Hello All,
I’m thinking about doing a frame off restoration on my car. '69 XR-7 Convertible. I’ve been looking for information on how to remove the body from the frame. Is this a managable task or should I have it professionaly done? I don’t trust most body shops to handle this. Is there any documentation out there?
thanks,
Your 69 is a unibody it does not have a frame persay. Best you can do is a on frame restoration. You can do it on a rotissery (sp). You can do it your self if you have lots of spare time & patience.
A complete restoration,…even for a ardent builder is a BIG task,…requiring many different professional skills. How comfortable are you with laying under a car on axle stands for a week or two scraping and sanding,…not trying to be sensational, it’s just one aspect of a build. From my experience many restoration shops are better at cleaning out your pocketbook, than returning to you a quality build at a fair price,… and what would you consider fair? What is the condition of your convertible…are there rust issues, does the interior need upholstery, any steering or handling concerns, all the electrical items working well, is the motor and transmission in good working order,…paint. Each of these items require different professions to address concerns. Now you can do some research,…drop 40K+ and in three years pick up your beautifully restored '69 XR7 Convertible,…which by the way is a fantastic car or rework it one profession at a time and enjoy the ride. May want to start here; http://www.coloradocougarclub.com/
Yea, your probably right. Those resto shops thinking nothing of charging 60k and up. I think i’ll concentrate on getting the car running again (she has not been driven or started for close to 20 years now) Major issues like brakes, suspension, fuel and drivetrain will keep me busy anyway!
Trixie,
If you want a taste of a “no bolt left untouched” total unibody resconstruction on a 69 convertible, I have just the thread for you, mine!
http://www.mercurycougar.net/forums/showthread.php?21714-(Picture)-Diary-of-an-ECI-(East-Coast-Idiot)
Enjoy (but as Bill says, be prepared to spend some time).
Regards,
Bob
Or you could read through the restoration on my 70 vert and hell, 40 k for a professional restore isn’t bad considering the time and $ not to mention the learning curve that I went through.
http://www.classiccougarcommunity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=623#p7116