Just an update to anyone following the effort...was able to get the chassis disassembled thanks to Mike Dyer's help/advice.

BEFORE:



AFTER:



...nearly there at least. Still have to figure out how to get the rear cross bar off. Mike told me how on the phone, but I got lazy after baking in the sun most of the morning with the front and rear end...


MxB

 

The rear cross member just needs the use of a large crowbar. There is a good spot per side where you can get the tip of the crow bar pointing up against the frame and the hump of the crowbar down against the cross member. Push down hard with a lot of weight. Once the rust and corrosion give away it'll literally pop off. Do this on both sides.

 

Make sure you remove the 2 bolts underneath it first

 

MB--

You're on your way, and Mike will steer you straight... Digging the Coke Zero can on the trailer... I can't do any work on my vette without a Zero close by... I'm addicted to that little black can...

Rogman

 

I love a bare frame. It's the only way to really get to know your car.

You are in good hands if Mike is helping you!

 

....now the Fun part begins !
really.... once all the old crusty parts are off,
you get to play with new pretty parts !

 

I love the part were you reminded to remove the two bolts before prying...........like you were looking through me

Try some PB blaster for a day before too.

Locke

 

Yeah...I ask for CZ everywhere I go....one of my favorite restaurants started carrying it in cans...for $2.50 per...oh well, the cost of being at the leading edge of the envelop I guess!

I got the rear end disassembled today so that I can ship it off to Mike. That was a bear. I had no idea that they were so heavy. The damn thing weighs a proverbial ton! I'm half tempted to build a custom 8.8" Ford unit (leveraging the Mustang trend) that would sit perfectly inside the frame rails with some custom ladder-bar like "trailing arms." Cheaper, lighter, stronger, less complexity/simpler and, well, a lot cheaper...but it certainly wouldn't be a factory thing by far.

BTW...got the chassis blasted today and painted. I'm not going for the perfection that others here seek. I appreciate it; just can't afford it in either the time or the money. A few rattle cans later and it looks black and beautiful Good thing that the kid was out of school on President's Day...complained the entire time. I can tell you absolutely that if "My Dad" would have brought home a Corvette for me, he wouldn't have had to break a sweat for the next 10 years...personal time with mom exempted...much less had to turn a wrench. I wouldn't have complained even if liver was on the dinner plate... boy how times are different!

I found a fiberglass guy. Since I'm in the middle of the ocean, his specialty is boats...but I *think* that he's going to work out well. I'm going to spend more time talking to him today about it. I drew up several possible spoiler and hood scoop "creations." (That's the name they give aberrations until they're popular.)

I'd like to do the work myself and learn more about it, but that ain't happening this month...something about shop, materials, experience and time.

I've been trying to get him interested in doing something "creative" with it, but so far, he's not biting at the bait. Creative may not be his calling... Maybe if I show him my drawings tomorrow...then I'll see a bit of luminescence?

NEWS FLASH: the car appears to have been hit in the front and the front fiberglass has been replaced with an "old" C3 compared to the '77. By my best guesstimates, I'm guessing that it is a pre-75 front end. My first guess is 197x where x is one of 0, 1, 2, 3 maybe 4.

After blasting the chassis, I found a good bit of Bondo on the frame rail where they straightened it and then tried to make it look "right."

Everything looks and feels sound, but it isn't the prettiest thing in the world. There doesn't appear to be any alignment or strength issues and I did a bit more measuring and plumbing to ensure that it was straight, which it is, but I didn't have a warm-fuzzy at the end of it. I can't tell if the previous owner whacked someone else or simply drove it into a barrier or not. The "damage" (from the perspective of the repair) isn't bad, but I'd like to know more about the history to better understand how to approach it...(would rather, of course, not had to have "discovered" it.)

Just so everybody knows, I have no prior intimate knowledge of Corvettes, I'm just a wannabe trying to have fun with a cool car.


MxB

 

...and half the challenge and all of the expense is in making a bunch of new parts go back on!

This car was never very crusty, as such goes. It isn't ever going to be a "show" car, but it will be a nice, clean, reliable hot rod some day.

Good to note that the VIN is the same on the frame rails as on the birdcage...


MxB

 

do you have any pictures of the front end for us to identify it?

 

Unfortunately that is all wrong. I've got to have the real thing. 2 cups of coffee to get my eyes open and a Coke to keep the heart working.
Mike

 

Mike--

You are an "original" Coke guy??? Way too much sugar for me... I would be up for days if I drank that stuff... Wait a minute, that's what I need is more awake hours to work on the Vette... That's your secret!!!

Rogman

 

Yep, a 12 pack a day and I'm good for 18 hours.

 

If you are going to do Coke, do the real thing!
(not that white powdery stuff either)

 

No...it wasn't deep, just covered a ~20" section. I simply smoothed it and shot it with sandable primer before prep/painting it.

BEFORE:



AFTER:



...now on to the A-arms!


MxB

 

My mistake for not figuring out what you meant on my previous reply about the front end.

Does this help?






MxB