The owner that had my car before me got into a accident where he got nailed in the back so now the lights do not line up the hatch is about an inch off (hanging over) and my driver 1/4 panel is like 50 to 85 % bondo. My dad who is a mechanic says to fix this it has to be pulled on a frame puller then the panel needs to be replaced up to about $700 ... are there any other methods to do this? I was thinking hook his truck up to the back w/ a chain and pull the panel back .. im getting desperate here... I have a parts car i could get the panel off of so the only problem is realigning the back panel and 1/4 panel

 

Ditch the car if your worried about the back. These cars are too cheap to try something that drastic. The unibody isn't too tough, and putting it on a stretcher isnt a very good idea. Unless its in mint condition, go pick one cheap and put that 350 you want in that one.

 

Its not mint... yet the only thing left really is swap out that back and paint it .. id like to keep it

 

Hook a chain to it and pull it with a truck. Then youll have to redo all the bondo. It will all crack and fall off. You'll never get it to line up right, you'll never get it too look undamaged. Im not trying to be an ***, I love my car and would do almost anything to keep it.....but, you'll either have to live with it the way it is, have it "streched" replace the bondo and still have it not line up, or get a new one. Ever go to a junkyard and see a great looking f-body with a creased rear quarter? I know where there are tons. Why....Its not worth it, it will never be right.

 

Ok how about this ... im getting a parts car , has no engine or trans has rusting panels but frame is straight . It has full grey and black interior but has no seats would it be worth it to put all my stuff into this car? Its an 83 s/e but the body is not as good as my 85 (if you dont count the big dent in the corner) beacause its been sitting in the same spot for 7 yrs or something like that .. what do you think i should do

 

The thing is these cars are unibody, which means they dont realy have a frame per say. If the rust isnt too bad and you can fix it Id say do it. Itll take time, but if your willing to put time into it it would be more worth it. Now thats if the rust isnt too bad. There just isn't any way to fix the problem on the first one. If you can live with it, keep it. If you want to put money and time into something in the futur, the parts car might be the best option. Now how bad is the rust? Is it surface or are there huge holes in it?

 

some panels have holes but i dont think the frame is rusted through almost postitive its just surface rust on the frame

 

Skate, hold on! Pulling it with a truck is only going to ruin your car. First, take your parts car or another third gen and measure. A lot of it. Find out EXACTLY where the car is short or wrong. You could have a messed up hatch. When you find out where it needs to be pulled, if it really does at all, a "backyard" way of doing it is find two trees about 25-30 feet away. Chain the front of the car to one tree, wrap a chian around the back tree at the level (height) you need a pull. Hook a come-a-long to the chain, find something to hook the come-a-long to so it does'nt tear your car, pull, hammer,pull, hammer ect.. This is a real "butch" way of pulling, but way better that a truck .

If you really want to keep the car, get it measured and pulled by a pro on a frame bench. If the car has holes in some panels and a rusty frame, make plans for a better one. There are a ton of rust free cars out there.

 

im going to let you know from experience if your goin to get it done get it done PROFESSIONALLY otherwise dont get it done im letting you konw in advance it never drives the same as it used to

 

My dad is a professional mechanic he has been a mechanic for like over 30 years. ill get pics when its finished