Main Vette please step inside.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 82
From: Brampton Ont.
Main Vette please step inside.
I was taking a look at your 71 Restoration Page (very nice I might add) and I'd like to know how you got the front cross member to turn out so good. Did you weld a new piece on or panel beat it? I didn't get permission to post these picture therefore if you'd like me to delete them by all means I will.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 3
From: East Waterboro Maine
Nope, no donor panel. I just used a piece of sheet metal about 1/8" thick.
After I cut out the old section I cut a new piece of sheet metal to length and then cut it down to the required width. I did cut the new piece a bit wider than necessary to allow me to grind the edges flush after it was welded to the car. Next I drilled several 1/4" diameter holes along the front and rear edges of the new panel to allow me to spot/plug weld the new plate to the old frame. With that done I welded one end of the plate to the frame and, working from the welded end, plug welded the new plate in place. Before plug welding I used a pair of vice grips to make sure the new plate was held tightly against the frame (positioned the vice grips about a half inch away from the plug weld location). The new steel is fairly flexible so the vice grips bent it without too much trouble. Once the plate was welded I ground the welds and edges flush and painted it up. I didn't do any hammering
to avoid ending up with a dented appearance.
Overall it was pretty easy. Good luck!
After I cut out the old section I cut a new piece of sheet metal to length and then cut it down to the required width. I did cut the new piece a bit wider than necessary to allow me to grind the edges flush after it was welded to the car. Next I drilled several 1/4" diameter holes along the front and rear edges of the new panel to allow me to spot/plug weld the new plate to the old frame. With that done I welded one end of the plate to the frame and, working from the welded end, plug welded the new plate in place. Before plug welding I used a pair of vice grips to make sure the new plate was held tightly against the frame (positioned the vice grips about a half inch away from the plug weld location). The new steel is fairly flexible so the vice grips bent it without too much trouble. Once the plate was welded I ground the welds and edges flush and painted it up. I didn't do any hammering
to avoid ending up with a dented appearance.Overall it was pretty easy. Good luck!
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 189
Likes: 0
From: Quebec Canada
actually i found your sight on the net main vette, your pretty well the reason i'm doing a frame off resto. I always check your sight for up dates. I'm very good with fabricating pieces and welding, i own a steel shop and have blacksmith experience. By the way i have a 76 vette.
I'm just getting started, down to the rusted frame. Oh the fun.
Will be checking your sight on a regular basis.
Thanks, Tony.
I'm just getting started, down to the rusted frame. Oh the fun.
Will be checking your sight on a regular basis.
Thanks, Tony.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 3
From: East Waterboro Maine
jk.
I still haven't gotten too far on the windshield frame repairs (hence the lack of a recent update on my website). I'm still holding out hope of finding some donor panels. It's going to be a lot of work if I need to fab up some custom panels and I'm really not looking forward to doing it.
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