Frame Repair.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,227
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta Ga
Frame Repair.
Looks like the rust got the best of me on one of my 82`s. Time to begin the dreaded repair. I went to a metal fab shop today and picked up some 12 gauge steel for cutting out the repair piece. Now time for some fabrication of my own to make it work. My plan is after the repair the repaired area is pretty much blended in. Ill post few pics as i go. Heres where I am now:
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,227
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta Ga
the frame is only 12 gauge. I plan on layering the metal. Ill lay in a foundation piece that is plug welded to the good area of the frame. Ill then layer a piece on top of the foundation plate that will be level with the existing frame. Ill butt weld these to the frame and grind it down even with the good part of the frame. we will see how it goes.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 325
Likes: 0
From: Ocala FL
It's really not very hard to do and if you take your time, you'll get good results. Just be sure to skip wled wen you're putting the top layer on. Weld a couple of inches tops, then move to a different area while the first zone cools some. You don't want to build so much heat that the frame warps. Any time metal heats and cools it moves some, so the skip welding helps to balance the stresses and minimze the warpage.
Good luck and have fun with it.
Good luck and have fun with it.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,669
Likes: 3
From: Kingston Ontario
Are you repairing both sides, or just passenger?
Keep the pictures going throughout the procedure, sometimes we get to involved with the task at hand and forget to shoot as we work.
Lookin' good!!
Keep the pictures going throughout the procedure, sometimes we get to involved with the task at hand and forget to shoot as we work.
Lookin' good!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,227
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta Ga
mission acomplished.....
little harder then i thought due to that complex bend at the front, but....its 99% done. would be 100% however i ran out of wire on the mig before finished couple stitch welds. ground everything down. soon as i get the stitch welds finished im ready for paint. Like i said...repair blends right in and really cant tell where the repair was.
ill get some pics shortly. i dont EVER want to buy a car again with frame rot. good/sad part is that rest of frame is like brand new....
little harder then i thought due to that complex bend at the front, but....its 99% done. would be 100% however i ran out of wire on the mig before finished couple stitch welds. ground everything down. soon as i get the stitch welds finished im ready for paint. Like i said...repair blends right in and really cant tell where the repair was.
ill get some pics shortly. i dont EVER want to buy a car again with frame rot. good/sad part is that rest of frame is like brand new....
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
