73 Challenger, going to be a long journey I think.

[jimynick]

You can braze- yes braze a 3-4 inch piece of 16 gauge onto the top of the cowl where it's kinked and either cut a hole in the pull plate or clamping it, use it to evenly pull the cowl top ahead to remove the kink. Then just heat the bronze and it'll come off. Dress the weld site and it's that simple. We used to braze on 1/8" body shims and pull on them. Save a bit of money and hire some nice lads to go "talk" to the SOB who sold you that "immaculate conception" too! Talk about putting lipstick on a pig! It'll be nice when you're done, but you shouldn't have to re-repair that much of it in my opinion. 

[soundcontrol]

FYI, if you plan to use poly LCA bushings, you can leave the outer shell in the control arm. I ordered poly bushings for mine, and before I got them I welded washers to the outer shells and pressed them out, only to find out I should have left them there. If you are using stock rubber ones, you have to remove them.

[rhamson]

I have read through your whole post and can totally sympathize with your predicament. The car presented itself to you well and her detractors were pretty well hidden so don't feel bad about the hocus pocus that was played on you. I have heard in England that the country has a good support network of small shops and business' that cater to fixing things such as this. I have been going through a similar thing albeit not as pronounced or severe as yours. I had a bent frame and no support from the local area with the collision and restoration shops. I had to think it out and do it myself.

Having said that I feel you need to replace the whole front clip and probably your K-frame. Unless you do you may never get this car to track straight enough to be comfortable to drive or get any mileage out of your tires. You can probably bang the cowl back into shape but the inner fenders have to have a lot of damage and tinkering to get the sheet metal and gaps to line up. I don't know your skill level but getting a good level place to lay out and construct a jig is of the most importance. As you proceed from there much of any dimensional guesswork will be minor and things will proceed more uniformly and quickly having laid the correct foundation.

As I said I was not in as much a situation as you so I did not need a jig. In the first picture I constructed a level table as the concrete floor was not level and to pull the dimensions and heights I needed a constant. The second picture shows a beam I constructed with a cradle to pull the bent frame member down. It was 3/4" out of level. Many criticized the extent I went to as they told me to just crank up the torsion bar to level the car out. You have to determine how far you want to go as you say there are atrocities committed in the rear of your car. Good luck!

[Cuda Cody]

Nice job on that jig @rhamson   Are you a woodworker? 

[rhamson]

Was it the plywood racks or tablesaw that gave you a clue? Yes I have been a cabinetmaker for 43+ years. I work on cars as a hobby as a distraction. Are you a woodworker as well?

[Cuda Cody]

I wish.  My good friend is a Cabinetmaker too.  He's taught me a few things, but I'm very much not a wood expert.  I'm okay at some really basic wood trim stuff.  It's a fine craft that not many have the skills to do.

Do you have some photos of your Cabinets?

Was it the plywood racks or tablesaw that gave you a clue? Yes I have been a cabinetmaker for 43+ years. I work on cars as a hobby as a distraction. Are you a woodworker as well?

[rhamson]

I don't want to hijack this guys thread but I guess one would not hurt. Here is a bar I did to match a customers pool table design.

[Cuda Cody]

WOW!!!!     I wish I had a bar like that.  Very nice man.

I don't want to hijack this guys thread but I guess one would not hurt. Here is a bar I did to match a customers pool table design.

[RUNCHARGER]

Nice! Hey I have a fancy pool table too? I have a friend that does really high level cabinet finishing on the upscale homes around here. His 69 Charger is a work of art, so I think if you like high quality it applies to everything you do.

[rhamson]

Thanks, I have been told I am a bit anal about crafting things. 

[jimynick]

Rhamson, that bar is a thing of beauty; you're quite skilled! My father-in-law was a cabinet maker and we (semi) jokingly refer to our house as the house that Gerry built. AND, you're dead right about pulling that rail down, as the standard for variation was +- 1/8" in the day. Ingenious setup to do it, too. With the proliferation of computer aided measuring systems today, there is nothing that you can't resolve anymore. They think in 3D and I've seen them in operation too many times to advise someone to "crank up the torsion bars"!  Jesus. 

[usraptor]

Discovered the rear quarters have been put on top of the old rusted out ones  (another wasp nest down there also)

They did the same thing to my car!     Can't believe the "hack" jobs some people do and call it bodywork!   

[Premix]

Use a press to get the pin out of the control arm.  Here's what the manual says:

4) Place lower control arm assembly in an arbor
press with torsion bar hex opening up and with a
support under outer edge of control arm.
(5) Place a brass drift into hex opening and press
shaft out of lower control arm. The bushing inner
shell will remain on shaft.
(6) Cut and remove rubber portion of bushing from
control arm shaft.
(7) Remove bushing outer shell by cutting with a
chisel. Use care not to cut into control arm.
( Remove bushing inner shell from pivot shaft.
Cut off if necessary.


Sometimes I weld a washer on to it so I can press it out.  If you don't have a press, you'll need a machine shop or friend to help you.

Great, thanks Cody 

[Premix]

Thanks for all your positive posts and help guys, it's very appreciated. I've still got a bitter taste in my mouth from the whole experience so far but hopefully that'll pass.
More stripping out tomorrow and a proper investigation of the rear end   

[Premix]

Can anyone advise me of the best place to buy a new K member please? Mine is def bent, in fact I think I'd have a hard time finding something straight on this ****!