A sentimental journey - 1999 Buick Century

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Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 3:26 pm

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PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2017 4:30 pm
Working on a car that has been passed from my Dad to me and then to my son. We've hung onto the vehicle, I suppose, for a mixture of sentiment and my own desire to learn a bit about car repair. Auto BODY repair wasn't something I was prepared for- but I've taken it on anyway. (I've fixed just about everything mechanical... but the car wasn't "supposed" to be crashed by my daughter who borrowed it while her brother was away at school.) Here's the challenge we're facing: a salvaged quarter panel (complete with rocker and inner/outer wheel housing) was purchased as well as a rear passenger door. We finally got to the point where it looked like we could start welding parts in place. We tested the door for fitment. Now... it looks like the pillar is bent to a degree that won't allow an acceptable fit for the door even after we believe the salvaged panel is in the right position. Immediately after the wreck, I brought the car to a driveable state. (I had to replace the strut/wheel assembly.) At that point, I should have taken it somewhere to have it put on a frame straightener- but I didn't. At some point I believed this wouldn't be necessary. I'm wondering at this stage how to keep pushing forward to completion when the car isn't driveable, on jack stands, and in an amateur's garage. Can we buy a hydraulic kit and straighten things out sufficiently ourselves? What if we weld it together, leave the pillar and take it somewhere after the fact to address the pillar/door? This has been a great learning experience... but we're at the we don't know we don't know stage. Don't want to risk welding everything in place and finding out we shouldn't have done that... also don't want to buy or rent gear that isn't likely to solve our problem. How does a semi-reluctant do-it-yourself auto body guy make due with this situation at the lowest possible expense? If needed, I can supply some pictures... but for now I'm just hoping for general advice. How can we get things lined up better before we permanently weld anything? With the car on Jack stands and nothing fixed/strong enough to tether it to - just not sure what methods we may have at our disposal to push or pull things where they need to be.



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Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2016 7:09 am

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PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2017 5:48 am
Yes you need to find a small shop with a frame machine who will and wants to work on this. I do it all the time for shops and others who don't have a frame rack. Where are you located?



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Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 3:26 pm

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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 1:36 pm
I'm in Kansas... near Kansas City. Big challenge here is the fact that the car isn't movable in its current condition. Rented a porta power kit the other day but jumped on that a bit too soon. I had acquired the measurements I needed (just the documentation) and thought I'd be ready to make adjustments to the car... but acquiring the data and then devising an Amish method to apply it was another matter altogether. Ended up paying a day's rental for something I never used. Lesson learned. Once I get a trustworthy measuring method down, I'll have a clearer head. Unless there's a guy who makes house calls with a portable frame rack-- I assume I'm doomed to figure this out on my own? Thanks for the input... I may not have all of the tools and specific know-how at the moment... but I'm not afraid to figure it out myself or ask for help doing so. This interests me... so as long as I'm interested, I have a high annoyance threshold. I'm also hyper conscious of ensuring the work is done right and willing to take my time. However... I definitely have some limits. (Money, patience, time... in that order.) :-)

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