BODY MODS AND RESTORATION
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This computer generated picture of the red wagon under the original picture is the best I could do to show what I was about to do to my wagon.
I don't remember where I borrowed the red wagon picture from anymore. I have been planning this for many years now. My wagon will not be red.
I don't remember where I borrowed the red wagon picture from anymore. I have been planning this for many years now. My wagon will not be red.
I am planning on my wagon being the "Dark charcoal grey PT Cruiser color" like this beautiful 4-door image.
I went to a junkyard to see what I could make work with what I wanted to do and find some good donor cars. The first thing that sticks out is the side body curves. 68-69 Chevelles and el Caminos and wagons all had the same side body lines. In 70 the cars changed their lines but the elkys and wagons continued to keep the same curves.
If you look, the curvature of the top rear corner of the rear door window frame, on a wagon it is curved. 4 door sedans are also curved, but the hardtops are sharp cornered. I am pretty sure 68-69 4 door sedan rear doors will fit directly on to a 68-72 wagon, but I do know that 68-69 hard top and 70-72 sedan or hardtop read doors will not work. On a side note 68-69 4-door sedan front doors might also fit the 68-72 wagon but I have not tried it. Also, the curvature of the top edge of the rear door skins are different. 68-69 curves up straight and gradual, where the 70-72 stays horizontal longer then curves up with a tighter radius before meeting the back of the door. This change causes several problems for us parts interchangers, the back door's inner door panels from a 70-72 4 door will not fit the wagon, 68-69 will fit, but it has the wrong interior pattern for 70-72.
Ok, so finding this all out, I narrowed it down to using 68-69 4 door hardtop doors. They have the correct side body curves/lines, they also have the same curvature at the top edge of the door skin. the only problem is the windows are sharp cornered in the upper rear corner of the rear door. So what I decided to do is cut the roof drip rail section out of the 4 door hardtop and weld it into the wagon.
When I test fitted a 69 hardtop rear door onto a wagon, with the window rolled down it fit perfectly except, the rear door inner structure hit the center post of the wagon. The half posts of the 4 door hardtop are low enough to clear that part of the door. Upon further inspection, the posts are totally different. They are not just cut lower, they are shaped differently, they use different door hinges too. Also there is more cross bracing angled towards the center of the car at the bottom where it welds to the floor. This is to give it more stability since it is not supported to the roof. So now I know I need to cut my wagon posts out and use the posts of a 4 door hard top.
Now, I know what donor car I need, 68 or 69 4 door hardtop! The junk yard that I was in did not have any good enough to get the parts that I needed, so the search was on. I have been searching for a couple of years. These cars are pretty hard to find these days. Most of them have been crushed or stripped for parts. A fellow I know found one sitting in a junkyard in PA. I had it delivered for $700. Here it is.
If you look, the curvature of the top rear corner of the rear door window frame, on a wagon it is curved. 4 door sedans are also curved, but the hardtops are sharp cornered. I am pretty sure 68-69 4 door sedan rear doors will fit directly on to a 68-72 wagon, but I do know that 68-69 hard top and 70-72 sedan or hardtop read doors will not work. On a side note 68-69 4-door sedan front doors might also fit the 68-72 wagon but I have not tried it. Also, the curvature of the top edge of the rear door skins are different. 68-69 curves up straight and gradual, where the 70-72 stays horizontal longer then curves up with a tighter radius before meeting the back of the door. This change causes several problems for us parts interchangers, the back door's inner door panels from a 70-72 4 door will not fit the wagon, 68-69 will fit, but it has the wrong interior pattern for 70-72.
Ok, so finding this all out, I narrowed it down to using 68-69 4 door hardtop doors. They have the correct side body curves/lines, they also have the same curvature at the top edge of the door skin. the only problem is the windows are sharp cornered in the upper rear corner of the rear door. So what I decided to do is cut the roof drip rail section out of the 4 door hardtop and weld it into the wagon.
When I test fitted a 69 hardtop rear door onto a wagon, with the window rolled down it fit perfectly except, the rear door inner structure hit the center post of the wagon. The half posts of the 4 door hardtop are low enough to clear that part of the door. Upon further inspection, the posts are totally different. They are not just cut lower, they are shaped differently, they use different door hinges too. Also there is more cross bracing angled towards the center of the car at the bottom where it welds to the floor. This is to give it more stability since it is not supported to the roof. So now I know I need to cut my wagon posts out and use the posts of a 4 door hard top.
Now, I know what donor car I need, 68 or 69 4 door hardtop! The junk yard that I was in did not have any good enough to get the parts that I needed, so the search was on. I have been searching for a couple of years. These cars are pretty hard to find these days. Most of them have been crushed or stripped for parts. A fellow I know found one sitting in a junkyard in PA. I had it delivered for $700. Here it is.
As mentioned in earlier pages, I am using the "boxed" elky frame. This will be sufficient to support the wagon body without the center post. When I got the hardtop, I looked to see if they used boxed frames. It did not! So, only elkys and convertibles use boxed frames. However, one new discovery on my part is that the 4 door hardtops do have extra floor bracing! It runs from front to back connecting to the floor braces that run from side to side. I have not decided whether to use them or not since I am using the boxed frame. The first thing I am going to do is cut the post down on one of my parts wagons and mock everything up before cutting into my good wagon body. I will post pics as I do.