we have a 1973 dodge dart sport and want to remove all frame rails from the shell . what is the best way to cut/remove them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1973-DODGE-DART ... 27f26a60ec

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slant six's RULE!
http://www.usajon.com

If you want to reuse them, a spot weld cutter is about the only option. This a quite an undertaking, but you'll learn a lot about how these cars were built.

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Joshua

Could you use a plasma cutter? At least get them out of the car and then set them up where you can remove all the spot welds.

Lots of work there!

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Drill through the spotwelds - save the spotweld cutter for when your removing the bad ones from the receiving car.

Plasma may not work so well. You need a clean conductive surface. Have to consider the rust, paint, and any undercoating. Even if you could keep the arc going it'll get pretty stinky.

My favorite part is the "it was a running car 6 months ago...". And that matters now, how exactly? Ha.

Yes you can if you don't mind destroying the surrounding sheet metal/floor pans, as would an oxy-acet torch...The plasma cutter will need a good grounding point on the car, and will not cut through any underbody coating until you grind it off, any partial contact points will burn the electrode or goof up the tips which can be a spendy option...things get easier if you use a 230V model ($$$)....Spot weld cutters will require drilling each spot weld and will leave a 'hole' in the subframe rail flange where the spotweld occurs, you may need quite a few cutters, as cheap ones dull and need replaced often...

Being a career sheetmetal journeyman, I would estimate it would take me about 8-16 hours to drill them with the cutter, and chisel the welds that were "deep" by hand, probably half that time to burn the parts out assuming I was being careful and had little cost into it if I could borrow our shop's torch or plasma cutter and had access to an air chisel for the odd spots....

At one time I cut apart a full duster, and just used a torch to retain the full floor pans and rails in one "chunk", as well as the roof element with the window perches, the rear panel, and trunk pan...I think it took me about 8 hours at my buddies place and luckily had help of a wrecker to hold and turn the body...

Sawzall them out and prep them for install on the workbench.

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