Just joined your site

[rubadub]

I just joined a couple of minutes ago, I'm restoring a 1969 chevelle.

I figure if I'm going to be on here I should give something to the site, so I'll start right out with a post.

It's to do with replacing panels and making sure the body doesn't get out of shape.

Your right, it is a lot of work, probably not worth it, but it takes all kinds to make a forum work, I'm one of the fussy types.

Here you go

With the body on a rotisserie or dolly or jig, or blocks. Find something on the body that is level, then mark a spot on the body that you had the level setting, so when you re level you will put it in the same spot.

At this point your body probably isn't really level, but its close enough to set up your reference points.

Get a plumb bob and find four points on the underside of the body, two in the front and two in the back, as far to the outside of the body as you can.

Then plumb bob down to the floor, and mark it really good. A little X scratched into the concrete will work. Don't forget to mark the body.
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Now get a couple pieces of threaded rod, 3/8'' or 7/16'' whatever.

Then you need to get a couple of long nuts, there probably three or four times longer then a regular nut.

So what you have is a piece of threaded rod with a long nut on one end and a couple of inches of threaded rod on the other end of the nut.

So you now have an adjustable height gauge.

Now get a cheap post level. Level that threaded rod at each point and record that height.

Now measure your body height at the four points and write them down

Now find and mark several spots along the rocker to the floor with the plumb bob, scratch these in the floor also.

Record the height at those plumb bob marks.

This will work for floor, trunk, quarters, and any other panels panels you remove. Just plumb bob down and measure up at those plumb bob points.

This gives you the height and width of the body before any panel changes or adjustments.

This is also good for the mind, as you always know if anything has moved, also I would get these measurements before I welded in any body braces, because things can move when you weld braces.

This takes some time, but its a hobby, isn't it?

Hope I explained it okay.

Rob
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