chigung

is my car toast? I wont embarass myself by telling you how much i paid.


Crack pic 1 (drivers side)





Crack pic 2


Cross member (under gas tank)


Drivers side nose thingy


Drivers side nose thingy pic 2


Passenger side nose thingy


Rear cross member drivers side


Rear cross member passenger


My 78



My78 rear


[Modified by chigung, 9:43 PM 5/31/2002] [IMG][/IMG]


[Modified by chigung, 10:34 PM 5/31/2002]

chigung

you guys think that crack can be repaired?

PrarieShark

I would think that they should be able to weld the crack and reinforce it with a patch.It looks like its time to do a frame off work. :smash:

0Mike69@ECS

Maybe its me but I cant really make out any cracks... ok in picture 1 and 2 I see the lines, but it dosent appear that any section is cracked through the frame. In fact I think they kind look like seams.

the last couple of pics certianly show some rust but again I really dont see any cracks.

Then again in many of the shots I can't even tell what part of the frame Ii'm looking at! Are some upsidedown???

If you have any concern though I would take the car to a frame shop to have checked out!!! :cheers:

EDIT____ OK Pics 2 looks like a crack but again it dosent appear to go all the way through does it???


[Modified by Mike69, 4:33 PM 5/31/2002]

chigung

yea, the crack does go all the way through.

sorr about the confusion with the pics


:(

03whitecoupe

You can get a replacement frame for around $1500 used. I had similar problem with mine, bought a good solid used frame had it chemically dipped and POR 15 painted and it's as good as new. It's not cheap and very labor intensive but can be done. Beats the alternative of getting rid of the car. Good luck!

chigung

there, fixed the pics!

The_Dude

I don't have any experience with frame problems, but it seems to me that there are shops that can fix things like this. From your pictures, it didn't look like you had terrible rust. Entire frames are also available if yours is toast. Good luck.

Matt Gruber

as you learned, you crawl under it before you buy it,
do you have the place to pull the body off and replace the frame?
When i got my 1st c1 in 1975 i made a mistake, so i sold it "as is". life is a learning process.
i guess you are saving the "best" for last? the area ahead of the rear wheel rusts out first.
good luck :eek:

JB

Don't panic, easy & fairly cheap fix (maybe a few hundred bucks, tops). I had cracks just exactly like those around your springs on my '78. Several of the other forum members have had this problem in that exact same place too & will no doubt chime in soon. You just need to get it welded up, preferably by a shop that knows something about vettes, but at least by one that does frame repairs. I saw pics from one guy a few months back where he'd gone over a speed bump funny and tore part of the suspension loose along there. He got someone to jack it up and weld it, no problems.

However, I'd probably stop driving it until you get that done. Could be ugly if something let go.

JB




[Modified by JB, 3:58 PM 5/31/2002]

chigung

thanks for all of the good tips.
If you have any other suggestions, let me know

dave

45ACP

Easy fix.

You just need to find a pal who is a fabricator/welder or a shop that does this kind of work routinely. In the hands of the right guy, the repairs will likely end up stronger than original and have a very professional look to them - unlike the repair work shown in a couple of the pictures.

MotorHead

Easy fixes couple hundred bucks :D

chigung

Thanks again guys, i feel better!

Twin_Turbo

Aaron74 is the one who tore out his suspension on a speedbump :)

I think it was more than a couple of 100$ to fix.. ask him or Ken73.

Marck

Chuck Gongloff

Looks like serious, major problems to me. I would get under the car with a pick or a phillips screw driver....especially in the area of the front of the rear wheels and the crossmember and start hammering. See how thin the metal is, and see how big the holes are when you start pounding on them. Chuck

chigung

What will that accomplish?

Chuck Gongloff

Frame rust is like looking at the tip of an iceberg. If you start pounding and picking, around the visible holes and cracks, you'll open up usually a much larger area. What appears to be a "rust through" pin hole opens up into a 1 or 2 square inch hole. Usually where there is rust through, the frame, inside is also rusted and paper thin. On the rear crossmember pictures, it looks like it's already separated from the main frame. Check the area where the trailing arms mount. Check under both the right and left doors in the rear, and also check the kick up area....inside of the trailing arms where the frame turns upward around the rear wheels. Start "picking and tapping" and let us know what you find. That frame does not look like a "dry Texas" frame. Looks like a frame from a car driven where they use a lot of salt on the roads. I don't mean to upset you....I'm trying to be helpful, but if your frame is literally rusted in half, or if the crossmember is already separated from the main frame, you've got some serious problems, likely far beyond the re-weld and patch solutions. Chuck

chigung

well, i took a hammer and a center punch and started ponding away at the points that you suggested. It seems that there is some kind of black paint that coats the frame.

I pounded the heck out of about 20 points on the frame, and got no deterioration. the cross member that has the bolts in it is rusty, and isnt bolted to the frame snug, but the main frame that it bolts to appears to be ok. I pounded the crazy wend job done to the "front nose thingy" to allow access to the bolt, no give at all.

I about to sent my t-arms to bairs to have rebuilt (bearing is going out), unless you guys think that this is serious enogh that i should put that off, and have her towed to a frame shop first. I really dont want to drop a lot of money on a car that isnt safe to drive. She drives very straight, if that means anything. The T-arms look good, i pounded the heck out of them as well, no give at all.

gq82

Listen to Chuck, he knows what he's talking about. A frame that appears to be in the condition yours is in is a dangerous thing. Have a professional check it out.