Mounting body onto frame
 

Don, DV, Jay, Anybody!

Dropped the body (actually, lowered it carefully) onto the frame today and I have a few issues/questions about how it should be resting on the surfaces as indicated in the manual.

1. It seems to be teetering on the horizontal surfaces at the sides of the cowl bar.

2. The back end is about 3/4" too high where its supposed to rest on the cross member ahead of the axle.

3. There seems to be about 1/16" between the curved portion of the cowl bars and the underside of the dash.

4. The front mounting surfaces are not as tight as they should be. One of the reasons is that the side pipes on the right side are interferring with the cutout. I've opened the cutout about 1/2" more than the left but it's still too tight.

5. The door sill areas is not as tight as they should be. Also, the surfaces where the seats mount are very flexible and are not resting on the frame.

6. I've had the body on a stand resting on the rear lips of the front wheel wells and the rear portion of the floor. Is it likely that the body sagged out of shape? (The door openings still have the panels in place.)

7. It doesn't seem to be hung up anywhere else (already trimmed the snout liner to clear the sway bar).

Should I continue to enlarge the sidepipe cutout until I've got the clearance I need? (probably another 1/2" or so)

Should I be able to see exposed frame below the rocker panels?

What are some absolutes to look for and to make sure of as I finish this phase?

Sorry for the long post - I wanted to give you as much info as possible.

Thanks for your help!
Dwain

One more thing...

The emergency brake cable bracket that attaches to the hand lever is in contact (barely) with the rear tunnel section. So even if I get the rear of the body to rest on the cross member, what do I do about the cable bracket?

Thanks!
Dwain

It sounds like body is hanging up on something. When I put my body on I had to slide it slightly forward and then back so the defroster tubes touched the cowl bar. The back where the body sits on the frame was off by about a 1/4 inch so I shimmed it.
The body should fit down inside the frame rails on the inside.
The book says use the self tapping screws to fasten it to the frame. Don't do that ,drill and tap for 1/4 in. bolts. Leave the bolts loose so you can adjust body so the doors fit right. Make sure you have at least 1/4 inch around the door. I tightened them up with body filler on the body to about 1/8 inch cause I thought it looked better. I had to widen the gap to 1/4 inch cause the doors where hitting when I went over a bump and the car flexed. Make sure to check clearance of the hood hinges in front before you drill holes and bolt the front of the body to the frame. Just make sure you have enough clearance so the body doesn't rest on the hinge mounting point. Are you using springs or coil overs?
If springs check the adjuster holes.

Hi Art!

Yeah, that's what I thought too - that it is haging up on something. The only place it is making solid contact is at the sides of the cowl bar. Body does not want to move either way; forward or backward or side to side. The front wheel wells are snug between the frame rails and the defroster box is tight against the rear cowl bar.

What adjuster holes are you referring to?

Thanks!
Dwain

Still checking...

The engine is sitting higher on the right side which would account for the sidepipes needing a larger cutout (by about an inch). Do the "old" and "new" motor mounts look different from each other?

I have checked the rear portion of the body as thoroughly as possible and find NO contact with the frame whatsoever.
What the he!!?
Should I grind down the surfaces that contact the sides of the cowl bars?

Dwain, check the hood latch box upper bolts. The body will sometimes hang up on those. I usually pull them out and drill through the existing holes after the body is down completely. The spring adjusting bolts that Art mentioned will also hang you up if you haven't cut the holes out in the package tray. Also check the tunnel area that sits on the e-brake housing. Sometimes the fiberglass gets a little thick there and the corners get rounded. The body will not necessarily touch all parts of the frame. The rear area needs to be above the frame about 1/2" especially around the rear uprights for the bumperettes.
Don

Thanks, Don!

Already fixed the hood latch bolts.
Took the spring adjuster bolts out. (waiting for coil overs ;-) )
Did trim a little around the rear of the e-brake housing but it wasn't enough to make a difference.
Got plenty of clearance in all areas of the rear section - that's the problem. No contact at all with the cross member under the package tray (~1/2") or the outriggers. The floor pans under the seats is a good 3/4" above the cross member.

I appreciate your help!
Dwain

If you are not afraid of a little glass work cut the seat tray s loose and drop them down. Ruff the edges back 6' two lairs of 3 oz mat will do it. on the package tray one by fore inch 'Red wood will fill the gap use five 5/16 s self taping 2' screws E600 silicon adhesive will work to. You can use it any where the body touches the frame and it will eliminate creeks radials, and squeaks. Also fill the void under the doors through the rear wells whit expandable foam the minimal expanchion type, you will be amazed at how much moor solid the car will fele. The best method to do this is to attache 1/4 inch vinyl tubing to the nozzle of the crack foam can about 3 feet (Important) use a tie strap onthe nozel then tie strap the other end to a yard stick, push it in from the wheel well and start foaming as you pull it out. If you wont to install wiring later you can put some 1' PVC tubing in first. Don't trim for 24 hours.

Great ideas, Bill!

If that's what it takes, I can deal with that!

I'd still like to know why my motor is higher on the right side :-/ -- and a possible fix. The left sidepipe looks ~OK but the right side is too tight to the cutout and if I open it up some more it will look HUGE!

Thanks!
Dwain

Dwain, are you sure the motor mount dropped into the slotted hole. The 2 pieces should be flat when bolted together. The mark on the body for the sidepipe cutout is just a guide. I have had to trim a little more at times. You don't need much clearance on the right side. The motor will torque up on the left side and down on the right so you actually need a little more clearance on the drivers side.
Don

Don,

Yep, the mounts are as they should be.

I can understand a little difference from side to side but a whole inch at the sidepipe seems excessive.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks!
Dwain

Dwain, since the headers and sidepipes are made in a jig it would be difficult for one header to be higher. Is it possible that one of the mounts is taller than the other. I would measure both just to see. Do you have the dropped mounts or the old style Ford mounts?
Don

Silly question but, are headers on the right side ?

Don,

I have the new-style dropped mounts.
Did have the older style before but never used them. Traded for the new style. As I recall, there is no resemblance between the old and new, correct?

Art,

Not a silly question but they only fit one way.


Thanks for the continuing help, guys! There's an answer somewhere...

Dwain, the old and new mounts are totally different. Check the mount height or just switch them side to side and see if that changes anything. Are you measuring the sidepipe height to the body or just the opening? If the sidepipe is 1" higher then the rear of the sidepipe will need to be pushed down to install the rear bolt. If it all lines up or if you have to lift the sidepipe to the rear mounting hole then they are correct and the body mark for the sidepipe cutout is off. I would also measure the engine left and right side to see if it is actually higher. It may be an optical illusion.

We received your interior and carpet. Do you want us to ship it or do you want to pick it up?
Don

Don,

I'll probably come see you on Friday - with camera in hand - to peek at one of the cars you have in the shop. Maybe I'll find some clues to my dilemmas.

Dwain

Dwain, before you come up check your headers and make sure they are both marked 351. We may have screwed up and gave you 1- 302 header which is about 3/4" higher than the 351.
Don

Don,

They're both "stamped" 351 (L & R).
Dammit! That would have been an easy fix.

Any possibility they were stamped incorrectly? :-/

Dwain

TC, Oops yer right! Are you sure you have the engine in right side up har har!!!

Art,

That rectangle sorta thing where the gas goes into is supposed to be on top, right?

;-)