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Wow, it has been a while since I have posted updates on this build, but it is progressing, slowly and much has been accomplished.
Today I dropped off the rest of the engine parts at the machine shop. This guy is slow as all &A%^$m, so I am sure we wont see the engine again until Christmas.
The oil pan turned out really nice, but it took about 10 hours of work to smooth it out, coat it with epoxy primer, smooth it out again, coat it again with epoxy primer, then finally top coat with Quanta products chevy orange. The car will be dropped back off at paint soon, so we are hoping to start final assembly in winter. Ill start posting pictures of the chassis rebuild as soon as it is back from the blasters.
Damn Chris, that car is going to be like all your projects. Better than new for the next owner to enjoy. Hope you are surviving well from the horrible weather passing by.
Damn Chris, that car is going to be like all your projects. Better than new for the next owner to enjoy. Hope you are surviving well from the horrible weather passing by.
Thanks Rich! Fortunately this one isn't going anywhere and will remain in the family to be enjoyed. This build is for my father and we are making it into a nice restoration with mild upgrades that will make it more user friendly.
Thanks Rich! Fortunately this one isn't going anywhere and will remain in the family to be enjoyed. This build is for my father and we are making it into a nice restoration with mild upgrades that will make it more user friendly.
GREAT CAR......Fantastic restoration. I love it when another car is saved. Especially 63 SPLIT WINDOW cars.
I have located a very early vin in the low 600 range, 340hp, SADDLE / Black vinyl car in Santa Barbara. Found last October. We think we have discovered the original engine in a hobby garage. In 1965, the car got a ''service replacement'' short block, 340hp from Chevrolet. Intake, heads, exhaust, carb, master cylinder air cleaner, rad support all original.
I hope to have more on this car soon.
Your project gives me courage to move forward. Keep up the great work.
GREAT CAR......Fantastic restoration. I love it when another car is saved. Especially 63 SPLIT WINDOW cars.
I have located a very early vin in the low 600 range, 340hp, SADDLE / Black vinyl car in Santa Barbara. Found last October. We think we have discovered the original engine in a hobby garage. In 1965, the car got a ''service replacement'' short block, 340hp from Chevrolet. Intake, heads, exhaust, carb, master cylinder air cleaner, rad support all original.
I hope to have more on this car soon.
Your project gives me courage to move forward. Keep up the great work.
It's quite the undertaking Jim, but as long as time is not an issue and you have skills, which i know you do, its just a matter of slowly chipping away at it undertaking restoring one small piece at a time. I think the biggest issue has been finding room for all of the parts and trying to properly plan out what portion of the build needs to be addressed in what order. I keep taking advantage of special sales, so we have carpet, seat covers, suspension components, etc. sitting around that we won't need for months if not a year, hopefully not years. However, we have saved a ton of money on the 15 and 20 percent off holiday specials, so it's worth putting up with the inventory overload.
Sounds like you have a lead on an interesting project. How do you know it was a 340hp car? If it is just a VIN, do you think you will be able to locate a decent body for it?
Long story short, the original frame was not repaired correctly, so I bought a "rust free, no hit, best frame i've ever seen before" off of eBay. Well, needless to say, it turned out the other way. Instead of taking another loss, I decided to put my limited welding and fabrication skills to the test. I think I did alright! $250.00 worth of metal and 8 hours of work and the frame is repaired, for the most part...still many minor repairs and touch ups that must be made.
I left as much good metal in place as possible and overlapped for further strength. Maybe not the prettiest repair on the inside, but this frame should now be extremely solid!!!
It's quite the undertaking Jim, but as long as time is not an issue and you have skills, which i know you do, its just a matter of slowly chipping away at it undertaking restoring one small piece at a time. I think the biggest issue has been finding room for all of the parts and trying to properly plan out what portion of the build needs to be addressed in what order. I keep taking advantage of special sales, so we have carpet, seat covers, suspension components, etc. sitting around that we won't need for months if not a year, hopefully not years. However, we have saved a ton of money on the 15 and 20 percent off holiday specials, so it's worth putting up with the inventory overload.
Sounds like you have a lead on an interesting project. How do you know it was a 340hp car? If it is just a VIN, do you think you will be able to locate a decent body for it?
Body has never been damaged. Paint was stripped in 1979 and then primer red to cover. Then the car was stored all these years. Car has the HIGH RPM 6500 tach. Also the history is known. Car was sold new at WASHBURN CHEVROLET, Santa Barbara. It may have been the first Split Window sold in Southern California. The history research is interesting. I hear three owners from new. Car was stored in San Francisco for many years when owner # 2 moved north.
Body has never been damaged. Paint was stripped in 1979 and then primer red to cover. Then the car was stored all these years. Car has the HIGH RPM 6500 tach. Also the history is known. Car was sold new at WASHBURN CHEVROLET, Santa Barbara. It may have been the first Split Window sold in Southern California. The history research is interesting. I hear three owners from new. Car was stored in San Francisco for many years when owner # 2 moved north.
Sounds like a nice car! Will be looking forward to the build thread.
Thanks Scott! It's a work in progress! The whole reason I bought this frame/chassis was to avoid this exact situation. Im done with big eBay purchases unless i can put my hands and eyes directly on the item before handing over the cash!!!!
Spent 30 minutes cutting out the passenger end plate, removing debri, and inspecting the metal. Before blasting, the plate looked fine, but after a 1/4 inch hole was visible. If you ever wonder why these frames rust out so badly at the end of the main rails it's because that area traps debri, then the debri absorbs moisture and holds it. Fortunately this side isn't bad. I'll splice in a few small pieces of metal for reinforcement and add a new end cap and the frame should be good to go.
Spent 30 minutes cutting out the passenger end plate, removing debri, and inspecting the metal. Before blasting, the plate looked fine, but after a 1/4 inch hole was visible. If you ever wonder why these frames rust out so badly at the end of the main rails it's because that area traps debri, then the debri absorbs moisture and holds it. Fortunately this side isn't bad. I'll splice in a few small pieces of metal for reinforcement and add a new end cap and the frame should be good to go.
I would use SEM rust mort and seal it or SEM rust seal through the entire inside of the frame
That's the plan, or at least to use some product to coat the entire inside of the frame. The place in Mississippi that used to dip and e coat frames no longer performs and de-rusting. sucks!
Frame repair is vaguely familiar. I had my frame sandblasted, performed repairs and then had the frame electrochemically stripped and rust preventative applied. When I got it back from the chemical treatment I found additional areas needing repair that was not revealed by the sandblasting. Couple of cracked welds in the front area of the frame that the sand packed into during the sandblast procedure. The chemical strip disclosed them so I could repair them before painting the frame.
Unfortunate that your local chemical strip facility is no longer doing frames.
Frame repair is vaguely familiar. I had my frame sandblasted, performed repairs and then had the frame electrochemically stripped and rust preventative applied. When I got it back from the chemical treatment I found additional areas needing repair that was not revealed by the sandblasting. Couple of cracked welds in the front area of the frame that the sand packed into during the sandblast procedure. The chemical strip disclosed them so I could repair them before painting the frame.
Unfortunate that your local chemical strip facility is no longer doing frames.
Keep up the great work
Yes, the EPA is making it difficult for all of these companies to stay in business, even the less toxic ones. Soon chrome will be a thing of the past.
07-25-2015, 09:08 AM
