New cradle for my baby.

[fabmandan]

I have to do some serious beating on my car and I was afraid of it falling off the jack stands, so I built this yesterday.

The reason I have to beat on it is the right rear is pushed in 10mm. The tail light panel is not straight either. I was trying to lay out for a recessed plate and I could not get it straight. Just like hanging crown molding in a 100 year old house. I finally figured it out, but it just raises more questions. If it was always like that, the right tail light always pointed to the left. If it was fixed, who ever fixed it had a spot welder. It has been bondoed in that corner, but not much.

It should be like this.

 

[bill_young]

Looks like you don't need beating as much as a gentle push with a port-a-power and some work with a stud welder and slide hammer. It should pull out pretty easily.

 

[zimmy]

mine is like that too...
i assume from a previous wreck.
i didn t see no easy way of fixing
it so i filled the area a little
and painted it ......z

 

[fabmandan]

Big slide hammer. There is no where to push against with a port-a-power. I tried, it would have just pushed out some where else instead of where I need it. I put eye bolts in the front of the cradle to tie it to the floor so it won't move. It's a big slide hammer.

 

[tony barnhill]

hmmmm....my '63 was also like that!

 

[Trevor Jessie]

One bad parallel parking episode is all it takes.

 

[fabmandan]

Well, the slide hammer didn't work. I only succeeded in putting a hole in the pinch flange. Time for Plan B.

 

[Branson]

my 65 was that way too. I used a piece of 2x, a bottle jack and a ratcheting come a long to straighten mine out a bit.

 

[tosoutherncars]

Hey Dan,

What about making two sandwich plates, the same shape as the taillight panel (similar to the rotisserie someone built on here.) Bolt them together, one inside, one outside, weld a piece of square stock sticking straight out of the outer plate. That'd let you use a body jack or comealong.

 

[fabmandan]

I already tried that. Bolted a hook to the plates and used the slide hammer. Nothing. Plan B is slice the radius all the way from where the tail light panel starts to bend in(right at the bottom bolt hole) weld a bar on the plates and try to pry it back.