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Jules repo body assembly

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Well, I'm still in the assessment stage on my Healey restoration project. But the frame/body assembly is in pretty bad shape. A quick list of rusted out areas: floors, trunk edge, latch pillars, side panels that the latch pillars attach to, toe boards. I'm beginning to wonder if I might want to jump to a new Jules body.
Does anyone have any experience with these, or have some knowledge of how good they are. Do pieces fit well on them (doors, fenders, etc.) or do you have to move structures around to get things to fit? If you have to do much to them, then I guess I might as well fix what I have. Of course the price is kind of steep too.
Just a side bar, how do you put the icons in your post with the text. Like two mugs of beer for cheers.

Thanks, Dave C.
 
vette,sorry dont know about the jewel stuff, but just click on the smilling face (forth from right) at the top of the page youll be typing on, click from the selection box click the one you want and it will be on your page. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif
 
I have a Jule chassis and am very pleased with the way it all fits together. It's solid and straight. I had rust and dent issues with the aluminun shrouds and rear wings that Jule (Martin) repaired for me. They fit all of the panels back on the car for me, an absolute must in my opinion. It seems that adjustments are always needed. The only draw back is that if the car is ever judged I lose 50 of 1,000 points for a non original frame. It'll never be a Gold but I have a shot at silver!
 
I also have a jule frame. Martin is an expert with a welder/TIG unit. My frame was bad as was a bunch of my superstructure. I had Martin put a new frame on, put the super structure on the frame (replaceing what was bad) and fit the body panels. Well worth the money. I also have a BN4 and the solid feel of the jule frame is considerable over the BN4 original.
By the way, people on the list have talked about not having all the predrilled holes on the new frame. There are not very many missing. I talked to Martin about this. He stated that the repro parts like exhaust, are not close enough to the original for him to pre-drill the holes. These need fitting to the car, and the owner needs to drill the holes where needed to fit the exhaust. The only other holes that are missing are the holes for the brake lines, and electric line runs down the chasis rail. Simple to drill, it is only an 1/8 inch holes, and easy to do. The front sway bar at the front should also be fitted to the car. IE: put all the suspension parts on, brace the shock up the 2 inches like it says in the book, then fit the sway bar to the front rails.
You will not get shuttle shake from a Jule frame!
No, Martin does not pay me to advertise, but I paid a lot of money for his work and was very happy with the job.

Jerry
BJ8 in progress
BN4 done, and drivable
 
thanks Anthony.
- 'Restoremall' I really don't understand the loss of points for a new frame. Assuming that it is exactly like an original. (it is, isn't it.) What the heck, whether you weld pieces together to repair your own frame, or you buy pieces already welded together by someone else, what's the difference.
- I'm not going to build this for concours. I intend to drive it alot. If i weld all those pieces together, I'm pretty sure mine won't be a Gold either.
- It sounds like Martin at Jules will piece together any amount you want. but I can piece them together too.
BUT ALL BRAND NEW IS VERY TEMPTING.
- Does anyone have a contact number or Website for Jules.
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thankyousign.gif
 
vette, i agree, please dont get me started on "original" , concours etc. etc. ill have to go up stairs and "attempt" to beat up my wife! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif
 
Well, folks, here's a story of the other option: My 66BJ8 chassis was in bad shape when I bought the car five years ago. Just how bad I didn't know at the time. Sooo, I began a full restoration four years ago. I did have some mig and stick welding experience, but decided to go with a tig system, and tackled the job of replacing a lot of rusty metal myself. Sills, rockers, outriggers, crossmembers, floor pans, trunk, etc. To make a long story short, it's just now coming out of the paint shop, and it will be beautiful. But I will always wonder about the rust damage on the inside of the frame rails, even though I was able to treat the active rust pretty well. In the long run, I saved neither time nor money by salvaging the old chassis. If I had it to do over, I certainly would have gone with a Jule chassis. My Healey will probably never be close to a concours judge in any event.
 
The Jule frame is a very good one and Martin does a very good job with what he does. However, the frame is not the same as the original visually. The original fram was stamped in two halves and welded together before assembly. The Jule frame is box section steel tube and does not have the ridge down the middle along with a few other cosmetic issues. But, unless you are overly concerned with originality, his frame is much stronger than original and likely drives a lot better. If you want a new frame that is cosemtically correct, investigate the Kilmartin frame from Australia. It is correct.
 
Hi Vette -

The reason the Jule frame does not pass for original is it uses a solid box frame that does not have the welded peak that the original frame had when they welded to pieces of channel iron together to form a box.

There are suppliers that have original type framse like Kilmartin in Australia and AH spares in the UK. Of course with the dollar where it is, the Jule frame may be cheaper these days, I don't know.

Alan
 
Vette,
I'm far from the expert but if you haven't started yet go with all new. Jule or Kilmartin or other source, go with new. Call Martin Jensen. He'll talk you through it. Go see his shop and get the tour. As I recall it's about 90 min or so from Niagara Falls. I really enjoyed visiting with Martin and checking out his projects. We went to a restaurant for lunch and were still there at dinner time.
20th Side Road
Off the Guelf line
Rockwood, Ontario Canada
905-854-3555

Dale
 

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There are 19 very good pics of a Kilmartin chassis for a BN-2 in "Various Articles" on my site, gents. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/angel.gif

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif
Ed
 
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif I have to agree with Steve and go with the Jule frame only because I've done all the work myself, twice, and it's no fun. Not particularly difficult but no fun. I will say, and this is just my opinion, that a Jule frame will stiffen up the chassis much more so than original and you'll not have any of the "flex" you have with a channel welded frame. This is noticable when driving a Jule frame car, in that there's little side movement and the car does "rock back and forth" from front to rear at times.

A Kilmartin frame is better than original in that it's thicker metal and it will allow some flex, however, you'll have to find someone to weld it up for you. I wouldn't attempt that myself. I may be wrong here but I don't think Kilmartin offers a complete frame replacement.
 
Thank you all very, very much. This is going to be a tough decision for me because I have never turned out this much of a project car to someone else in the past. And it will be a large initial out lay. I don't mind charging someone that much, but I hate to pay it. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif I will investigate the options you have given me and also continue to evaluate the assembly that I have. I am equally concerned about the inner rust that might be attacking the main frame now. So I must ponder this profoundly. Obviously, you'll be hearing about it as this goes on. Thanks again.
Anthony, Please don't go upstairs. I don't want to see you get hurt.
Dave C.
 
I thought I had repaired all my frame rot. But when it came time for hanging the shrouds, fenders and doors, there was just too much flex to keep the door gaps right. So the body shop had to open up the already painted frame and insert angle iron stiffeners to keep things appropriately rigid. The lesson there is that if there is significant rust anywhere in the frame, assume it is everywhere, and make accommodations.
 
I thought I had repaired all my frame rot. But when it came time for hanging the shrouds, fenders and doors, there was just too much flex to keep the door gaps right. So the body shop had to open up the already painted frame and insert angle iron stiffeners to keep things appropriately rigid. The lesson there is that if there is significant rust anywhere in the frame, assume it is everywhere, and make accommodations.
 
'and the car does "rock back and forth" from front to rear at times.'
'A Kilmartin frame is better than original in that it's thicker metal and it will allow some flex, '
Johnny, I'm not sure I get the meaning here. Do you mean that the Jules frame will make the car "rock back and forth" from front to rear at times. I've never experienced my car rocking from front to rear. Don''t think I need that. Also, Are you saying that the Jules frame is stronger than the Kilmartin frame? Does the Kilmartin frame allow some flex where the Jules frame does not?
Please respond, I am very interested in your points.
Thanks,
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] I may be wrong here but I don't think Kilmartin offers a complete frame replacement. [/QUOTE]
Johnny, did you look at the Kilmartin frame on my site?? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif
Your ? IS answered!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif
Ed
 
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