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Cutting her up!

So you're taking it a apart. in order to reassemble as the factory did? How are you going to weld the parts back together? Factory spot welded - not plug welded. You can't spot weld when one panel has holes in it... Just curious. If the car is solid, have it dipped and examine it, but don't cut it apart. That would be my advice.
 
that is true,didn't think of that
you will destroy half of the car or more
if you want to put it back together the way the factory did.
 
Thanks folks! Gave me lots to think about.
1. Wasn't going to "completely" part out. I thought so, but what I considered completely is not completely accurate, lol. Wasn't going to remove skins. Like the door, keep intact but all the guts and glass removed, stuff like that.
2. Also will need to get a few parts from a couple of other cars I currently have, so would not be, completely put back together with all of it's own parts.
3. kinda like this: start with bare frame, install complete under frame stuff, put "cowl?" on, think is 2 parts, kept together, put entire bottom part"top side" on frame, some parts still "connected" some not, then add roof and body.... etc.. kinda like that...
4. Thanks folks for all the input, You gave me lots to think about, appreciate ya.
 
You would have to make a extensive jig
To pull something like that off as the parts are not totally rigid they will move around.
I just don't get the logic
You are going to invest waste a lot of time and effort
With little pay out.
Go find a shell fix only what is bad and move on.
That takes too much time to do properly
On its own.
 
Ok...I don't like to get to personal as I am a very private person. I didn't wanna share "what I'm doin" as it my business no one else's.. Hope no one takes offense as I'm not talking to one person just explaining -me......
But here it is... I am completely disassembling a car.... The reason for this is to know how everything goes together when Me and my grandson in a few years put it back together totally and completely from scratch like they did from the factory and be completely like new. I am also marking and taking pics and some videos along the way and will do the same when he starts high school and we start building one from scratch... Gonna also be his graduation gift......thanks all for helping
You are an ambitious man! My car was never taken apart like that, just old & rusty with a couple wrecks.....and I've been trying to put it back together for 35 yrs. (& hopefully I can paint it next Spring). I work on the car an average of 2 hrs/day 7days/week....fyi, for some perspective.
 
You would have to make a extensive jig
To pull something like that off as the parts are not totally rigid they will move around.
I just don't get the logic
You are going to invest waste a lot of time and effort
With little pay out.
Go find a shell fix only what is bad and move on.
That takes too much time to do properly
On its own.[/QUO
You are an ambitious man! My car was never taken apart like that, just old & rusty with a couple wrecks.....and I've been trying to put it back together for 35 yrs. (& hopefully I can paint it next Spring). I work on the car an average of 2 hrs/day 7days/week....fyi, for some perspective.
If it was for just me - as long as it goes and wooes.. all good
Want to teach grandson a lot of different aspects of the car. Hopefully appreciate it. AND hopefully keep his first car - 68 road runner - like I didn't!!!!
also...spending time with grandpa instead of with his friends on the weekend, maybe keep him out of trouble lol
 
Ripping a car apart for a teaching aide
Makes no sense.
Teach him how to fix things
Want a challenge?
Go find a desirable car with 4 rotted rails
And more and fix it.(I have)
Do a car like that and he will be a expert by the time it's done.
Tear that car apart for what you need. .
To fix the other.
That makes more sense
At least there is something of value
When you are done.
All you are doing is devalusing what you already have.
Even A better challenge is making aftermarket parts fit.
That requires more skill
Then playing with factory parts.
Plenty of ways to teach a kid to be a expert
Without going backwards
 
Ripping a car apart for a teaching aide
Makes no sense.
Teach him how to fix things
Want a challenge?
Go find a desirable car with 4 rotted rails
And more and fix it.(I have)
Do a car like that and he will be a expert by the time it's done.
Tear that car apart for what you need. .
To fix the other.
That makes more sense
At least there is something of value
When you are done.
All you are doing is devalusing what you already have.
Even A better challenge is making aftermarket parts fit.
That requires more skill
Then playing with factory parts.
Plenty of ways to teach a kid to be a expert
Without going backwards
what makes since to some doesnt make since to others, to each their own.... do you think I care what make since to others, no, but thanks for the input
 
To each his own
I just don't find much logic in it.
When there are many better paths to take
Good luck whatever you do
Metal work is a dieing art that will mostly disappear some day..
Good to see it being passed on..
 
Ripping a car apart for a teaching aide Makes no sense. Correct. This is a terrible idea.
Teach him how to fix things. Much better idea.
All you are doing is devaluing what you already have. Correct again. Without precise jigs, the end result will be a huge failure.

Plenty of ways to teach a kid to be a expert without going backwards

Take note of these wise words of advice.
Taking a unibody car apart is not like a body on frame car. You are ambitious but not practical.
 
Thanks folks! Gave me lots to think about.
1. Wasn't going to "completely" part out. I thought so, but what I considered completely is not completely accurate, lol. Wasn't going to remove skins. Like the door, keep intact but all the guts and glass removed, stuff like that.
2. Also will need to get a few parts from a couple of other cars I currently have, so would not be, completely put back together with all of it's own parts.
3. kinda like this: start with bare frame, install complete under frame stuff, put "cowl?" on, think is 2 parts, kept together, put entire bottom part"top side" on frame, some parts still "connected" some not, then add roof and body.... etc.. kinda like that...
4. Thanks folks for all the input, You gave me lots to think about, appreciate ya.
Unless you need to remover/repair rusted out parts, it sounds like what you intend to do is to strip the body down to a bare shell (like this: http://dynacornbodies.com/body-shells/challenger/) and then rebuild the car from there.

I hope that's your plan, because, your apparent limited knowledge of how a car is constructed (based on your own statements in this thread), is going to make this a nearly impossible plan and be counter-productive for being a good project for you and your grandson. That said, everyone has to start somewhere, and you will both learn a lot from the project. However, removing pieces of a unibody car is a major undertaking and requires a high level of skill to be able to replace it properly.

In any event, I'd start off picking up a factory service and body manual for your car, or equally good, a factory parts book. You'll find out where pretty much every part of your car bolts together.
 
Unless you need to remover/repair rusted out parts, it sounds like what you intend to do is to strip the body down to a bare shell (like this: http://dynacornbodies.com/body-shells/challenger/) and then rebuild the car from there.

I hope that's your plan, because, your apparent limited knowledge of how a car is constructed (based on your own statements in this thread), is going to make this a nearly impossible plan and be counter-productive for being a good project for you and your grandson. That said, everyone has to start somewhere, and you will both learn a lot from the project. However, removing pieces of a unibody car is a major undertaking and requires a high level of skill to be able to replace it properly.

In any event, I'd start off picking up a factory service and body manual for your car, or equally good, a factory parts book. You'll find out where pretty much every part of your car bolts together.
your apparent limited knowledge of how a car is constructed (based on your own statements in this thread)---- very true
 
your apparent limited knowledge of how a car is constructed (based on your own statements in this thread)---- very true
I don't mean any disrespect, but everyone is on a different skill/knowledge level....we all come from different levels of knowledge.

What you initially described would be a horror show for you and your Grandson, completely opposite of you initial goal.

Just to give you a heads-up, you'd want to start with the floorpan/rockers (most critical from a 'build' process), then move to the quarter panels, decklid, then onto the doors, then the inner fenders (engine compartment), then the fenders, grill, bumpers...
 
I don't mean any disrespect, but everyone is on a different skill/knowledge level....we all come from different levels of knowledge.

What you initially described would be a horror show for you and your Grandson, completely opposite of you initial goal.

Just to give you a heads-up, you'd want to start with the floorpan/rockers (most critical from a 'build' process), then move to the quarter panels, decklid, then onto the doors, then the inner fenders (engine compartment), then the fenders, grill, bumpers...
thanks,
It will be just me disassembling. Wanting to have ALL the parts to build one completely before he starts high school. THEN he and I will build his car. I have multiple cars to get all the "good" parts I should need. AND folks - I do not have a problem whatsoever of "sacrificing" a few cars just to accomplish this(family means more to me than any amount of money). I found a diagram that shows all of the dimensions of the "base". I wanted and still plan to (even though you folks have given me lots to think about), start with a bare frame and go from there. I realize not a bumper to bumper frame like a truck. I have been good to very good at everything(except marriage) in my life at whatever I have done. I can and will do this. All of the input you folks have given me helps alot, thanks it is very much appreciated. YES,YES,YES, I KNOW - It is not going to be easy. I do not expect to be. HOPEFULLY with the input from the FBBO - experts .... it will go a little more smoothly than if I did not have your input. Thanks folks - all of your input has been helpful - THANKS!!!
 
I agree with the others. This is either stupid or just a great waste of time. No offense intended but you frankly don't have a clue what you're talking about. The work you plan to do is much more likely to ruin the car forever than help save it. This isn't tinker toys and Lincoln logs. Seriously, what you're wanting to do is a complete waste of time.

As for keeping the grandkid interested while you finess and measure and drill and pound and swear...yeah...good luck with that.
 
here is the inside of a donor quarter panel that
i have been picking parts off of for other projects like the inner wheel houses (which were not easy to take off)
that are garbage junk from AMD
it is even difficult to get it apart in this disassembled state
some stuff is in a sandwich of 3 or 4 panels together
or at impossible angles to reach with a drill
my guess is he destroys more then he saves for a while until he gets the hang of it
and even then a good amount of stuff will be destroyed.
you have to be a few cars in to really catch on how to attack and finesse stuff apart without killing it.
it will still take me a very long while to get this ready to use.

20181006_162139.jpg

20181006_162053.jpg

20181006_162125.jpg
 
Well there is 10 minutes I will never get back....
 
I know this thread is years old but damn! This has to be one of the stupidest ideas ever. Completely disassemble a unibody car (spotwelds and all) just to put it back together again? Wonder how it went?
 
Well, the OP hasn't been back since 2018 so maybe he was shamed enough to leave the forum?
 
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