Well I posted a few weeks back about a nasty crack in my frame and was told that any coupe from 68-72 would work for my 69 frame. Well I happen to have a friend who has one. Before I got the car it sat outside year round in the snow and rain. It has rust holes in the rockers on both sides under the doors. These need to be replaced as well as having a vinyl roof with bubbling rust near the top of the rear window and along the quarters where the seam for the trim is, and some above the windshield. I havent really pulled the carpet past the sills to check how bad the rockers were but from bottom there are no holes. The car is falling apart from rust!!! I was wondering what I should do first? Such as transfer to the frame after I get it painted and work on the body problems. Or body then frame work? I can get pictures of these areas if needed. I am not a machanic but have always loved chevys and wanted to get a chance to fix up one to have some fun and learn with. I am wondering if I should dump this and possibly start with something that has a solid base? Or if I had the time and space could be done by me, or will I be spending a fortune.

Lots of questions thanks in advance
Brian

1969 Malibu coupe

Frame first IMO. either get it welded, or replaced.

You are gonna need a welder anyhow if theres that much rust, so might be a good time to shop for one. Once the chassis is good, you can plop the body on it to keep things square while you work on that.

From your description you are up for some work, although not all that unusual. I work from the bottom up, inside out pattern. Pull the seats out and get the carpet up. Then you have a better picture of what's up. It's hard to say without seeing it but you are probably in for some floor work too. As long as the body is strong enough, switch the frame first, or if possible, put the body on some sort of rottiserie and work at it from there, once the lower sections are done then drop it on your frame.

If you are buying a welder, make your life easier "better" and get one with gas, it will save you a lot of grief.

Hope it helps

I was in similar shape with my 68. Started by tearing everything down, removed anything that came off with bolts plus glass, labeled them and put them to the side. Took the body off the frame and rebuilt the suspension. It worked for me, but I got a case of "while you're in there" and ended up spending extra time and money.

All told I'm glad I did, and it's made the rest of my project go faster with a solid, clean, and rebuilt frame/suspension. I am a firm believer of the ground up approach. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Get a welder with gas. I found one for $300 at Tractor Supply with a nice little cart, gloves, etc. Not a real good one, but good enough for minor repairs (trunk pans, floor pans, etc.).

Thanks for the replies so far guys, I really have been having a time deciding what I want to do with this car. How hard is it to learn how to do some of this welding if I decide to do it on my own? Im a computer guy so that will kind of put it in perspective when it comes to my experience with this stuff. Thank you and keep the replies comming ill take any advice I can get at this point. Also how much would it cost me to get the rockers worked on by a pro? I want to explore all the options here. Just like a ruff idea on the body work.

Thank you again

Brian

I am also a computer guy and relatively new to car restoration, but I can tell you if you use the search feature on this site you will get answers to 90% of your questions!

I have yet to tackle real body work. My plan is to do everything else, and find a good body shop to straighten the panels out. There are tons of other things to weld though, and I'm teaching myself a little at a time.

If you have the space try tinkering around with it for a while and see if you get motivated. You may hate yourself for not trying. As for cost, first you have to find a shop that will work on it! Good luck!