Since the beginning of The Build, the folks over at American Modern Insurance Group have done a ton of work to their 1965 Malibu in order to get it ready for its full rebuild. But before they can fully commit the car to make-over mode, the crew must separate the body of the car from its tweaked frame. Check out that intricate process in the video above.

Because of the Malibu’s run-in with a brick wall, the whole front end sustained damage. In areas, the frame isn’t bad but up front, it’s all bent out of shape, causing the American Modern crew to find a replacement to support their classic Chevy project car. The solution? A frame pulled from a 1965 GTO convertible.

With the body mounts all off, pulling the body from the frame is as easy as lifting the two pieces apart via an automotive lift. Once the frame and body are separated, it’s a bit easier to see all the damage that the car sustained in its accident, especially to the frame. Luckily, the crew has a donor frame stripped and ready to go.

While the car certainly had better days before its collision, the crew of The Build opted to save the Chevelle Malibu because of its superior body condition. This meant little to no rust on the floor pans and truck pan, as well as the perfect donor body for a resto-mod project. Now, laid on the GTO frame, the Malibu is finally making its turn from tear-down to build.

Unfortunately, while the frame came off of a ‘65 GTO convertible, it looks to have originally been from a ‘66 or ‘67, causing the frame to be a little too long. But with a little cutting, sleeving and welding, the Malibu should have its reinforced frame on in no time. Be sure to check back next week to see what the crew of The Build will tackle next.

Out with the old, in with the new (frame that is).