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1969 Chassis Rebuilding

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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 10:47 PM
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 10:54 PM
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Finally got started on my Chassis rebuild. Good news is somebody has allready been in here before me so every bolt I turn has allready been done before and they come apart. Bad news is every thing was put togeather useing parts from everywhere and very few are original to this car. The Frame has all ready been blasted and painted but it looks as though there wasn't any primer paint used and the gloss paint chips off pretty easy.
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 11:25 PM
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Front crossmember has the usual damage

As I work in the Marine industry I'm used to doing things the way a Shipyard would. Buy driving wedges under the U shaped Steel that has been tack welded to the low spot I can pull it out. I was surprised how much force it took to get the metal moving.

Using a Rosebud on the Torch makes it easyer to control where the metal moves.

Things are starting to look a bit better. Still needs some more TLC.
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Old Oct 4, 2021 | 11:32 PM
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My local Blast Shop called and said if I got the Frame to them today I could I could get it back by the end of the week. Better take them up on this as the other shop I use said they were 3 weeks out.
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Old Oct 5, 2021 | 10:39 AM
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Wouldn't you love to kick the guy in the nuts who jacks the car up and bends the frame?
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Old Oct 5, 2021 | 11:12 AM
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I personally think Railroad Crossings do a lot more than a Floor Jack. After all I was 21 years old when I bought my first C3.
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Old Oct 6, 2021 | 10:34 AM
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RR crossings put scrapes and scuffs on that pan. Dents are usually due to 'Bubba' mechanics jacking on it.
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Old Oct 6, 2021 | 02:34 PM
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Very nice project!
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Old Oct 14, 2021 | 11:49 PM
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Got the frame back from blasting and spent some more time on the front crossmember.

Wile rolling over the frame to get the sand out I noticed it was coming out of a hole thats not supposed to be there.

Wasn't to bad. Looks like good metal now

This should work.

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Old Oct 15, 2021 | 12:07 AM
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The Mouse Nest survived the Blast Shop ! No more mouse though.

And here I thought I was going to have the only Frame with no Rust at the Kick Ups. If you look above my cutout where the round hole is that is where somebody before me has patched a hole. Its gas Welded on either end but not welded along the sides ?

First Patch

Yikes, its just a piece of sheet metal, no wonder they didn't weld it in all the way.

Another Patch.

Thats enough for tonight. I see that the other side has had some rust holes Brazed back together. As if one guy was gas welding one side and another gas brazing the other. Will dive into it in the morning.
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Old Oct 15, 2021 | 12:49 AM
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Looking good! Thanks for the pics...now I see what I need to do
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Old Oct 15, 2021 | 03:16 PM
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Sorry for the detour, but it looks like a Deluxe cab in the background. What's the story there?
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Old Oct 16, 2021 | 12:24 AM
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Originally Posted by 69427
Sorry for the detour, but it looks like a Deluxe cab in the background. What's the story there?
I was wondering if anybody would pick up on the 5 window. Its actually a 1954 GMC COE 450. The 450's are much harder to find and more sought after because they have wider front Fenders. I have a 06 Kodiak Duramax that got in the way of a falling Tree that I'm planning on using for it. Its planed to be a Corvette Hauler.
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Old Oct 16, 2021 | 07:31 AM
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The very first pic it thought...."oh here we go, its upside down already!!!!" I was wondering how you would get it on its wheels again
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Old Oct 16, 2021 | 02:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Gale Banks 80'
I was wondering if anybody would pick up on the 5 window. Its actually a 1954 GMC COE 450. The 450's are much harder to find and more sought after because they have wider front Fenders. I have a 06 Kodiak Duramax that got in the way of a falling Tree that I'm planning on using for it. Its planed to be a Corvette Hauler.
Excellent. Post some pictures down the road when you get a chance to work on it.

I'm trying to get my '51 standard cab 3100 on the road one of these years. I've got a C4 suspension under it, and other assorted spare Corvette parts wherever they happened to fit.
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Old Oct 18, 2021 | 12:41 AM
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Originally Posted by 69427
Excellent. Post some pictures down the road when you get a chance to work on it.

I'm trying to get my '51 standard cab 3100 on the road one of these years. I've got a C4 suspension under it, and other assorted spare Corvette parts wherever they happened to fit.
I just got to ask was putting the C4 Rear Suspension in the Truck a test run for the C3 ??
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Old Oct 18, 2021 | 11:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Gale Banks 80'
I just got to ask was putting the C4 Rear Suspension in the Truck a test run for the C3 ??
Yeah, it helped a bit in getting some experience and confidence in starting from scratch, as it were. The truck's got a '94 suspension in the rear, and an '85 in the front. Once I got my feet wet there, there wasn't much stress about mixing and matching parts to get a narrowed C4 suspension under the '69.
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Old Oct 20, 2021 | 01:17 PM
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My center cross member is bent all to Hell also...

I purchased one of those fixtures to straighten it out but apparently have to remove the LCAs to insert
the tool... I'll probably get around to it eventually.

[hindsight 20/20] I should have bought a better car to start with... [hindsight 20/20]


mardyn
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Old Oct 26, 2021 | 11:06 PM
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Finally got my Chassis Black paint from Eastwood. I think it's a bit to shiney. I painted the frame standing up the way GM did so and runs or drips would be headed the right way.
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Old Oct 26, 2021 | 11:14 PM
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Today was trailing arm day. Set up new bearings and seals. I have always wondered how GM put the parking brake shoes in on a production line. I watched a couple videos and have installed a couple of them before. This time I installed the shoes before drawing the Axel threw for the last time. So much easier ! I have NOS trailing arms with the GM tags still on them. If you bought them from a vendor you would send them back as the workmanship is so poor.
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