I’m getting all set for the big swap. I just picked up my ’89 yesterday. After sitting for 6 years, I threw a battery in it, cranked it over for 10 seconds, and it started. Amazing! In addition, it made loading the car onto the trailer fairly easy. So, that was a relief.

Looking at all of the stuff that I need to get done, it seems rather daunting. But, I know I can pull it off.

The first think on my list, and maybe it should be one of the last, is to get the car to a frame shop and have them check out the straightness of the unibody. I can see that some of my gaps are not very consistent (front of driver’s door to front fender gap is 3/16”-1/4” larger at the bottom than the top). I also seem some seam sealer that is separating in the rear wheel wells. Maybe this is just from age and shrinkage, but I’d prefer to have it all straightened out before I start building the SFC’s.

Does anyone have experience with trying to straighten these cars? The subframes and floor pans appear to be straight, but the gaps indicate that something isn’t quite right.

 

Havent tried straightening any, always very careful when inspecting before purchase.

However remember this isnt a ferrari, not to mention the door bushings often wear out, as well as people working on things often leaves stuff not lined up properly, so I wouldnt start worrying too much yet.

 

... Not a Ferrari yet. I was thinking that some of those sweet Testarosa cheese grater brake ducts would really look nice...

Seriously though, I'm going to be pretty **** with this one. So, I want to start by not cutting any corners.

 

Gaps weren't perfect brand new so don't sweat just yet.

 

As others said, poor gaps are part of the charm. Straightening them is like any other car restoration. Cut & move panels, add material to the panel edges, & grind/sand until gaps are right.

If the chassis is tweaked, that's different, and needs specialized attention.

 

Misaligned body panels is part of the charm of owning a car from the 80's