Butcho

I have an 84 trans am that I've owned for about 15 years now. Had it since I was 17. Its sat for about 6 years now since I didn't have the extra money to fix it. Now that I have some money, I've started looking into it. I need a lot of sheet metal. Floors, rockers, and rear quarters. Now I know Its gonna cost more than I could spend on a rust free body but it has sentimental value. My problem is that the body is twisted. The T-topps only leak in a really hard downpour but if you look at the windshield, you can see that there is a twist to the body. the outer seal actually popped out and the windshield is so tight up against the body that I couldn't get it back in so I had to use black RTV to seal it. Now I know most people wouldn't waste their money fixing this but I really want to keep the car. SO is there ANY way of fixing the body twist? I need to know this before I start spending money on it. Thanks to anyone who can help me out here. My son literally tears up when I talk about getting rid of it! I'd love to pass it on to him but need to know if its possible.

J91

Take it to a body shop w/ a frame rack, only they can tell you if it's salvageable....

91slammed

yea, frame machine is your best bet you can usually get it done for an hour to three hours worth of labor by the shop.

Butcho

Thanks guys! I'll look into finding a place that does it around here!

calamitascamaro

iTrader: (5)

Find a place that uses an automated "Caroliner" frame rack. It's well worth it.

kcb37

I would agree with everything said above, but in my opinion I would not get your hopes up. These cars are not easy to fix with a twisted body. You may find that they can straighten your's out simply, or you may find that it won't ever be quite right.
Either way if you go thru with it, I would suggest "fixing" the body twist and driving it. If possible. The way the car handles, and the way the tires wear will be a good indication of weather it is really straight or not, or straight enough.
Also keep in mind, while it may drive straight and wear the tires correctly if the body is still not quite straight you may have a hard time getting the body panels to line up correctly.
I am not trying to discourage you at all.
I also need a floor pan for my car, from the clutch/gas/brake peadel, to the front of the seat, to the trans tunnel, to the door is gone on my car.
My car was also hit, the hood does not close right, front left fender has been replaced, missing front ground effects, grill.
But since I bought it in 07 to now it still drives straight and wears the tires evenly so I am going to go with it.
Like you my car is not worth fixing, no value at all to me as I have only had it for a few years and more or less it was a piece of junk when I bought it, just a car I wanted so here I am.
In some years and who knows how much lighter in the wallet it will be a beautiful car.
Someday.
Like you I also hope to pass down something. Who know's my daughter may get the Camaro, and Ford.

white gold 88

I'm probably too late but you haven't described anything to indicate body twist. When windshields are installed, the moulding is usually glued to the glass then the glass is installed in the car. Sometimes it will sit on the old stops at the bottom, sometimes it needs to be pushed up to get the molding to fill in the gaps. Unless the glass is cracked or the car has been hit HARD it's doubtful that the windshield frame is bent.

If the car is rusted to the point that it has twisted then the windshield is the least of your problems. Also most measuring systems only measure points on the bottom of the car and some under the hood. Usually upper body measurements are taken with a tram gage, from point to point. You may be able to get a decent measurement of the windshield opening with a ruler with the glass still in the car. Bottom line if the sheet metal fits decent and the doors open and fit well then there's not much need to measure unless there is evidence of collision damage. Maybe pull the rest of the w-shield moulding off and compare then. Those moldings usually shrank with age and the first place they came loose is the top cormers.

WickedCrazy

My car too was slightly twisted in the frame, bought it that way from a guy that had been tboned in it. Passenger side was pretty banged up. Took me all winter with a lot of measurements, hammers, BFH's, and two trucks and a come-a-long but i got it straight. **** the passenger door now shuts better than any ive ever seen. But it took a lot of work to get there. But in the end it is totally worth it imo

navy02ws6

....you mean BF Goodrich KDW's?

91 Droptop

Go cross corner under the hood, do you have a long firring strip you can use? if so put a nail in one end and find a spot in the drivers side corner of the cowl, then have some one hold the nail in that spot while you take the other end to the pas side corner od the radiator support. mark the length amd then do it from the opposite corners and see if they are equal. If they are then your front end is squared up.

These cars are Unibody, so when they twist you ussually dont get the doors to close correctly or any gaps to line up, remember this is just a homemade system to see if you are close. If you do find you are way off, take it to a body shop with a modern frame machine, A Chief, or Car-o-liner, not some guy with a come-a-long and a chain, good luck

WickedCrazy

But its so much fun! No but seriously it does suck.

chevman24

iTrader: (1)

I put SFC's on mine and it straightened the car out. Im not saying that will fix your problem, our issues are way different, my car wasnt that twisted.

I was rear-ended by some college kid at a stop light during rush hr. I looked in my mirror and saw a huge space between my car and the next one (about 150 yards). Sure enough some Ford Escort changes lanes and comes flying up, it was raining too (always stayed home when it rained, not this time). I knew the car was going to hit me as soon as it changed lanes, so i let off the brake and put the car in neutral. That move saved the quarter panels amongst other things on the car. He hit hard enough to shift the frame forward on the drivers side. I knew right away because i had a tough time opening my door. The shop pulled the frame back, remolded my rear bumper and re-painted it.