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Old 04-30-2020, 11:51 AM
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Ben M. Ben M. is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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I do know the frames for the most part interchanged year to year (unlike in the '60s and earlier) but I think the low end Chevy cars were shorter by 2" or so, so it's not a 1:1 interchange across all B-body cars. The largest Buick and Olds cars (Electra and 98) actually interchanged with Cadillac (DeVille). I believe the wagons also shared this longer frame length but they weren't interchangeable. After 1973 the frame length was the same as the 1971-1972 Catalina.

The real design flaw I've found on the '71-76 big cars is the double lined roof. It was supposed to stiffen the car and improve rollover and crash protection, but there was no drainage for moisture out of it. Between the sound deadener they used and two metal layers of unprotected metal that were bare when they left the factory, rust is an issue. The majority of cars I've found have roof rot of some form, vinyl top cars especially. On 4 different station wagons I've found perfect floors, frames, and bodies except for holes in the roof in places you wouldn't think a car would rust.