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I found the car almost perfect except for this spot on the frame on the passenger side. Drivers side is fine. How tricky is this spot to fix? Is it just a matter of cut away and weld back carefully or do I have to start removing lots of parts.
I would think the frame of the car would have to be supported very well so that it did not bend or collapse when the rusty area is cut out for a patch to be welded in......you may be able to get away with a simple patch.
I think some Corvette vendors sell frame sections.....which might be what is needed.
Last edited by doorgunner; Mar 6, 2016 at 06:06 PM.
It DEPENDS on the extent of the RUST...and you will not know that until you being to carefully cut away the EVIDENTLY bad steel and look inside.
The end cap of the rail that has 'pop' rivets holding it on is NOT a good sign...so I would start there.
AND...depending on how much steel is bad...will determine on how much you can SAFELY CUT OUT in this area at one time....BECAUSE....not knowing if your car is a coupe or convertible.,...it can POSSIBLY effect the door fitting correctly if you take away TOO MUCH steel.
REMEMBER...a structural repair is ONLY as GOOD as the metal you are welding to. So welding in thick plate steel to metal that is like tin foil....kinda pointless wouldn't you 'say'?
It DEPENDS on the extent of the RUST...and you will not know that until you being to carefully cut away the EVIDENTLY bad steel and look inside.
The end cap of the rail that has 'pop' rivets holding it on is NOT a good sign...so I would start there.
AND...depending on how much steel is bad...will determine on how much you can SAFELY CUT OUT in this area at one time....BECAUSE....not knowing if your car is a coupe or convertible.,...it can POSSIBLY effect the door fitting correctly if you take away TOO MUCH steel.
REMEMBER...a structural repair is ONLY as GOOD as the metal you are welding to. So welding in thick plate steel to metal that is like tin foil....kinda pointless wouldn't you 'say'?
I hope all goes well.
DUB
I ran a metal restoration business for classic and antique vehicles for over 25 years and rebuilt many frames and as DUB said , I would never even attempt to repair a frame section that didn't at least have solid metal at least as thick as the replacement section where the splice would be made . It's only as strong as the thinnest part and you would be making a useless attempt .
The garage is now clean so that I can ACTUALLY walk around the car....I also put a nut on each stud at the #3 mounts to hol up the middle of the body since the front is still 6 inches above the frame rails.......
I am confused 'doorgunner' why you posted it here?
Sorry jimmies63...and Members...I posted in the wrong thread (V.A. meds = )
NO worries....I was just trying to figure out how what you posted was being applied to the threads issue. I know you are doing a lot of welding and rust repair...but was trying to figure out how it was all linking together. ITS ALL GOOD.....NO HARM...NO FOUL!
It DEPENDS on the extent of the RUST...and you will not know that until you being to carefully cut away the EVIDENTLY bad steel and look inside.
The end cap of the rail that has 'pop' rivets holding it on is NOT a good sign...so I would start there.
AND...depending on how much steel is bad...will determine on how much you can SAFELY CUT OUT in this area at one time....BECAUSE....not knowing if your car is a coupe or convertible.,...it can POSSIBLY effect the door fitting correctly if you take away TOO MUCH steel.
REMEMBER...a structural repair is ONLY as GOOD as the metal you are welding to. So welding in thick plate steel to metal that is like tin foil....kinda pointless wouldn't you 'say'?
I hope all goes well.
DUB
I take it that end cap is not supposed to be riveted on?
I have poked and prodded with screwdriver and hammer and the surrounding steel is pretty solid. I had towed the car some distance with the straps snugged to the keyhole in that very spot and on distortion.
But if that end cap is supposed to be welded in, I can get a replacement patch for that too.
I found the car almost perfect except for this spot on the frame on the passenger side. Drivers side is fine. How tricky is this spot to fix? Is it just a matter of cut away and weld back carefully or do I have to start removing lots of parts.
It does look fairly localised in terms of corrosion damage. I would get a wire wheel on the angle grinder and start carefully cleaning back the paint/ underseal / rust from the area and see how much needs to be cut out to provide a strong area to weld onto. Don't start cutting out until you've cleaned back the corroded and immediate surrounding area. If you post back a photo I'm sure further advise / experience will be offered.
Good luck and for what it's worth I don't think it seems too bad !
Just make sure as best you can that all the damage. Not sure how you would do an effective job with the body on but that's just me. I had more rust then that so when I removed the body I had a much better way to repair things on both sides.
The frame is very important, so good luck with your decision process!
RVZIO
My frame doesn't look as rusty as the one above. Most of the car is oil undercoated and when you rap on the metal with a hammer it pings. The end cap is a surprise, but doesn't look that hard to fix since I'll be in there anyway. Yet. I have friend who's welded some car frames, I'm going to have him take a look and likely get some help. The only frame welding I have done thus far (and I have 3 cars under my belt) was with a pen. I'm taking more interest in this one.
The rivets in your pic look original, but I believe Dub is concerned about that area because the metal at the bottom of that piece has fatigue failed, meaning that corner has moved back and forth enough to break the parent metal. So start there.
It's a 68. Some tried a patch job. That's clear. I have pulled it apart. Pics attached. Most of the surrounding metal is pretty solid. Just looks real tough to clean for a new patch. Next step will be to start cutting back to good solid metal.
It's a 68. Some tried a patch job. That's clear. I have pulled it apart. Pics attached. Most of the surrounding metal is pretty solid. Just looks real tough to clean for a new patch. Next step will be to start cutting back to good solid metal.
How do you tell when to stop?
Vendors offer repair sections. I think 23" is a common length for the shortest section.
Frame welding question.
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