Frame rot
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 414
Likes: 0
From: Quincy MA
Frame rot
I bough a '74 Stingray, previous owner was upfront and told me that it needed an engine mount, transmission pan gasket, and rot under the rear area of both doors taken care of. I believed the rot to be not a huge issue. I work for a dealership, my body shop won't touch it, they gave me a guy's info that has a shop that specializes in repairing such vehicles. I'm bringing it to him to have an estimate. He said that there are sections of frame (they are produced, he orders them) that he would weld in for each side but would require the body to be removed from the frame. Again the rot is under the rear of both doors, from what I hear, a common spot for the Vette's...Thoughts on ballpark to do this type of fix? What is the good, the bad, the ugly of such procedure?
Thanks all,
Kevin
Thanks all,
Kevin
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Wow, sux to be you today huh? Its gonna be pricey. Might as well get the frame blasted and painted while its off and do some internal rust mediation to make sure it never happens again.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,654
Likes: 0
From: Chandler Arizona
St. Jude Donor '08
There are many things that need to be done when removing the body from the frame.
There are also a lot of additional things you should consider doing while the body is off.
It will be very costly if you are not doing this job yourself. Can you post up some pics of the damage? Have you inspected around the windshield and inside the kick panels as well? Usually if they are rusty in the kick-up area, there is a good chance other sections are rusted including the windsheild, body mounts, etc... Try doing a search on rust in the C3 sections and you will see what I mean. Lot's of documentation on here about the problem areas and specific remedies.
Good luck!!!
There are also a lot of additional things you should consider doing while the body is off.
It will be very costly if you are not doing this job yourself. Can you post up some pics of the damage? Have you inspected around the windshield and inside the kick panels as well? Usually if they are rusty in the kick-up area, there is a good chance other sections are rusted including the windsheild, body mounts, etc... Try doing a search on rust in the C3 sections and you will see what I mean. Lot's of documentation on here about the problem areas and specific remedies.
Good luck!!!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 14
From: Airdrie Alberta
There are also a lot of additional things you should consider doing while the body is off.
I'm up to 12K for my little rust repair mission....what started as a simple frame swap has snow balled into a full frame off restoration.
You are almost gauranteed to require brake/fuel lines, full suspension/trailing arm bushings, all new fasteners, shocks, springs trailing arm rebuild, brakes etc etc etc...its not easy or pratical to be bolting on worn & rusted pieces to the repaired/replaced frame
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
You will probably need a differential crossmember if the back end of the side rails are rotted. Bang on it with a pointed hammer to see if any holes show up. The trailing arm pockets in the kickups tend to rot out also. If things look really bad it might be more cost effective to replace the frame. Used frames for 74 and up years are still pretty reasonably priced, and you can get new repro frames for $4,000 or less.
The amount of scale inside the frame is a pretty good indicator of the frame condition. If there is a lot of thick scale laying around inside the rails there is a lot of metal missing. Even if you replace some of the rails the original metal that is left is going to be weaker than it should be.
And like someone else said - plan on spending a lot more $ replacing bushings, lines, etc. 'while you are at it'.
I'm in the process of replacing the frame on my 72. Fortunately I had already bought all new suspension pieces for the 79 project that I sold or I'd be more broke than I am already.
Rick B.
The amount of scale inside the frame is a pretty good indicator of the frame condition. If there is a lot of thick scale laying around inside the rails there is a lot of metal missing. Even if you replace some of the rails the original metal that is left is going to be weaker than it should be.
And like someone else said - plan on spending a lot more $ replacing bushings, lines, etc. 'while you are at it'.
I'm in the process of replacing the frame on my 72. Fortunately I had already bought all new suspension pieces for the 79 project that I sold or I'd be more broke than I am already.
Rick B.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,112
From: Crossville TN
Is the rot a "cosmetic" issue or is it structural? Are there any methods to add strength to the weak areas without a frame-off repair. If the "rot" is on the top side of frame areas, you're in trouble; if on bottom areas, a good welder with knowledge of working on Corvettes can strengthen the frame without body removal...but it won't look like new. Maybe your best bet would be to repair it to servicibility; it would never win any NCRS awards, but you could still enjoy it.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 414
Likes: 0
From: Quincy MA
Mostly on the bottom of the frame so that's good! Not looking to win any car show awards, it's a driver, just want it to be strong and safe...
Is the rot a "cosmetic" issue or is it structural? Are there any methods to add strength to the weak areas without a frame-off repair. If the "rot" is on the top side of frame areas, you're in trouble; if on bottom areas, a good welder with knowledge of working on Corvettes can strengthen the frame without body removal...but it won't look like new. Maybe your best bet would be to repair it to servicibility; it would never win any NCRS awards, but you could still enjoy it.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,112
From: Crossville TN
Great. Then you need to contact some Corvette clubs in your area and ask for a recommendation for a welder that has experience with work on Corvettes. Contact some and tell them your problem. See who's interested. Good luck. I'd do the same thing, if it were me. You might be surprised how nice it will turn out...and you will be extending the life of your C3.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every Model vs Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
