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Heater Channel
Most of the upper
body's strength comes from the heater channels which run along
the sides of the car. The upper and lower halves of the car are
held together by bolts into the heater channels, through the
floor pans.
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Dry Fit
Before attaching the
channels to the car, I had to cut away a good part of the lower
edge of the car and test fit them into the car. They seem to
fit easily but a few 'modifications' had to be made before they
really seated where they belong.
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From Underneath
Considering all the
variables involved, the heater channel and the front firewall
fit really tightly.
Things are really starting to come together.
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Front Wheel Well
I know it's looking
ahead, but it's easy to see how things will proceed. I have the
replacement panel that will fit into the outlines area.
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At the Rear
The rear end of the
heater channel fits nicely into its slot. Now that I know everything
will fit, it's time to remove it and bring the underside of the
vehicle in.
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Chassis Back in the
Shop
I will reassemble
the lower edge of the body with help from the body mounts on
the chassis. Since the upper body was so badly rusted, the only
way to accurately put the parts in is to line up the new parts
with the old mounts.
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Lining Things up
I've bolted the heater
channels to the body in the only way they can be attached. The
trick now is to line the chassis up with the heater channels
and then lower the body to exactly where it belongs.
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Back Together...
With some help from
a few strong neighbours, the body was lowered onto the chassis.
It was far from an exact fit, but it should be close enough to
line things up properly.
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...But Only For Now!
Once the lower pieces
of the body are lined up and tack welded into place the upper
body will once again have to come off. I need to be able to get
to all the seams to weld them solid and paint them nice before
final reassembly.
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