HELP '71 Plymouth Front Frame Repair

[poly3521]

Can anyone tell me how bad its going to be changing the LH front frame rail? Mine's got a hole between the k-member mounting points. I have the safety cap to repair it, but I was thinking of replacing the whole rail.

 

[PettyBlue72]

Well I hope you like to drill out spotwelds! To get the frame rail out, you have to drill out the spotwelds on the bottom of the inner fender, the floorpan, the torsion bar crossmember and the front of the core support. The shock tower brace must also be loosened from the inner fender. You also need to remove the shock tower brace from the old rail and reinstall it on the new rail.

If the hole is not to bad, use a section of the frame cap to fabricate a patch for the rail and call it a day.

Joe

 

[poly3521]

Thanks for the help Joe. I looked at it again today, removed the splash shield, and the frame's gone. Someone patched behind the bump stop plate, so I'm just gonna get the rail and start drilling:icon_cry: I get my camera going I'll take some pics.

 

[73ChargerSE]

Do you already have a frame rail? I've got a '73 Charger that I'm parting out that should have a nice rust free rail.

Paul

 

[poly3521]

I was going to purchase one from rocpar on ebay. They have them for $305 a side plus $45 for shippng. They have 100% feedback, so they should be good. It's my winter project. :icon_rendeer:
Do you have to remove the engine and K-member to replace it, or can I cheat and let the K-member hang? I never had to fix one before on a Mopar, I'm used to GM's Nova/Camaro setup. I apologize, but I'm trying to get away from the "Dark Side".

 

[moparmarks]

Do you already have a frame rail? I've got a '73 Charger that I'm parting out that should have a nice rust free rail.

Paul

73/4 is different than 71/2
Factory Crash parts manual says 54.2 hrs for a front rail

 

[moparmarks]

I was going to purchase one from rocpar on ebay. They have them for $305 a side plus $45 for shippng. They have 100% feedback, so they should be good. It's my winter project. :icon_rendeer:
Do you have to remove the engine and K-member to replace it, or can I cheat and let the K-member hang? I never had to fix one before on a Mopar, I'm used to GM's Nova/Camaro setup. I apologize, but I'm trying to get away from the "Dark Side".

I take a stack of them to Carlisle PA every summer.

Beings how the K-frame is bolted to the bottom of the rail you'll probably want to take it out.

 

[dangina]

73/4 is different than 71/2
Factory Crash parts manual says 54.2 hrs for a front rail

ouch...

 

[poly3521]

I kind of figured it was going to be a bear to replace, and I wasn't sure if 71 and 73 could interchange. Atleast the rocpar replacement's worth it. Should last another 40 years. And I wanted to pull the engine anyway. I've got a few issues, 3,000 stall converter, grit in the oil, and I drained the oil when I got, and got 2 and a half gallons of oil/gas out of it. Had a holley that dumped way too much fuel. Sounds okay, but it might have a broken ring, got alittle grit on the dipstick. Thanks for all the help.

 

[poly3521]

Just to throw this one out there, would a 70-74 E-body rail fit? I found one through Classic Industries, Part Number MM1901. Looks close, and it should save time on the swap. I don't really need the extra stuff on it, or the $580 price tag, but "time is money".

 

[poly3521]

Just bought the rocpar rail. Now I have to get a Blair spot weld cutter and some extra bits. Should I mig weld or spot weld the rail in? I have a fluxcore welder, and my neighbor said he could do it if I wanted. He work in a collision shop for years. Any suggestions?