Asking for some body building help / information

[bax]

I started another bronco build a while back. The frame and running gear has been done and I am doing body panel replacement. Well that's how it started but as I got into it it became evident that very few pieces of the body were worth repair. I had already purchased about half the panels when I figured out I should start from scratch. I built a fixture and started to mock up panels. Problem is the pieces I have mocked up I am not happy with. I know panels need a little "work" to get the fit correct. But with the main floor mocked up, I have a hard time with the sizes and the fit. Nothing is welded and I am about to take it back apart and double check my fixture. Main question is for those of you that have done extensive panel replacement or a body build. Was there a lot of resizing of panels to get the correct dimensions? My fixture has pins where the body mounts would be. Using those pins to establish the mount locations. I then move onto the width and length measurments and clamp up the parts. I don't like what I have and am reluctant to start reshaping panels without double checking the fixture once again. Any Ideas ? I wish I had purchased the floor pieces assembled but I had already bought many of the pieces before I just decided to start over.

 

[Steve83]

Post LOTS of pics, with & without measurement tools visible.

 

[papy]

following il be in the same boat with my 77 build one day

 

[jeffncs]

I’ve never built a body from scratch but I have rwplaced the majority of body panels. I always start from a define point and set that in place with bracing and supplemental structure. I build from there.

Example - replacing an A post. I would measure and fit everything using the original placement. I weld x bracing, side and front 1”square tubing. Use that as your fixed point and measure the snot out of the panel to be replaced.

Support the body from collapsing, shifting or changing positions.

Start cutting.

Fit the new panel and match the earlier measurements. One panel at a time.

 

[bax]

I was not happy with my first mock up. I took it all back down and started over. First re checking my fixture. Found one mount location to be 1/8'' low. Fixed that. Next I made dedicated centers and outside width fixture locations. From there I squared and centered crossmember locations and installed them into the jig. I fastened them down so they were in a fixed location. From there I just went piece by piece, making panel adjustments ( cutting / bending ) till I was happy. Then I just went forward fitting each piece. By the end of the night I had floor , crossmembers, and braces screwed together. From the B pillar to the tailgate crossmember. I didn't want to go any further till I checked my work. I clamped some 2x6's to the floorboards, got some help and we lifted it off the jig and onto the frame. Installed the bolts into the mounts and it seemed to fit the frame nicely. Very pleased. Tonight I will put it back in the jig and proceed with more building. Both fixture and panel fitting. Lots of the panels needed trimming, mostly to fit the outside dimensions and to square them into place. I am not posting pictures yet, but I will. When I am done I hope to have a pretty detailed assembly jig and a new assembled body.

 

[Oldtimer]

MBI Motorsports has some informative videos on building Bronco bodies.
I haven't searched thru their videos, but they may have one concentrated on floor build.

 

[bax]

Yes I have watched that one several times. But thanks for posting