Remove body from frame on 67 Ford Wagon

The frame on my 67 Ford Ranch Wagon is REALLY rusty. I want to lift off the body, take a wire wheel to the rust and POR-15 the whole 9 yards. While I'm at it tackle the bushings, frnt disk brake swap, new fuel and brake lines, etc, etc, etc. I can't find any info on the best way to do this. From what I have found, the fairlanes have a unibody, so... is it even possible to remove the frame?

 

Heh. I'd like to see your definition of really rusty. Anyway, if it is uni-body the best you'll probably be able to do is remove the front subframe. The rear subframe is more than likely integrated into the floor pan.

I would probably pull the front sheet metal and then pull the engine and trans and lift up and support the front end of the car (not on the subframe obviously). From there it should be a matter of unbolting the subframe from the body and rolling it out. Obviously this is a rough outline since I'm not 100% familiar with your car.

You might also consider taking the disassembled subframe to someone to have it sandblasted. It would save a lot of time and aggravation versus trying to do it with a wire wheel. Not that it can't be done, but it could take some time.

 

I dont understand .... how do you know your chassis is really rusty and yet you dont know for sure if you do or do not have a uni-body? .... have you ever gotten on the ground and crawled under your wagon and checked out where the fastening points are for the frame (uni or not)???

 

Big flakes of rust the size of my palm! It's especially bad around the holes on the bottom of the rails. It was originally a Michigan car, so the salty winter roads did it no favors.

Uhhh... Since you're not familiar with Ford wagons from that era, I'll try to describe my situation more clearly. A regular frame rail is C shaped. Unibodies use stamped body panels that act together to give the car structural integrity. My car has U shaped frame rails, definatly not stamped sheet metal! I can't see if the top of the U shaped rails are welded to the body or bolted.

 

Fairlane unibody subframe structure.

 

67 Ford full size frame.....


Fairlane is as posted by Vista, a unibody. witch car/frame are we atlking about?

 

Thanks for the pics guys! Sooo... there's no cutting involved to remove the frame?

 

The only cutting would be to the mounting bolts if needed, otherwise nothing attaches directly to the frame from the body that would have to be cut.
U shaped?, it has a boxed frame?
This is a full size body on frame wagon right?

Normally there are several body mounting points with rubber cushions or pads between the body and frame with a bolt type fastener that goes to the body, usually thread into captive bolts welded to the body, may be just a nut and bolt with the rubber cushion and washer too.
You can see four of the mounting points on that frame in the pic, a rust colored outline in the front below the cowl and the rear in front of the wheels.
The front end is usually mounted the same way, a couple of mounts under the core support with rubber bushings, pads or cushions, normally a nut and bolt and washers deal, can also see them in the pic.
The body should not be touching the frame, there should be a gap, the rubber could have crushed down or it could be rusted out mounting points and the body came down around them or vice versa. It may be a real job getting the fasteners loose if it's even possible, start the PB blaster and keep them soaked for a good while before trying to loosen anything, don't rule out the fire wrench or sawzall.

 

Thanks for the info! Didn't know it was boxed till I saw the pics from Vista and Fat Tedy.

I'll be sure to take lots of pics and document as fully as possible as I dive in.

What exactly makes this car a unibody???

 

I believe unibody is short for unitized body. The body and frame are a single structural assembly that has been welded together. That's not to say that the body on frame doesn't contribute to the torsional and flexural rigidity. Unibody cars are lighter, but less rugged.

 

TABrinn, based on the photos in your gallery, you do not have a 'Fairlane' Ranch Wagon. You have a full-size Ford Ranch Wagon. In 1967, the Fairlane was an intermediate-sized wagon. Your wagon has a separate, perimeter frame.

Removing your body will involve unbolting the body mounts (which should be replaced anyway), unbolting the front sheet metal, and hoisting the wagon body up - probably with a block and tackle - or a bunch of guys. Do a trial lift first to see where the balance point is.

If you haven't already done so, I would suggest you review DR. B's complete project thread on his '67 Country Squire (basically the same as your wagon, only with wood panelling). Here it is.....

I'm not sure if Dr. B. actually did a 'frame off' restoration. You'll have to look through the entire thread, or maybe PM Dr. B directly. He's a great guy and I'm sure would be willing to give you a lot of advice.

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1380

 

Yes, Dr B. is The Man! I've been going over and over his build thread. Sooo much info. It's my #1 resource for my wagon.

 

I found a pretty cool "How-To" vid on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z7IzAdUk70 Might help anyone else thinking of tackeling this on your own.

 

TABrinn,

We just lifted the body off enough to put in new body mounts and rubber cushions. Similar to your video in the last post actually!

 

FRame off on a Chevelle Concours wagon here, not much different form any other car getting a frame off rework.

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13930

One thing I would heartily suggest if you are going to do this, find a forum dealing with you exact car (Fullsize Ford Forums, maybe?), and see what people have found as issues and have discussed already regarding lifting the body from the frame. Don't reinvent the wheel. On my car, I found that many individuals have had the cage nuts twist out in the body, requiring surgery to access and fix. You have to cut thru the floor to add penetrant and maybe cut out the offending bolt. Not fun.

My car, being an unloved Sountern California car, thankfully had no issues. But based on the desciption of your frame, I would be careful. You may decide not to persue this project and just to clean what you can easily access.

Good luck,
Tom