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Just got off the phone with them Herm. Yep, no credit cards, send a check, get in line. They apparently have the original GM tooling and make to the drawings.
Going used, worrying what I have, AND going to inspect a used frame means my savings would be minimal. New only makes sense expect the car was planned to be in my son's wedding mid-Feb.... looks like that's dead now.
Good choice going new. Trying to save a few bucks on a 50+ year old frame is asking for trouble.
Save your money and time and do not purchase a used frame. I lost $4,000.00 on a used frame shipped for Florida to Cal last year, frame was scrap metal - no rust but broken and bent behind the drivers side spring pocket. I ordered a Vette products frame and its an expensive lesson as others have stated.
I've never seen a frame before bare and no paint. You can really see all the work, skill and metal that goes into one. I don't think 5600 is all that bad when you consider a paint job is 10K plus, rebuilt engine 6K, etc.
Just put a Vette Products frame on one of my 63s. Easy, everything fit. I'd recommend you have them put the removable trans crossmember on it. Much easier when you do it at that stage.
The new frame is well worth the extra money in peace of mind
Save your money and time and do not purchase a used frame. I lost $4,000.00 on a used frame shipped for Florida to Cal last year, frame was scrap metal - no rust but broken and bent behind the drivers side spring pocket. I ordered a Vette products frame and its an expensive lesson as others have stated.
Gotta admit - that is a good looking bit of fabrication....
If it were my car that's the route I would go...but I'd get paint or powder coat on it ASAP. Florida humidity is no friend to bare metal, Alabama prob isn't either
Yep, it'll be painted immediately. I've mentioned this here on the forum before. We design/manufacture military equipment that goes into very ugly environments and is not treated lovingly. We don't powder coat because it doesn't demonstrate the toughness of a properly prepped surface, epoxy primer, and decent paint, particularly after being chipped and used in the desert or ocean beaches. My experience is rust migrates under a powder coated finish much more aggressively than properly prepared epoxy primer. Don't know if the surface isn't prepared right, etc regarding the PC process. Being new to the hobby car community, powder coating something that will certainly see stone/road rash under a car like we see daily I don't understand. Maybe PC for show cars that rarely get used. Might just be our experience with improperly applied PC. Dunno.
Anyway Frankie, will be prepped, primed, painted immediately. Now need to decide about doing the inside with that POR stuff.
BTW, I spoke with Vette Products and what you're seeing is stamped frame parts made from the actual GM C2 tooling and original drawings. Pretty impressive fab job for about 5k.
America's Finest Corvettes, per their website, only sells reconditioned frames. But if anyone knows of a Vette Products reseller that may have a frame on the shelf I'd appreciate it. I'll call Vette Products later to see if they have distributors. Paragon only sells frame components per the website.
From: Middle TN by way of KY, OH, VA, IL, CA, FL, NY, SC, HI
Originally Posted by Lotsacubes
We design/manufacture military equipment that goes into very ugly environments and is not treated lovingly. We don't powder coat because it doesn't demonstrate the toughness of a properly prepped surface, epoxy primer, and decent paint, particularly after being chipped and used in the desert or ocean beaches.
My experience is rust migrates under a powder coated finish much more aggressively than properly prepared epoxy primer. Don't know if the surface isn't prepared right, etc regarding the PC process.
You are stepping into potentially very a strongly opinionated area here (them's fighting words!) - I would almost guarantee some blowback - there are those that see powder coating as the ultimate salvation.
Your activity's experience with the durability of powder coating matches my professional experience (nuclear submarines).
Granted, a Corvette is unlikely to see the severe duty of what we're talking about; but, it's also not easily repaired once chipped or otherwise damaged. It's very attractive when fresh, though.
That being said, It would take an extremely rotted frame for me to go out and buy a new one.
Being frugal, I love to repair.
I have the facilities to fabricate replacement parts out of 1/8" plate and weld them in, in a manor that closely duplicates original looks. (I don't build show cars but you would have to know the finer details of a car to tell the difference)
Butt welds(with backup plates) can be made that are not detectable, plating the whole side can also be undetectable except by measuring.
To me, the repair is the reward of restoring an old car, as I rarely drive them after they are done, because I am working on the next restoration.
Those that say that it can not be done, do not know how to do it!
Last edited by Roger Walling; Jan 4, 2018 at 10:01 AM.
Virtually nothing could convince me there is a better way than epoxy primer and paint for a Corvette frame. Mine was blasted and painted with DuPont epoxy products and it has proven bulletproof. I only wish the person that restored it had dipped it instead of sandblasting it, to address any internal rust that cannot be removed by blasting.
Can we talk about synthetic oil ? or Pertronix ? or restomods vs original cars ? or the pending demise of split window prices ?
LOL... I have so little knowledge regarding the Corvette stuff that I rarely can offer any professional or experiential advice. But 45 years of designing and manufacturing military systems has taught me a few things and don't mind blowback or being corrected.
It's my thread so I guess I can go OT
Few months ago another old guy and I were watching a young man start a bonfire with gasoline. I said when I was your age I did that and it blew up on me. He said nah.... we old guys looked at each other, smiled, and backed up. About 20 seconds later... whoosh... boom. He walked back to us with a pink face and no eye brows. We old, dumb guys were bent over gasping for breath! No big deal if my experience is of no value.
Don't feel to bad, without a lift that damage would have been hard for anyone to see.
I do pre-purchase inspections, and I can tell you that without access to a lift, it would have been almost impossible to catch rust damage like that. I usually bring a floor jack when I do inspections, but it's still pretty tough to find some rust problems, especially on the top of frame rails, where it's hidden by the rocker panels, or the body.
A few years ago I was doing an inspection of a 66, at a very reputable dealer. The dealer had the car waiting for me on a lift, when I got there. The top of the left rear frame rail was completely rotted away, in the area above the #4 body mount and differential cross member. The rest of the frame was solid and perfect, and I only caught it by accident, while using a drop light to get a look at the power antenna. It wasn't even easy to see, with the lift. As a side note, I'm sure the dealer didn't know it was there. The car was a consignment, and he seemed genuinely shocked, to the point that he refunded my inspection fee to the potential buyer.
plating the whole side can also be undetectable except by measuring.
