[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by truss

Yes...it looks like it will work out that i will be doing aloot of the work myself as i cannot afford the body shop cost especially with a body guy that may not know as much as he should. It is ok as i do have much experience with mustang converts and i did build my 67 eleanor. This is why i think the best thing to do is go with a jig so I have a better chance of getting things right. How much did your jig cost in materials.....thx for the help.

I built my jig from plans from firstgenjigs.com . The material, including casters, hardware, etc., cost me around $600, but I had the steel shop cut all the pieces of tubing to exact length for me (they were all perfectly square, and within about 1/16" of the dimensions I requested). If I were to do the cutting myself, I would have saved around $200, but I didn't have a horizontal bandsaw and didn't want to deal with the cutting.

If you're doing the panel replacements yourself, having the jig is a huge help. I replaced one panel at a time for the most part, and the jig gave me plenty of places to support things from, as well as providing the factory alignment points as I replaced pieces.

[truss]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

I built my jig from plans from firstgenjigs.com . The material, including casters, hardware, etc., cost me around $600, but I had the steel shop cut all the pieces of tubing to exact length for me (they were all perfectly square, and within about 1/16" of the dimensions I requested). If I were to do the cutting myself, I would have saved around $200, but I didn't have a horizontal bandsaw and didn't want to deal with the cutting.

If you're doing the panel replacements yourself, having the jig is a huge help. I replaced one panel at a time for the most part, and the jig gave me plenty of places to support things from, as well as providing the factory alignment points as I replaced pieces.

Thanks bob...thats gives me more faith in the jig I am going to use. What did you build and how long did it take you....pics if any...thx,todd

[BobKovacs]

My 69 coupe is still a work in progress. I bought it in April, and spent about 5 months replacing every piece of sheet metal other than the roof and the center of the cowl. The front suspension is now done, and my rear is being regeared as we speak, so it should be installed next week. This spring i'll start the install on an LS1 and 4L60e .

There's a build thread with pics called "69 Camaro for My Daughter" in the Build Projects forum (can't copy the link on the iPad).

[truss]

Originally Posted by tp_smith

If you bought the plans for a jig, maybe you are planning to do the work yourself.

I am intimately aware of the jig. I built the same one. I made some minor modifications to the jig to compensate for the lack of a roof on a convertible. If you care to look at my jig, it is in the build project of this forum. The title of the thread is "1969 Firebird Convertible". The parts you mentioned that needed to be changed are identical on a Firebird.

I am very impressed with your build....i will be doing alot of the same work. One question....did you have to replace the rear frame rails and how did you do that in reference to the jig mounting. It looks like the jig needs to mount to frame rails????let me know...thx

[BobKovacs]

Yes, I replaced the rails. I got the body set on the pins, and then tacked a few braces to the new rockers to keep it from moving. Then I was able to remove the old rails, put the new rails on the alignment pins, and welded the new trunk pan to the new rails and to the wheel wells to lock everything together.

[6781camaro]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Yes, I replaced the rails. I got the body set on the pins, and then tacked a few braces to the new rockers to keep it from moving. Then I was able to remove the old rails, put the new rails on the alignment pins, and welded the new trunk pan to the new rails and to the wheel wells to lock everything together.

X2 for me. I welded on a vertical post with a platform on top of it to support each outer rocker, while the frame rails were being installed. After they are in, weld the new trunk floor onto them, and then the trunk floor to the inner wheel wells to lock it all together. Then you can use the jig or even a rotisserie if you want.

[truss]

Well, A full day put into the car today. Got the subframe/motor off and completely stripped firewall to metal. I always love when I get to see a part of the car that I hadnt got close to before and then find that I have alittle more rust than i thought. turns out that the bottom of my drivers side A piller is rusted aboout 1 inch up and the firewall toeboard area where the front subframe mounts are a little rusty as well. Other than that the firewall/cowl seems to be in pretty good shape. Do I consider myself lucky that this is all i found once i removed the subframe?...Will post pics possibly tomorrow. My jig plans should be in this week and then I can build it and get the car on the jig and start some real work.

[tp_smith]

I did replace the frame rails. The jig plans you bought will locate the frame rails at the correct height and position. I have included some photos of the new frame rails resting on the jig alignment posts.

[truss]

thanks for the photos. Every little bit helps with this build. I think i will be redoing the firewall this weekend after i have my jig built....getting antsy to really dig in...

[truss]

Well just an update....worked on stripping the cowl last weekend and found that my bottom was rotted out after sub came out. So I ordered in a new firewall. This last weekend I got to work on building my firstgenjig. I will be welding it this next weekend and with a little luck I will have it on the jig before the weekend is up. After that it looks like I will start tearing into replacing the whole underbody. I am really kind of looking forward to gettin busy on it. Something about having everything new underneath that will be kind of cool. I do plan on painting the underneath the same color as the car. I did my shelby on a rotisseie and finished the underside in the same paint as the top and it looked really nice with all of the new parts next to it. Will post pics soon.

[BobKovacs]

When you build the front frame that ties to the firewall, don't bother with the crossbars- they get in the way when you try to replace the firewall. I originally built the whole frame, and ended up cutting out the crossbars. If you set the body on the locator pins and build the tiedowns that go into the bottom of the rockers (where the fenders mount), the front frame isn't really all that necessary, IMO.

[truss]

Ya I was thinking of making that front area removable as i felt that this part would be in the way of me trying to do the firewall etc....so thanks for the advice.

[truss]

well guys....jig was built this weekend. I will be putting the car up on it on friday. I will be starting by repairing the lower part of the drivers A pillar. I think then from there I will tackle the left rocker along with the front firewall and cowl shoulder. will be nice to be able to roll this thing around in the shop.