

[Hemidog]

Good thing you're saving this car right! 

Looks like you need a rear crossmember aswell.

[jb666]

Good thing you're saving this car right! 

Looks like you need a rear crossmember aswell.

Yep, that's out too.. 

Some of these "restoration shops" should be shut down for fraud 

[69bronzeT5]

Its probally been mentioned but who made the frame rails?

[jb666]

I got them from Texas Acres. 

[Steve P.]

I just came across this thread and while reading it I was taken back when you said Texas Acres DIDN'T HAVE ANY... They probably have hundreds of sets there. I wonder if the person you talked to the first time was new.. Hahaha... I have even seen pics. of stacks of "B" frame rails there.... 


Glad to hear it's all coming together for ya.  And yes, a welder that knows what he is doing makes ALL the difference....  Tip him nicely when he's done...

[jb666]

I just came across this thread and while reading it I was taken back when you said Texas Acres DIDN'T HAVE ANY... They probably have hundreds of sets there. I wonder if the person you talked to the first time was new.. Hahaha... I have even seen pics. of stacks of "B" frame rails there.... 


Glad to hear it's all coming together for ya.  And yes, a welder that knows what he is doing makes ALL the difference....  Tip him nicely when he's done...

The first guy I talked to said they didn't have any.. Someone called back a day later and asked if I was still looking, that they had "many sets".

[Steve P.]

I figured as much....  Did you end up with enough good steel for good penetration or did you have to add steel?

[jb666]

I figured as much....  Did you end up with enough good steel for good penetration or did you have to add steel?

It had to be reinforced, but they were in really nice shape.