 |
PM |  | |
Quote | | |
Reply | | |
Full Topic | |
| Joined: | 04-14-2005 |
| Location: | Columbia, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 156 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
The J-H depends on the center transmission tunnel and both rockers for rigidity in both the fore/aft and twist planes. If you remove any one piece and the rest of the car is not solidly supported, it will twist and this can be disastrous.
I started my project by going to the local boneyard and buying 8 of those cheap scissors jacks, I paid $1 each IIRC. I looked for the ones which have a flat plate on top, they are much sturdier. I cut an 8x8 into 8 pieces about 12" long, one for each jack. I then used 4 of those tall, IIRC 3 ton jack stands to hold the car off the ground, I put them under the far ends of the frame rails, not the rear axle- I didn't want the body shell to move any more than absolutely neccessary.
I then put the scissors jacks under the car at different points all the way from the front to the back, again under the frame rails, using the 8x8's to get them high enough. I jacked the car up with the scissors jacks until it was level both fore/aft and side/side so I would have a good reference point. I had to shim the big jackstands with chunks of 1/8" Masonite so they would hold the car level. Now I could start removing the rockers. I did one side at a time, that way I could refer to the other side. Measure and record before you cut!
The scissors jacks allowed me to reposition sections of body as things were cut, for instance the front frame rails began to droop and all I had to do was crank up a little more on the jacks under those. I could also move them as needed to hold stuff in place as needed. The body was so 'flexy' with just one rocker removed that I was really happy I didn't try to use a rotisserie!
If you look carefully at the rear of the transmission tunnel where it ends and the rear 'package shelf' starts, you'll probably see some cracks. If the rockers rust it puts a lot more stress on that point and that's where the cracks come from. I suggest repairing those before cutting away the rockers. You might want to check the firewall as well, it can develop the same cracks.