Hi all, Ok, haven’t posted in a while, finally able to think of fixing some major things on my ’70 Concours Wagon. After having it home for awhile, I figured out the frame is badly bent from a previous accident. The main body is mostly rust free (floor and rockers are NICE), but the frame is done. Quotes to straighten or repair I have been getting are in the $900 to $1500 range, or more, with me needing to strip the sheetmetal and in some cases front suspension. One has said this may fix the frame, it may be too far gone to remain true. This is about or more than what the car cost me! From looking at the cost of unloved El Caminos, and parted Elcos, I can get an El Camino frame for $200-300 with the fuel and brake lines and the cross member. I can buy a whole car and part it for the quoted labor to (maybe) straighten the frame and come out money ahead. Just hate killing a salvageable car for mine. Second thought is getting a front stub from a coupe/sedan and welding it to my frame, replacing the damaged front portion. Third thought is weld up the cracks and go with what I have and deal with it later… OK, how swappable are the 68-72 Elco frames for a 70 Concours Wagon. I know I will need the trans crossmember and the fuel & brake lines. Any other differences in the frames? Rear frame length or bumper mounts or? Has anyone used a 4 door frame and lengthened the rear frame rails? I know I will also need the rear fuel lines that go from the passenger side (Elco/2 door/4 door style) to the driver side (wagon style). Any other weirdness I am missing? Anyone here do this and what can you share? Frame swaps don’t phase me, I would go thru the suspension and all other stuff while I am at it. If I swap stubs, can this be done carefully and (mostly) correctly without a NASCAR Shop surface plate? I know it won’t be as good as an expensive Pro restoration job, but if I have a large flat concrete area, and I am careful and methodical, could I repair the frame this way on my own? I know a shop can do this for $$$, anyone ever do this at home? And of course, there is always the third choice… Any input from anyone, even if it is to just laff at me (I can finally look at the car and not get sick about the frame!), is of course, very welcome. I know about the need for 68-72 parts whatever I do, just need info on the particulars. And I am posting similar inquiries elswhere on the net, need all the input I can get. Best, Tom
Tom, you've got a predicament there..... I can't answer all your questions on the frame issue, but maybe I can help some. First, check with these guys on specifics about what differences there are amonst the Chevelle frames: http://www.chevelles.com/ I do damage appraisal for a living (although no hands-on experience with body or frame work). Frankly, I wouldn't recommend replacing the fron stub of your frame. It's better if it's all in one piece, whether you repair yours or get another. As to the frame repair, you don't need a NASCAR surface plate, but you do need proper pulling and measuring equipment. Very hard to do something like this in a home garage. What is specifically wrong with your original frame? Have you had a good body shop tell you it's beyond repair? ( Also, what shops have you been dealing with? I know a few of the body shops in your area......) Assuming your frame is toast, I think your best bet is to find a usabe frame or a complete parts vehicle with a good frame.
Hi Krash, I have posted this at Chevelles.com, hoping for some direct Chevelle input. Posted here in hopes some one may have done this on their Potiac or Buick maybe. I know the guy at Einstyn.com was using an Elco frame on a wagon he was building, so feel pretty good about the possibilities for the swap. The frame on my car was hit perpendicularly to the frame-end on the passenger side, pushing the rail back towards the firewall. The portion of the frame under the firewall that kicks out at an angle to meet the frame side rail is now parallel to the firewall on this side, and has a concave section with a crack. The concavity from the backwards compression of the rail is visble here. There is also a crack on the outside edge of the spring seat, above the lower control arm. Most of the shops I have spoken to have said it can be fixed and will be costly. That's when I came to the frame swap plan, as I can get a frame from a wreck with everything I need for under $500, figure about $300 for suspension and body bushings, do much of the labor myself, and have undamaged/unrepaired frame and get my suspension upgraded as well. Just need to make sure I don't miss something on a frame swap with an El Camino frame that will bite me when I have a car torn all apart. That would not be good... Thank you, Tom
Do you know anybody that has an Elky, that you can go and take measurments from? We are restoring an 72 El camino, and that's what I do if I have a question on if it will fit my wagon. Good Luck!
Not sure about the Elco, but all 1968-72 A-body flattop wagon frames will interchange. That's Cutlass, LeMans, and Skylark wagons. The Vista Cruiser and Buick Sport Wagon will NOT interchange as the wheelbase is longer (121" vs. 116" for the other wagons).
Behemoth, I actually have an Elco that I have looked at for comparison and it all "looks" good. But I dated a girl many years back who "looked" good, man she was nuttier than I am! Just want a warm fuzzy feeling that I won't encounter any surprises that are greater than I can handle ("Oh yeah, for 6 months of 1970 the wagon frames from this assembly plant were made upside down! Ya gotta get a similar "upside-down" Elco frame or yer screwed! Har-har-har..."). Joe, I was aware of the tall roof car frames being different (longer). Were those also boxed? A VC I got some parts from looked to have a boxed chassis, but the guy was setting it up for demo-derby and he had done all kinds of crazy things to the chassis to strengthen it, so I was unsure if the frame boxing might have been added by him. Looked stock in the quick look I took. Thank you all for any input, Tom
Do you have a service manual or assembly manual (can't remember which), but it should show a frame layout along with dimensions I believe. Been a hundred years since I've looked at ours for the '67.
Behemoth, No issues with females, I love'em crazy. However, this gal was far beyond driven, liked to pick fights. Not for me! Kevin, forgot about the manual! have to go dig mine out! Tom
UPDATE: Got a frame! Bought and picked up a frame this weekend, really clean, no rust, supposedly from an Arizona car... Who knows? My Monte and Elco providing a background tow-vehicle of doom... Nice! No rust! couple of gratuitous pics of the wagon that will recieve this frame. I need to gather some bits (bushings, brake hoses, maybe new fuel lines), get my patio cover install going, and then I can play with this project. Updates as they happen... Best, Tom
Hi All, Getting closer to this swap, need to build my patio first. Have the frame, most of the lines I need, front and rear sway bars, and new front fenders. Need body bushings and a rear brake hose. I would love to do more upgrades but $$$ won't allow me to do them carrectly right now. Wifey says I can tear it apart again later. I was worried about the body mount bolts, decide what the 'ell, and tried to remove them. All came out OK, so I bought a Lottery Ticket. Gotta love SoCal cars! This'll be a pretty straight forward swap job. Would others here be interested in following along on the swap if I post it here? Best regards, Tom
Hi Krash, Yeah, it would be a new thread, just don't wanna bore everyone and spend time posting when I could be working. Count down continues... Tom
