Stage 3

10-9-2006

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Here is the third stage to the restoration/modification of my 87 Cutlass. At this point, I have taken everything except the front and rear glass and the dashboard out of the car. Everything has been unhooked from the frame to the body (things like emergency brake cable, brake lines, speedometer cable and body mount bolts).

I used cement blocks, pressure treated 4x4x8 posts, and lots of cut up 2x4's with a floor jack to slowly lift the body off the frame. I also used the engine hoist connected to the trunk latch hook to help with the lifting. Worked great.

When doing this, use great care lifting it, as you don't want to twist the body (as most of its structural integrity is missing at this point) or have the body fall, crushing either you or the body itself. It may not look all that safe, but the body is actually pretty light. Once the body was up, I just rolled the frame right out from under it. Worked pretty slick.

I am glad that I decided to go all the way with this, instead of just a repaint. First off, if you are going to take the car apart to clean and paint all the pieces (really the only way to get a show quality paint job), what is one more step like this, as you can then also detail the underside of the car. And secondly, if you are going to make a car look nice, and spend all that time and money, and time, on a car, it helps to make sure that there aren't any hidden problems with it.

My car was a very very clean example of a G body Cutlass. I knew that when I bought it. It is the reason I bought it. But as you can see, the frame is in need of a good cleaning. I found dirt half an inch think on the back frame rails on the top. Right where they usually rot out. This dirt, or more to the point, silt (soft powdered dirt) is great at holding moisture. It will retain moisture against the frame, slowly rotting it away. This also happens on the inside of the frame rails in the rear. So if you have a G body, reach up into the holes on the bottom rear of the frame behind the rear tires on both sides. I bet you find a thin layer of powdery dirt. The rear tires kick this up through those holes, where the dirt will collect and slowly rot the rear frame rails. Make sure to clean this every year. Now You Know. 

Back to the point. The half inch of dirt on the top of the frame rails in the rear couldn't be seen or reached without taking the body off the frame. Or at least just lifting the body up a little off the frame to clean it. Seeing as how I am planning on owning this car till the day I die, I want to try to make it last as long as possible. So going the step further to clean the frame and protect it is well worth it.

I also wanted to make sure that all the brake lines were in good shape, and that there was nothing rotting where I couldn't see it or get at it. I found that the body mount bolts were rusting pretty badly. To the point where the bolt would actually taper in the middle where it was sealed in the body mount between the head of the bolt and the threads. The cause? Moisture can get up in the body mount location and get trapped in there, slowly eating away at that part of the bolt. I also found that the mounts needed replaced. While they were in good shape for their age, they are starting to deteriorate and crack. In examining the underbody of the car, I found that there was rust starting on the body mount locations. Nothing serious, as it was just starting to get surface rust where the mounts mated against the body, but a few more years, and I would be replacing metal on those locations. Another added benefit of taking the body off the frame. I can now clean this when I clean the rest of the underside, paint it and I shouldn't have to worry about it for another 20 years.

Below you will see that I took many detailed pictures of the frame. This was two part. The first, to show the condition of all the areas of the frame. Secondly, to document all the hard lines (brake lines, gas lines, e-brake routing) so when I take all the parts off the frame for cleaning and painting, that I can put everything back together just the way I found it and not have it jerry-rigged.

So that brings us up to date. I now have a total of 3 days (at around 8 hours per day), and a few misc. hours into the project. The frame will now get the rest of the gear taken off it (front and rear suspension, hard lines, etc.) and it will go off for cleaning and painting. I haven't decided on whether I want it painted or powder coated yet. I am hoping to have the body back on the frame before the snow flies.

Stay tuned. More to come.........  

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