1963 Impala 4door H/T

[Deanlow]

Hello
Would there be any one that can offer some help or addvice? I am starting to restore a 1963 Impala 4 door hard top I started buy lifting the body from the frame and i had the body sitting on axle stands it was about 3 feet from the ground and what happened was i was trying to get the body up higher and then it fell to the shed floor the body landed RH side front first the LH side stayed supported buy the axle stands.The body has damage that i can see the RH rocker panel towards the front is pushed up a little and also once i looked over the body i noticed that the RH rear door must have touched the querter panel slightly because there is chiped paint and on the LH side the lower rear corner of the front door thouched the rocker panel slightly enouth to chip the paint.I have since put the body back on the frame so i could look over it for damage and all the doors seem to close good but the LH rear door has a closer gap than the RH to the quarter panel.Can any one please help me is there a way of checking these bodys for damage or any twist? Will i have too get a new body is this body only good for the junk yard? Any help will be greatly apprecieted. Thank you

Dean

 

[dq409]

Bummer Dean !!!

But I don`t think your body is a loss,,
You will need to have an experienced body man take a look at it and see where it needs to be pulled back to factory specs.

My guess from what you have said is the RH side front will need to be pulled down ward and I`m sure it will need to be pulled out corner to corner.

You might have to have it put on a frame stand to get the correct factory specs.

Good luck,, dq

 

[DaveFoster]

If it fell off of jack stands I'd be very surprized if it had any substantial damage, now get one that hit a tree doing 50 MPH and you get a workout. Post some pictures of your damage and I can give you some advice. But did you bolt the body to the frame yet? Sometimes just bolting it down will square it up, if one corner is up and you can determine which corner it is, such as witnessing which corner hit the floor, take the body off of the frame and elevate the other three corners with four by fours on a level floor, have several of your buddies stand on the other three corners as ballast, with nothing under your damaged corner, jump up and down on it, measure the distance ground to corner and see if it moved. If this doesn't work, take it to a frameshop before you go too far and ruin it.

 

[DaveFoster]

Yes Dean, it's nitrochickenzilla@juno.com

Too bad your twisted body is on the other side of the pond, I own a frame machine that pulls hard.

May I suggest using a local www hotrodders messageboard for frame machine help. I pull racecar frames all the time, I get involved with racing and hotrod screwups, most of which I wouldn't touch with a tenfoot pole for strangers off the street.

Send some pics, than I'll ask some questions after I study what you send.