The trunk floor has been installed and seam sealed both inside and underneath.
The body and floor pan are aligned and joined together.
I wish it were that simple, but the floor needs to be lifted at an angle and pivoted up into position where it will be welded.
The transmission jack was employed to apply pressure and maintain the correct position before clamping.
The rear section from the original frame was positioned in place as a mock-up, and the frame rails were marked for where they needed to be trimmed.
After everything was properly positioned, the body was placed onto the frame to verify alignment before being tack welded.
The body was temporarily removed to finalize the floor welds inside and underneath. Fortunately, the toe board, which had been on back order since April, finally arrived!
Just in time for the front body mount repairs and to patch in the final piece of the front floor.
The bottoms of the mounts were repaired, the holes shifted 5/8″ forward, and new cage nuts were welded in place. There is a one-inch disparity between the Malibu and GTO frame mounts. With the front mounts adjusted forward by 5/8″ and the front fenders being 1/4″ longer, this leaves a 1/8″ difference for the radiator support to shift towards the rear with this chassis.
The frame was spliced behind the axle arch, retaining the original GTO stamping for the VIN on top and the date code on the side.
The outer frame mounts were created by modifying aftermarket Jeep tub mounts, which were trimmed to the appropriate size. The splice consists of a staggered cut both in front of and behind the mounts, utilizing the mount as a gusset over both pieces.
Front mounts and toe board repairs completed, the bottom of the floor seam sealed, and the body is back on the chassis once more.
Everything beneath the rear is now properly aligned, with the rear tailpipe suspended and the bumper reinstalled. It’s anticipated that the body will not need to be removed from the frame again.
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