Scottd

Alright gents, tomo Im going to get underneath the car and loosen all these bolts. I pray this goes easily. Well I dont actually pray, I just wish I could fix one problem on this car without spending a small fortune. Ill let you guys know how it goes.

Paul L

Good luck. Those can be difficult.

Scottd

So how exactly do I do this? Do I just find a solid area and give it a nudge? Will I need a few jacks/lifts to relieve pressure? What things should I AVOID doing so I dont CRACK this friggen car?

leadfoot4

Use a LIBERAL (no pun intended!!) amount of penetrating oil on the nuts and bolts. let it sit for a while, then get everything loosened up. If the car is currently on the dollies, lock the dolly wheels sothe car can't move. Then get next to the driver's side door, and give the car a good shove toward the opposite side. Hopefully, this will do the trick.

If it helps, then you know it's simply a body alignment issue, and nothing more serious. Inspect the body mount cushions, and if they're beat up, it would be a good time to replace them. Since you mentioned that some of the bolts are missing, you'll want to replace them. Look into either grade 8 bolts or stainless bolts.

Good luck!

Scottd

The body alignment is off. the easiest way it to compare the relative position of the swing arm bolt to the body in these pics.


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and now the pass side


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Now heres my new problem. All 8 bolts are now loose. That was easy. (the ones on the rear in front of the tires are even missing) but I cant get the body to budge. Not a MM. Ive tried gently lifting the body at each corner and shes not lifting at all. What am I missing?

Scottd

Alright guys....it won't budge. All the bolts are loose. I've pushed, bumped, lifted and sworn. What's the trick here. It almost feels as if its still connected to the frame. I got the firewall bolts, the kick panel bolts, the next set are missing (access panel in real wheels) and the ones behind the wheels. All bolts are finger loose. This is going to drive me insane. Somebody tell me how to move this body over 1/3 of a stinking inch!!!

briankeery

2X4 on the floor of the car lifted by a floor jack........slowly.

leadfoot4

I used a 4x4, because it's a little more rigid. The piece I used was about 18" long.


Lift slowly and carefully, move all around the car, just to "loosen it up".

jnb5101

before you lift the body, check the clearance between the upper rear shock bolts and the battery/jack stowage boxes. i've never worked on an 82, but on the early 70's there is less than 1/2" space. not enough to make a substantial difference in the position of the body on the frame unless you want contact with the shocks.

mapman

Were the bushing caps installed on the inboard strut rod bushing? No bushing caps would cause the camber adjustment bolt to turn with no effect.

Scottd

Last night I tried several variations of lifting the body from several different positions. Every time I lift, the frame appears to move upwards as well. Some here have suggested lifting the body with a 2x4 from underneath. Are you referring to the portions of the body that are accessible from under the car, or from the body rails themselves? (Please dont say the body rails, I dont want to have to remove my side pipes now too....)

Let me ask this silly question....what else could be holding the body to the frame. All the bolts are finger loose and Im getting NO movement AT ALL....

leadfoot4

Scott, when I changed out the body cushions on my wife's '79, I had the bolts in place, but the nuts completely removed, so the body could easily rise. I placed the 4x4 against the floor pan(s), with the jack pad beneath, and slowly lifted. I used as long a piece of wood as I had, so the load wasn't concentrated in one place, but distributed over as long a section of the underbody as possible.

If the body isn't rising off the frame, make sure that the prior owner (Bubba) didn't put some bolts where GM didn't intend them to be...

Bob Heine

Scott,
I don't know how your sidepipes are mounted but they might be preventing the body from moving. If the mounting brackets are bolted to the body rails or rocker covers, rocker covers, the bolt could be interfering or pressing against the frame. In this picture where the body is lifted, you can see light gray primer dots on the frame where a couple of the holes in the body rails are located relative to the frame. This shot is looking back from mount 2 on the passenger side. If you can get a pry bar between the body channel and frame, you should be able to shift the body sideways.


The lack of mounting bolts in the third and fourth body mounts on your car might be a symptom of the misalignment. If bolts from the sidepipe mounting brackets pushed on the frame, it might both cause the misalignment and prevent the body from lifting off the frame.

The mounting bolts could also be missing because they sheared off when someone attempted to remove them. Mount 1 is a bolt and regular nut but the rest are bolts threaded into captured nuts. Mount 2 and 3 bolts install from above but mount 4 installs from below. They are all 2.5" long grade 5 7/16-14 UNC (coarse) bolts on the aluminum '72 mounts but you might need longer ones for the rubber donuts.

If the captured nut is messed up or has a piece of the bolt stuck in it, you've got your work cut out for you. If they are simply missing the bolts, you should be able to shift the body (once you figure out the hangup) and tighten all 8 mounts down. Leaving the four bolts out of the rear of the car probably means the body is going to shift quite often.

Just take it slow and don't get the BFH out yet. You still have time before the ice and salt are off the roads in Syracuse. I try to get stuff done in the winter when I can work without the A/C on -- it's down to 73~F tonight already.

Scottd

Would this underbody seat belt strap prohibit ALL upward movement of the frame? Its not moving at all. I plan on getting under it tomo with a 4x4 under the floor pans and lifting from there.

leadfoot4

I don't think so....I don't recall loosening/removing the belts when I replaced the body mount cushions....

Scottd

Well gents......I give up on trying to move the body. I spent the last 4 days of my vacation lifting, lowering, lifting, pushing, lowering, changing lift positions and swearing a whole bunch. I had the body loose, that much I know. No mater how hard I try, it wouldnt budge, not even 1/4 inch. I dont get it. With the camber adjusted almost perpindicular (using my high tech bubble level zip tied to a board), my fender comes to about 1/4 below where the tread ends and into the sidewall. Going to buy a real stiff spring and hope for the best. Im not dicking with this body anymore. Too much bad mojo with bubbas 72-82 conversion.

leadfoot4

Scott, don't give up!! There has to be a solution. One question, if the right side of the body is "flush" with the outside of the tire, is the left side of the body overhanging the tire by an equal amount?

slofut

Scott,
I know you've made sure someone hasn't left a wheel spacer stuck on the hub or maybe stuck to the back side of the rim... The tire looks pretty vertical. With the tires off measure distances from the center or each side of the pumpkin to the hub flanges and compare. I'm thinkin' I didn't see this suggested but I could have missed it.
Bill

Mike Ward

Don't feel bad. As I said previously, most cars were built that way and there's nothing that can be done about it. If you had been successful, you'd be the first I've ever heard of that could fix the offset.

Scottd

No spacers. The ONLY measurable distance I can see is the gap between the trailing arm bolt and the body and the upper shock bolt and body. the driver side sits just under 1/2 inch more to the left. Im really starting to think this is a tolerance stacking issue. Older frame, newer body, older body mounts (washers, not rubber) and wide tires.

For you guys running wider tires...If you theoretically pushed all the way down on your tail end to full compression, would your fenders rub your sidewall? Im seeing tire rub on the top of both my wells, making me think my spring is worn out ans further complicating things.

The dowel in the picture shows at what point of compression my fender will start touching my tire. you can see the prior scuffing on the tire when the camber was also way out on top. Now that I adjusted the Camber and bubba'd a wedge between the fame rail and frame, the contact point seems to be the same on both sides. Is this a healthy distance, and will a stiffer/new spring allow this much compression? If its not, my ONLY other option is going to thinner tires. Id rather spend 180 on a spring than 600 on rubber.


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