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Welcome aboard Debbie, looks like you'll have the opportunity to learn lessons the way a lot of us have. And Jack is being modest, he has honed his machinist skills so might be able to support you in some way.

My suggestion to you would be to start with basics. If the frame (foundation of the car) is out of whack, nothing you do beyond that will be worth a poop. A tape measure, good eye, and a helpful friend will go a long way toward getting you on a good start. Set the frame up level on a good surface, use a combination of jack stands and shims/blocks, or whatever you have available to make a stable support structure. Work off the original factory portion of the frame first before evaluating the substitute front portion. Most holes on the top of the frame, and often on the sides and bottom are symetrical, in other words they should be in the same location relative to the rails on both left and right, and front to back. Make diagonal measurements, say from a hole on the left front to the right rear, and vice versa. The dimensions should be identical, or very close (I like to keep it to a 1/16"). If they're not the frame is out of square or bent in some other way. You need to track back on that and figure out what's out of whack. Once you've got the original part of the frame level and checked for square then you can verify if the front frame clip was done correctly. Sadly, they often aren't, and that's why so many of them pass from owner to owner unfinished. Once you know the frame is correct, if it is, then you can drop the body on and start doing the same measuring, not only the mounting points, but also the openings. Here the measurement results won't likely be as tight as those on the frame, though they still need to be close. Do diagonal measures from like points on door and trunk openings, and from rocker panel to drip rail/door opening tops/A pillar, B pillar. If you're suspicious of the rockers, work around them at first, that will help to confirm or deny your suspicions. Try to go to shows in your area and locate others with similar cars so you can look at how theirs are installed (obviously the more original the car the better).

That's probably enough to chew on for now. Once you get into it there are lots of folks here that can give additional help.

Welcome aboard. I was going to say pretty much what Bob said about the frame. Any time I see a frame that has had a subframe clip welded on I get a little nervous. There are some terrible clip jobs out there, not everyone should be doing them. If your frame is not correct in all respects it will make the rest of it meaningless.

You might even want to spend a few bucks up front and have an alignment shop check it out to see how it looks, or maybe a knowledgeable rodder in your area.

Don