To make a long story short, I've been doing a LOT of work on the 72 coupe I picked up back in August. Pulled all driveline / suspension from the front and rear, had everything rebuilt and am at the point where I just popped the suspension components back in but have yet to plumb the new brakes.

While the suspension was out, I did some moderate frame cleaning and touch ups; but nothing compared to what I could have done (sandblast and PC) if I had just the rolling chassis.

I'm at the point where I need to make a crucial decision. Should I just bolt everything back in and move on? Or should I take the extra time to undo what I've done already, do it properly, and then bolt everything back in. One of the things I'd like to do in the near future is swap out the TH400 for a Tremec 5spd. I can only imagine that it would be substantially easier to knock out with the body off the car.

As far as the forseeable future is concerned, I plan on keeping this car forever, alternating with my Yukon as my DD and driving the **** out of it whenever I get the chance.

Should I take the leap and do it the way I really want, with hopefully no regrets?

I just don't want to end up over my head with something that I'll wish I never started.

 

Hee Hee, and off we goooooo...

My Steeroids project turned into a body off. After all the $$$s and hours (still plenty to go), I'd probably do it again because I know it's ALL done RIGHT ("right" being a loosely defined term). It was too tough bolting up those nice shiny parts next to 40ish year old stuff. But realize this, unless you plan on working it 24/7 it'll be down for a while, but it'll be worth it. There will be lots of "WTF am I doing???" moments, when you get to those, just come back to the forum and you'll get re-energized. There is no better place to get info than here. I would have never attempted mine without this forum.
Some pix of my project:
http://www.islandtimeinvestor.com/iti/vette/

 

If you are questioning yourself then do it. If you don't you will always be saying "you know I should have taken the body off" Much easier with everything out in the open. If you have the time and $$$ go do it.

 

Hi,
I think the ease in which you can get to EVERYTHING makes up for the work it takes to lift the body
The only downside is the length of time you can't be driving the car.
Regards,
Alan

PS: You really LEARN a lot too.

 

If you are inclined to take the body off I'd do it now and do it right even if it takes a bit longer. You'll run out of enthusiasm if you find yourself in a situation where you're taking something apart for the 3rd or 4th time down the road. IMO better to take care of everything you find in one long project. This is what I did when I started my frame off. I didn't start it with intention of doing a show restoration, more a case of wanting to deal with all the small stuff at once rather than piecemeal. As Alan71 suggests, it's a lot easier to work on some parts when the body is out of the way. I found some items I would not have noticed if I hadn't removed the body. My other motivation was I could thoroughly clean and paint everything. I no longer deal with dirt, grease, and rust when I need to crawl under to do some maintenance. Looks a lot nicer...

Downside to the frame off is time. It's going to take a while to do it right.

 

Since everyone else is encouraging you to jump in the shark tank head first, let me play the devil's advocate here.

Without having had the enjoyment of driving the car, you could easily fall out of love with it by spending a lot of time and money on a major project. Lifting the body will add considerable more time and money, because then you will feel compelled to fix everything...which is really impossible. Your car will never be perfect, no matter what you do. Alan's car is about as close to perfect as they get.

I was coached by several experts to work on the car one section at a time...enjoy driving the car for a while...then move on to the next section....etc. I have moderate capabilities and resources, but lifting the body and a blank checkbook are not two of them.

 

Yes, it would be easier to work on the suspension and drive train with the body off. However, to me, the only way I would do a frame off is to

A. Paint the frame
B. Replace the mount bushings

If its a show car then do it, if its a hot rod then drive it.

 

Hum......:I asked myself the same question few months ago and guess what?

 

Hi BB,
The frame for my 71 looked very much like yours IN THE U-Haul TRUCK I rented to take it to the powder coater.
Looks NICE!!!!
Regards,
Alan

 

Hey Big Buffer i have those same pictures from when i did mine. Best thing i ever did, only way to really get the car to where it needs to be.

 

If you can do it. Take the body off. It was the best thing I ever did. you will be glad you did it. Everything is so much easier to get to and work on.

 

It really is the only way to do it right, so I say go for it. Take the time to LABEL EVERYTHING and reassembly will be MUCH easier and faster.

 

I really don't think you would regret pulling the body.
There is so much more detail work you can do to the chassis and the body with the two pieces separated.









When the parts finally come together it is a thing of beauty.

 

Just put it back together and enjoy your new Vette for a while.

 

If you do take it apart; take LOTS and LOTS of pictures from many angles before and during the process. They are a great reference when the time comes to put things back together (along with the AIM).

 

my 78' is going to be a daily driven 20 foot car (looks pretty good from 20 feet away) this is not going to be a show car and i drive 15-20k miles a year. are there any safety reasons i should pull the body on a car that sat for at least 10 years before i got it? appearance underneath the thing just isnt that important. as i've done suspension work, i cleaned/repainted the area on the frame i did the work.