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My father purchased this car in 1986 for almost nothing, and resprayed it Scarlet Red, fixing it on the cheap. He bought it with a rusty floor pan and quarter panel wells, which were "repaired" as well as a broke college student could. I grew up in this car, with a reverence for its styling and sound. Since getting into mechanical work, I have been interested in working on repairing the floors and electrical systems correctly, with an eye for reasonable modernization.
Specs:
1967 442 400cid "E" Casting Big Block, rebuilt sometime around 2017.
T350 3-Speed Automatic
Sun and Stewart-Warner period-correct gauges
Retrofit Front Disc Brakes
Purchased & Proposed Modifications/Parts:
Cold Case 1968 442 Aluminum Radiator
Koni Rear Shocks, KYB Front Shocks
Flowmaster American Thunder Exhaust
Powdercoated Frame (Replacement)
Complete Floor Pan & Toe Boards
Complete Rubber Mount Kits
Stainless Hardware
Custom 4-Core Radiator Top Support
Stainless Transmission Lines
ARP Header Studs
Holley Sniper EFI Quadrajet System
The project is already underway, and the main resource I don't have is time. I will post updates as I make progress, and photos as well!
PS: Core Support repair sucks. What is the best way to re-weld the upper and lower supports?
Some Initial Photos. The Engine is OUT! The body wants to twist and rock backwards, so I am waiting on help to lift it any higher.
Early Front Clip Removal. The "Repairs" Instrument Panel 1967 400 E Motor. Debating EFI. The Passenger Frame Rail. Has seen better. Tweaked driver front frame horn. Rusted out below.
Before going any farther with the frame give it a good inspection. If its rot free have a frame shop put it on table to straighten XY&Z axis. Then repair paint powder coat etc.
I see so many guys make the frame pretty only to find out its tweaked during final assembly and the dog house and doors wont align.
Might be farther ahead sourcing a clean frame. Still have that checked too.
Before going any farther with the frame give it a good inspection. If its rot free have a frame shop put it on table to straighten XY&Z axis. Then repair paint powder coat etc.
I see so many guys make the frame pretty only to find out its tweaked during final assembly and the dog house and doors wont align.
Might be farther ahead sourcing a clean frame. Still have that checked too.
Ended up ordering a new frame from Gary’s Classics. Hoping it is good quality, the guy knew the brand of powder coat they used.
Before going any farther with the frame give it a good inspection. If its rot free have a frame shop put it on table to straighten XY&Z axis. Then repair paint powder coat etc.
I see so many guys make the frame pretty only to find out its tweaked during final assembly and the dog house and doors wont align.
Might be farther ahead sourcing a clean frame. Still have that checked too.
I went through the headache of trying to find a frame shop to straighten the frame from my 64. Either they had too much work and wouldnt touch it for years, or they would rather take insurance work as it pays better according to them. Ended up buying a new frame as well.
Got the frame scooted out from under the body with some ingenuity. I have Quickjacks (basically hydraulic 2-piece scissor lifts), and used 2 4x4x8 posts, one near the firewall, the other at the back of the pinch weld, plus a jack under the trunk where the gas tank would be (mostly for stability) to raise the body to the full 2nd position. Then, I disconnected everything and pushed the old, damaged frame out!
So today begins work on the core support again, this time the headlight buckets and brackets. Through some extensive test fitting and research, I came up with a quick reference for 1968 Cutlass headlight brackets. Couldn't find it anywhere else, so Im writing it down here.
1968 Cutlass Bulb Information
Outside Bulbs are LO BEAM Inside Bulbs are HI BEAM
And the bucket + bracket combos are: Passenger
Outer ROB - C Inner RIB - B
Driver
Outer LOB - A Inner LIB - D
So, C B D A is the order left to right. Feel free to correct me if something is incorrect!
New CUSTOM 1968 4-core top support welded up, fits perfectly. Waterjet cut from 18ga steel and saddles from Inline tube welded up.
Also cleaned up the core support and welded it back up. Rear end work too, but it’s a chevy 12 bolt for some reason. Going with a Detroit Trutrac Helical LSD for long service life.
