Pusher

tsdorsey,
It seems like you have a pretty good sense of humor, I hope it stays that way throughout this project. If you have some local Powder Coating company's in your area you might want to check with some, here in So AZ. there are a bunch, I've found one that does real quality work and he charges me $2 per Sq Ft (that's cheap). Good luck...

tsdorsey

Pusher:

Thanks, I use humor as a defense mechanism. At least that's what my shrink tells me. I just thought I liked to tell jokes. (it's late, it's funny to me)

I'll have to see about guys in the area, didn't even consider it at first. I will do the blasting myself cuz I want to do some welding on the frame first. 'Spose I could just wire wheel those spots and then let them blast the rest. Hmmm, decisions decisions.

-Trevor

Roscoe

BB72

I can see a lot of good parts to work with on this project, it doesn't look like you'll be searching for any major stuff to finish, it's a pretty complete car. One thing you and you buddy have that is going to help with the whole project is the confidence to tear this thing down knowing you can put her back together. Looks like your going about it in the right order. I did cringe seeing what you held that body up with though, was that rope....lol. As far as the frame, I did POR 15 and that should be sufficient. Blasted it myself and painted it too. Real easy.Your frame has no rust issues, you might be able to get away with just cleaning it before you POR it. Good luck guys, going to be watching it. And by the way, I'm renting this house doing a frame off too....until Jan 31 anyways...

my2nd78

Excellent work.
My .02 on the powder coat / POR15 debate. Powder looks fantastic but my concern is that it tends to hide cracks that start to develop. I am debating the same decision with my 69 frame.

Durango_Boy

You can compromise a little to get more ponies and a great set of gears. You could spend a grand on the motor, maybe stroke it, and instead of a 6-speed, install a 5-speed to save a little money. You'll still have all the HP you need in the first several gears, and a top cruising speed well above any interstate speed limit.

kortensi

POR-15 worked out just fine for me.
Just make sure that you top coat any parts that are going to see sunlight.

Their instructions recommend it and I thought I would test it.

I left a scrap piece outside since about spring and the part with top coat still looks good and the part with just POR-15 is flaking off.
It should still be back behind the garage and I can snap a pic of it.

I also blasted and coated it myself.
Make sure that you have a respirator that can handle silica so that it doesn't kill you.

Check it out here so that you know what to expect.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1107000

KO

steve J06

welcome to the forum.
Looks like you're diving right in!
game developer, huh? cool job.

you have a pm.

steve

Durango_Boy

That's a good call. Do the 3M masks they sell at the Oreilly paint counters work okay for that? They are sure nice when painting and seem very high quality.

ryan92663

How are you going to smog the engine with a new tranny(not c.a.r.b approved) and no smog equipment on the engine? I dont mean to rain on your parade but theres no way your be able to register it unless basically all original components are on the car

c-3 envy

stingray_76

tsdorsey

Thanks guys. I have an old friend in town for the rest of the week so no work on the vette. I'll have updates this weekend if the weather is nice.

BB72:
Thanks for the info on the POR-15. Where did you rend the blaster from? and how 'bout the compressor? I have looked for a rental place online but I'm not coming up with much. I am very thankful that the frame is in such good shape. I need to do some welding to reinforce it because it's the time to do it.

Yeah, the rope looks bad in the pics. But it's not nearly as small as you think it is and the working load on it is well within a reasonable safety margin.

my2nd78:
Thanks for the info. I didn't think about that. Thats one more check in the "pro" column for the POR-15. I am pretty sure I'll go that route right now. I like the control of being able to do it myself too.

Durango_boy:
It shows how green I am but your post forced me to look up what stroking an engine meant. I really like that idea for this engine. This very same block at almost double this HP back in 1970 but was crippled due to the EPA.

kortensi:
Wow, I found that thread earlier and loved it. That frame looked spectacular when you were done with it.

steve J06:
Yeah, it's a lot of fun when I first meet someone and the whole "what do you do" question rears it's ugly head.

ryan92663:
Well, I only have to smog it every 2 years. It's was re-registered to me 6 months ago. CA used to do a rolling 30 year exemption until 2005. My car is now 31 years old. Hell I'M not 31 yet. So I'm just gonna hope that something changes in the next 18 months, like a re-introduction of the rolling exemption (unlikely, but possible) or I'll just have to put it all back on, smog it, and take it off again. PITA but I'll do it if I have to.

82MDVette

Trevor,
Great thread. You jumped right in and took off running with the project. At this pace you should have no problems completing it by your deadline.
I choose powdercoating for my frame due to the wide selection of colors, but I have also used POR-15 on numerous other items. Like Kort said, just make sure you follow the directions. Too many other people try to shortcut and blame the product.
Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

Durango_Boy

Just figure out what you want to do and we'll all be here to help you through it as best we can.

BB72

BB72:
Thanks for the info on the POR-15. Where did you rend the blaster from? and how 'bout the compressor? I have looked for a rental place online but I'm not coming up with much. I am very thankful that the frame is in such good shape. I need to do some welding to reinforce it because it's the time to do it.

I actually bought a sand blasting pot, just a small one for $100 and rented a compressor from an equipment rental place, about $80 for two days.

Durango_Boy

Do they test your exhaust or do a visual test? Here they just look to see that you have the right stuff. A dummy pump, flow through CATs, and a few rubber hoses draped around the top of the engine would fool any jerk doing inspections around here.

tsdorsey

Hahaha, I wish they only did a visual. Ever heard the term "49 state legal"? It usually refers to cars and they are talking about the smog requirements. They do a visual test, test the exhaust, test the gascap even.

I just need to vent this, I know most of you guys agree this this.

A little history. Up until 2005, CA had a rolling 30 year exemption to the smog laws. If your car was 30 or more years old it was smog exempt. Made sense, almost no one has cars that old and drives them daily. BUT... In 2005 they said, nope, it ends here. 75 and earlier are exempt. 76 and newer are gonna have to get checked every 2 years just like the VW bugs and the Honda civics.

I live not far up 101 from the 405 (45 minutes in no traffic) and drive on it only when I have to because it's such a pain. Caltrans estimates that 331,000 cars drive it every day. Of those 331,000 cars how many are over 30 years old? How many are even 20 years old? You will find V8 BMW's, V10 Mercedes, and lots and lots of SUV's. So my question... Why did CA stop the rolling smog exemption. There are about a billion other ways to reduce smog in SoCal other than hatin' on the classic car crowd.

Thanks, that felt good.

I'm gonna hope things change in the next couple years. or maybe I'll move out of state. Who knows, at 22 I'm not exactly nailed down

Durango_Boy

I want to see more pics of the '76 frame off project.

71rdster

You have ambition. I think July 1 will be hard to meet unless the Vette is your full time job, or you have a huge pile of money and lots of friends with mechanical skills. Overall I think you are starting with a fairly clean and complete car. Best of luck, I will be watching your progress, and will contribute when I have something worth saying. Examine all of your chassis and mechanical parts thoroughly, and make sure they are in spec, or properly reconditioned before using them. I was lucky when I took mine apart. A neighbor was a Vette guy and was the manager of a sandblasting and coatings company. I did some fiberglass and paint work for him in exchange for blasting my frame and large chassis pieces. I painted the frame with Imron. Like Powder Coat, Imron is resistent to chipping. something to think about.