Here is the backstory - In 1979 I bought a 74 coupe with the 454 and 4 on the floor. Three years later, with a wife and a new baby girl, my corvette and my wife's 1980 Trans Am were traded for a family car. A lot of mixed emotions there, to say the least. Over the years, we added two more girls and then a son along with the required vans, Tahoe and Suburban. Four years ago, my son and I began a full frame off restoration of a 1977 Ford F150 4x4 that took about two years.. Thanks to my father, who taught my brothers and me how to work on cars, that project turned out great. I thought I was probably done with restoration work until I got a call about not one but two corvettes that would be auctioned off. One was a 1977 and the other was a 79. I bought them both as a package deal and then sold the 79 to a coworker.

Now we have started on the 77. I want to get the frame soda blasted and ready for paint. The body is off (minimal rust) and on a body dolly (instructions from this forum-awesome). The engine is out and at the machine shop that did the work on my 77 Ford to get freshened up. We have removed the suspension from the front and the differential remains. I have been digging through all of the posts on this forum and I have to say that all of you who take the time to answer questions and pass on your experience are NUMBER ONE in my book.

So here is my first question for this forum. Can I remove all the connecting bolts and brake lines from the rear suspension and lift the frame off of it and then tackle the differential separately? Thanks to all of you who take the time to read and respond to this post.

My son taking it out for a spin before we roll it into the shop. 21 years old in a car twice his age - gotta love it

Body off - Ready for a good cleaning

All clean - let's start wrenching

All that is left to come off

So can I unbolt it as a complete unit?

 

The short answer is yes, this can be done.

In no particular order:
Remove the front pivot bolt on each trailing arm.
(I had to cut mine out with a Sawzall.)
Remove the upper shock bolts.
Disconnect the differential snubber bracket.
Disconnect the brake hard lines.
Disconnect parking brake cables.
Remove the outboard bolts on the differential crossmember, OR remove the inboard bolts that secure the differential to the crossmember.

 

Thank you Wendellp601 - Will tackle that this afternoon - I do know that the trailing arm bolts move so maybe sawzall wont be necessary

 

take the diff out and leave the crossmember in. then fight the crossmember out when it has no 100 lb weight hanging from it. that crossmember never comes out easy. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...er-advice.html

 

Just what we did this afternoon. Diff is rolled out and penetrating oil is working on the cross member. Thanks for the advice.

 

I did mine with the body still on the frame, so my crossmember had to come out. A few shots of PB Blaster and a pry bar worked for me.

 

gbooker, welcome to the Corvette Forum. You've come to the right place. I think you'll soon find the Forum to be the most useful tool in your tool box.

I bought my '77 new back in the day and loved the car, but I didn't fall in love with it. It wasn't family that caused me to part with mine after 6 years, but the new C4... an '85 Z-51 that I still have and did fall in love with. Unfortunately I missed the C3 enough to pick up a '73 convertible a few years later that I also still have, and also fell in love with. My motto has become, "a man never really has enough Corvettes."





Good luck... GUSTO

 

Diff crossmember popped right off with the two jaw puller - Frame is ready to go to the blaster

 

Looks like you have a great specimen to work on! When t/a bolts come out with a sawzall and differential crossmember pops right off you are missing so much grief and frustration in you r project! Conrats! Keep the pictures coming! And enjoy the time with your kids!

 

One day service on the frame and gas tank cover - time to clean and paint - even got the rear springs done - Kudos to Alabama Soda Blasting

 

Nice looking frame!

 

Frame is painted and we are ready to start hanging parts back on it.

 

Back on 4 wheels - O-ring rebuilds on calipers - new bearings and bushings and brake lines - gas tank cleaned and painted - steering gear box, proportioning valve and power steering valve rebuilt - transmission rebuilt - waiting on the engine - slow progress but progress still!