E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

I am rebuilding the rear of my 70 cuda and the original sheetmetal was too far gone and badly patched that I can not rely on any dimensions or how the different pieces of metal overlap with each other

I have found a couple of picts with the small reinforcement brackets of the trunk crossmember but if someone has a factory drawings how all the rear panels go I am very interested !!

for now we worked with a lower and higher centerline and it worked fine but we would like to be factory correct.

any help really appreciated

You really don't want to weld anything until the entire car is clamped or zip screwed together.  We assemble the entire body, including the doors, fenders, front/rear valances and the grille before spot welding anything.  You have to be really careful taking that much metal off without having it on a chassis jig.

Quote from: HEMICUDA on April 30, 2018, 11:06:32 PM
You really don't want to weld anything until the entire car is clamped or zip screwed together.  We assemble the entire body, including the doors, fenders, front/rear valances and the grille before spot welding anything.  You have to be really careful taking that much metal off without having it on a chassis jig.

I think that's pretty good advice, too. Buy a box of Clecos' and the pliers, a dozen 1/8" bits and test fit 'er up. You'll also likely come to own more Vice-grips than most others as well. You can ask me how I know this if you like.  ;)

thanks I already have a bunch of them !!

we braced the rear of the cuda before spot welding the trunk floor and took many before and after measurements to be sure everything is square !! a friend of mine came with his cuda and we took the specs of the rear of this cuda to double check.

I did not took any pict but we are leveling everything with a 3D laser from the floor in another part of the shop where the floor was made perfectly level to have safe frame references. we have jack stands with adjustments to 1 millimeter and again everything is cross checked every time we weld a panel.

we did several cars this way and we were each time to better specs than factory specs !! and it helped a lot with gaps !!

and best of all, my guy doing the sheetmetal work has 30 years of expériences rebuilding classic and non classic cars that came torn and crashed !!

Sounds like you're all set to go Lilian; good luck and don't forget the photos!  :wave:

I don't have any drawings but here are various pictures I took when we were putting new sheet metal on the back of my Cuda.  Hope this helps.  Sorry not in any particular order.

More

And

thanks @usraptor (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/usraptor_90) , it really helps. looks like yours had the same cancer than mine !! :slapme5: :drinkingbud: