I've noticed mention of watching for frame rust when buying a Vette. Since love is blind and it was instant love as soon as I saw mine, we didn't check the car good enough. My car has frame rust. It's in front of the rear tires, under the doors and it looks pretty bad. What do I do now?

 

LuAnn,
Surface frame rust is a given on most automobiles. Can you post some close-up pics? Can you push a screwdriver through at those points?

 

I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow. The holes are already there. We didn't do any research before buying this car. Never thought about rust. We looked under the car, but didn't think about the frame. As I said before, we're learning a hard and expensive lesson with this car. :(

 

Don't worry too much. It's still possible to fix those spots and paint them while the body is still on the frame. It'll just take lots of hours lying on your back sanding and welding. :boxing . I suggest some good epoxy paint after going though the same hell i did

 

I just went through this. On my way home from buying the car, I stopped at Midas. The mechanic went to put the car on the lift, but then stopped. He motioned for me to take a look. What I saw was horrifying. The entire section of frame, in front of the driver's side rear wheel, was gone. That the control arm had anything to grab onto, was amazing. I had to drive all over Akron, until I found a welder that was both competent and willing to fix the car. Most of the recommended welders wouldn't even look at the car, let alone fix it. Most told me to remove the body first. I wanted to drive the car, and a body-off is beyond my talent and budget.

The welder I found does fabrication for period homes in the area. But he's also no stranger to Corvettes. He cut out the entire frame side rail (bottom portion--the top portion was fine), fabricated a new section, and then welded it in. The repair took him a day and a half. The job cost me $600. But when I went back to my mechanic, and other mechanics, they marvel at the work. There are a lot of people out there who can't do the job right. I have yet to have someone look at it and shake their head, saying anything about poor quality.

After the repair, I ordered some Coroless from Eastwood. Then I took a 3M strip pad, and using my drill, I stripped every bit of the frame I could reach, down to the bare metal. Then I treated the bare metal with CLR. After flushing everything real well, I dried out the frame and painted it with the Coroless. I followed the Coroless with a semi gloss black. Now, you can eat off the frame.

Get the car up on a lift, and check out the frame. If you can put your finger through the lower sections, but the upper sections (where the body sits) are okay, you can have the frame repaired as I did. If the frame is merely rusty, but the integrity has not been compromised, take the 3M disc and Coroless to it. You should be fine.

If your car is a Sunday, warm weather driver, as mine is, and you treat the frame, you'll stop the rust in its tracks. So don't worry. If the frame needs to be fixed, ask around to find a competent welder. If you can't find one, you're only in Toledo. I'll hook you up with my welder. He'll take care of you.

 

LuAnn,

Don't fret! Most of the Corvette parts vendors sell replacement sections that can be welded in place once the corresponding rusted section is removed.

Example: http://www.docrebuild.com/dr-r-web/FRAME63.PDF

After evaluating your car and determining where the trouble spots are, see what is available and find yourself a competent local welder to do the job.

Mark

 

Don't worry too much. Fixing a rusty frame isn't that big of a job. Just takes some time and patience with a torch, welder and some grinders. :D I've replaced frame sections a few times for people and it can be done, the new parts can be bought, and you should be able to find a welder to do the job with the help of this forum. Actually, I'm doing one right now, so I have what we're talking about right on the top of my head. :D :D

 

when i realized that my first vette needed too much work i sold it and got a much nicer one. Have been happy with my 61 since 1975.

i don't know enough about yours, but, in general, a successful person cuts their losses ASAP. No sense fixing a money pit.

 

Having been born & raised in Syracuse NY, and having worked on cars in Syracuse since I was 14 years old, I can add a little insight to this discussion. The frame rots from the inside out. No matter how pretty it is on the outside, the rust starts on the inside due to salt concentrating there. I used to use commercial car washes to spray the inside of my frame (Fords mostly) through the factory openings. You would be amazed at how much salt & sand would be collected inside the frame. The frame disintigrates in layers starting on the inside. If you stick your finger through a hole and probe around, you will find large chunks of rusty metal just hanging by a thread. Eventually, the rust begins to be evident on the outside, but by then it is too late. With all due respect to the great welders of the world, if a frame has extensive rust, then it is probably best to replace it. If part of the frame is in great shape, and another part is rusty, then it can be "pieced" in with replacement sections. However... the frame should be retained in a jig while being welded because it tends to "spring" and distort when the factory configuration is disturbed. This CAN result in a twisted frame with both body and wheel alignment problems. Several Vette magazines have had articles about this and locating them would be a good starting point before you dive in. There are vendors that sell complete frames (new) for some years, and sections for all years. Before y'all dismiss this as a "chicken little- the sky is falling" comment, please try to locate the articles and do some reading.

I had a 1966 Ford ex NY State Police cruiser that I drove in the salt belt. The frame rotted from the inside out. I had it welded by a competent welder, and it lasted about a year before the frame broke in another section about 6 inches beyond the first break. The entire frame was swiss cheese from the Syracuse salt. I had a 59 Ford that did the same... a 1960 T'Bird... a 1965 T'Bird... and my 66 Vette has the "symptoms" by the rear riser.

If your Vette has rust holes in it along the side rail big enough to stick a finger through, and by the rear riser, then it is probably eaten up pretty well from the inside out. I'm sure someone can probably patch it up. But there is no way it is going have structural integrity unless it is done right. This proabably means the body will have to come off. If you only have a few small holes, then you might get away with a quick fix. Try to find a "Corvette" frame expert rather than a "weekend welder" look at it.

Try this... get out your hose and attach a sprayer nozzle to it. Now find a hole big enough to spray a strong stream of water into the frame. Now watch as big chunks of dirt, sand, and rust come flopping out. Sometimes they can be "patched", sometimes they can't.


[Modified by Tom454, 8:35 AM 8/16/2001]

 

Contrary to what some others are saying, it is a big deal and usually big bucks are invloved in fixing it. I am speaking from a similar experience of falling in love and not doing my homework before purchasing.
I'm in the process of buying a good used California frame for my 72 and they don't come cheap. Between $1500 and $2000 plus $500 for shipping. That doesn't include the labor charge my body guy will tack on. I'm looking at $3500-$4000 for the completed job.
Like Tom454 says it starts on the inside and works it way out. Rust is a nasty evil thing that dummies like me didn't consider when buying a fiberglass car. I wasn't thinking with me head when I bought it, but rather my heart. Live and learn.

 

Drives61 makes a good point. I don't know your particular situation but perhaps you should total up your potential costs at this point. If the cost to fix the car is WAY beyond what it is worth, you may want to cut your losses now. (Keep in mind that Vettes are expensive and almost anything you buy will need immediate and ongoing care.)
Without knowing what you paid it is difficult to know, but a 1,000 loss now will look small if you have to sink 10K into it and still don't have the car you want. Then again, if you are looking for a project and are willing to spend the time and money, step back, make a list, make a PLAN and get started. In my opinion, the plan is really the important part. (Ask me how I know.)

 

They sell a lot of body lifts out there for this not to be common.

I bought one (same reason) and it died; same area, inside out, etc. After you get the frame off you will see why you removed it; you will find lots of holes in the strangest areas. Maybe mine had a more then usual, I should have known before I bought it.

Over on http://216.254.32.120/jan99/p68.html is a good documentary of how frame repair is done (with art), I don’t think he ever finished his project though?

 

What are you guys talking about? You can get a frame on eBay for $200. :lol:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...item=594300553

I didn't say a "good" one. :D Pay particular attention to rear kickups and the daylight showing through.

In all sincerity, IMHO LuAnn should take the time to pragmatically evaluate the car and determine the condition before jumping to any conclusions. Some of the things I've read would have scared the hell out of me if I was a new or prospective C3 owner.

If the car is not a NCRS competitor, race car or purchased as an investment vehicle, the car can be enjoyed as a "driver" if the car is not dangerously structurally compromised. The majority of the time although there is undoubtedly rust in other places, the overall integrity of the car is not compromised to the point where the car is not safely driveable after some of the fixes recommended earlier.

Mark

 

Thanks for all the input. I will read the info. that was suggested and find somewhere I can get it up on a lift. At this point it's looking like a cut your losses deal. I'm not looking to have a major show car. Just something to enjoy, learn on and take to a few shows for fun. After only 3 weeks I have a rusty frame, a tranny making a lot of noise when I get on it and an engine that drops oil pressure and makes lower engine noise ( main bearing?) after it gets hot. All this for only 10,500. What a deal!!! :cry

 

LuAnn:
Don't get too discouraged. I'm in the same boat as you, but I'm going to do whatever I can to make my Vette a keeper. I'd wanted one for so long and despite my frame woes, I'm not giving up. It can be repaired. Not cheaply, but it'll be worth it in the long run.

 

I'm not giving up yet. Same here. I've wanted one for so long that if it takes 10 years to fix it, so be it. Just frustrated with myself for being so stupid. I'm always careful buying everything else, but this car seemed to "talk to me" the minute I saw it. Sounds dumb, but what can I say! :rolleyes:

 

LuAnn ... if the Vette talked to you, maybe you didn't understand what it was saying. :confused: :confused: :confused: I think, being the Vette lover you are, I'd look at repairing what you can, undercoating and selling. There are a lot of Vettes for sale out there. I'd research and buy a southwestern car. Hey, airplane tickets are cheap now. Here in New Mexico, you can dump a car out in the desert for 40 years and the best you can get is a little surface rust. Don't bail out on your dream .... sometimes nightmares come between dreams. Hang in there and post pictures of your rust. Maybe it isn't as bad as you think If it is, just :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: