Imperials and other Mopar models

[Mark McDonald <tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Dale,

One of the advantages of unibody construction is it does not require
heavy gauge steel, or as much steel, as body on frame construction.  A
unibody derives most of its strength from the way it's put together--
two thinner, lighter pieces working together to do the work of one heavy
piece.  If you were to completely disassemble some unibodies you would
be surprised how thin and flexible the panels are-- it's only when
they're welded together that they're strong.

I worked in a H**** parts dept. for a summer and I was amazed at how
easy it was to bend a door skin from one of these cars-- I could've bent
it in half easily.  Not so with an Imperial!  But when you put it all
together, it's very strong.

Mark

MNTwin1@xxxxxxx wrote:

> It was interesting to see the very definite difference in the gauge of
> the sheet metal.  The New Yorker, which is unibody, has a much thinner
> gauge metal floor.  The Imperial, body on frame construction, was
> definitely thicker.  No wonder these cars weigh as much as they do.  I
> would have thought the unibody car would have thicker gauge steel.