I removed my bumpers last fall for a future set of flex-glass ones...
This is what I saw in the rear.
Corrosion, rust, bolts that snapped.


Check out the vapor return line, shield and frame.


This is the pass. side. Note the nasty looking fuel line and frame



Should I tackle this now, and hope not to go over the edge and pull the body off the frame... and never finish.
Or, should I just replace the fuel lines, get new fasteners, maybe shoot some rust inhibitive paint on the frame, and THEN put fresh bumpers on. Then comes the paintjob.

 

I know these C-3's can get really discouraging at times when you really start taking things apart to see the wear(& rust) that is hidden beyond what most of us will never see until you do it. Personally... unless you are really looking for something special I would not go into the frame off project. You'll just end up doubling your investment & you will never recover it. I'm going through many of the same pains as what I thought was going to be a simple engine change is not even close.

 

It doesn't look like there is any deep rust to me. I bet most of the IL vettes are worse than yours. I might clean it up and POR but most likely I'd put the cover back on. If you decide to keep it forever you can do a frameoff down the road.

 

Took off the spare tire and carrier Thursday for weight savings, etc. Almost finished today stripping the rust (power drill and wire brush) and putting the last coats of Rustoleum on before bed tonight. Looks pretty :cool: to me, and probably slowed down alot of rust in that high-risk area. I'd say spend the time to scrape some rust and paint it where it's easy to reach, ignorance was bliss, but it'll always be on your mind now! (if that fuel line is bad, definitely might want to check it out.)

-Chris

 

Is rustoleum ok to use if you ever plan on getting the frame painted later on??
I hear its a pain to remove, is that true??
I guess this is moot, though, because I was thinking of using POR-15, and that'd be a pain to remove too.

Would you guys recommend stainless fasteners for the front and rear bumpers (the real metal bumpers, not the plastic/ fiberglass skins) or should I just get some good grade 8 bolts from the local hardware store?

 

Just posted in your sway bar thread.

Your rust looks to be a bit better (less rusty) than my 75 was.
I took the body off, knowing that I had rot to tackle.
Long story short : I bought a new frame and rear body - now the 75 is a parts donor. :sad:

A body off is a LOT of work - basically everything.

If you clean up the 'solid' rusty metal and hit it with POR-15 now, it should
last a very long time. I'd say do what you can get at now, and don't wait too
long to do a body-off - if you want the vette to last many more years.

Take a look at my website - under the 75 pics for the scary stuff. My current
progress is under 70 pics. NHvette.com

Sorry to see your rust - hope it works out better than mine did. :seeya

ps - if you let my sig picture load - you see the bare birdcage up front - then
silver POR-15 - then a dust of Krylon - then final coat of Krylon semi-flat black.


[Modified by NHvette, 12:54 AM 2/9/2003]

 

Rust.... the silent killer. A Vette's worst enemy, even worse than ricers.

A couple guys mentioned using POR-15 for rust prevention. It's great stuff but it does not do well if exposed to UV, so you should paint over it with a more UV stable top coat.

To do a body-off or not..... here's my free advice (a bargain at twice the price!) because I've been there and done it. Do a cost-benefit analysis based upon what role your car plays in your life. If you're racing it, surface rust isn't a big deal but mechanical condition is paramount. If you're driving it on weekends and like tinkering, some minor repairs are in order but body-off is out. If you're planning to keep it and pamper it, then you have to decide if this car merits restoration and to what degree (ie: NCRS vs. show & shine). Is it 'classic' material or would restoring it be throwing money away? Can you get another Vette that isn't rusty for less money than repairing yours? Get underneath it and do an inventory of what looks ripe and what looks decent. Put it all together and make some decisions.

Remember, just because you lift the body doesn't mean you need to replace every feasible items (although there is no better time) so if your springs don't need attention, leave them alone! If your A arm bushings are fine, don't touch them. You can lift the body, do a quick clean up, splash around some paint and drop the body back on.

My 73 was an Eastern car so it had more than it's fair share of rust. As things progressed, the car was becoming less dependable (you don't know fun until your brake lines rust through) and it was obvious I had to either get rid of the car (owned since 1986) or restore it. I did my analysis and decided the car was a keeper.

I knew the body mounts were getting ripe but nothing prepared me for what I found when the body came off. The bottom sills of the bird cage (metal reinforcing around the passenger's compartment) were rotton. Here's a picture of the remains of the bottom sills, including the 6 lbs of rust that fell out while they were being removed. Remember, those are supposed to be solid metal at each end to support body mounts.

 

I can't tell you how bad the rust is from these photos but it looks a tad worse than just surface ust. What has me really worried is the gas line I see, How do the rest of the lines (including brake lines) on your car??

 

o.k. i've never done this before but i'll throw in my $.02 anyway.
you've been talking about buying another frame in other threads. so i suggest you gusset or patch this frame as best as you reasonably can so that you can get some enjoyment out of the car. buy the frame and begin to build it just like you were doing a body off. do everything down to the suspension, brake and fuel lines. then when all the forseeable stuff is done, pull your body and drop it on the new frame. then transfer those parts (engine, tranny and diff, etc.) to the newly married car. strip the original frame of all salvagable parts and part it out to offset the cost as much as you can.
just a thought.

 

The frame doesn't look all that bad to me. The metal still looks very thick around the slot in the frame. If you decide to pull the body off, you will find out soon enough how bad the rust really is. I am betting you could get away with just a sandblasting and painting, and replacing a lot of fasteners. The thing is, once you have it down that far I am sure you will do a lot of "while I am in there" repairs, and your cost will go up quite a bit. I would definitely install new fuel lines, as those look like they are about to rot clear through. You also might want to lift the gas tank up and inspect it for pinholes. Mine had them I suspect for a long time, but it only leaked enough gas to soak the anti squeek pad, and it would never drip on the floor. If there is any fluid you don't want leaking, it's gas. :nono:

AC

 

It looks pretty solid to me. I would replace the lines with SS, buy new bumper brackets and mounting bolts and hit that area with rust-proof paint.

 

I have replaced the brake lines 3 years ago with pre-bent SS lines from Mid-America. I want to

 

clutchdust
Sorry, I'm not the one talking about buying a frame, maybe someone with a similar build-up or signon was the person your referring to.

I have thought it over, though. And, in my case, I would need a 4 car garage to tackle it. One for the frame, one for the donor, one for the tools and misc. parts, and one for the woman's car. So it wont happen anytime soon.

Mac- your frame pics are alarming!!
I'm trying to imagine the amount of safety a rotted birdcage would give in the event of a low speed impact.

 

My opinion - is that a rotted BC won't help protect you much at all. I think
the fiberglass shell will provide more protection than the BC that my 75 had.
You really need to pull the kick panels and rear wheelwell access panels
to assess your present condition.

ps - I'm doing mine in a 2 car garage - but the wife gets to park outside.
My donor is outside, too. I must admit - it's tight.

Hey MAC - My rocker channels were worse than yours !!


Paul states that it doesn't look too bad. Well, he is right, in that the picture
shown doesn't display any major rot, but....
The amount of rust that I see in the area of the gas tank is indicative of MUCH
more rust and rot in the susceptible areas. As stated previously, my 75
was not much worse than yours at the rear of the frame - but only two of
my 8 body mounts were actually holding the body to the frame - due to extreme rot.
At first, I regretted taking the body off, but now I thank the higher powers
that I didn't get into any accidents or worse !! It seems to me that at 100MPH,
that fiberglass body just might be lifted by the wind forces. I will feel much
safer, once it is firmly attached to the frame/motor/wheels.


[Modified by NHvette, 7:45 PM 2/11/2003]


[Modified by NHvette, 7:54 PM 2/11/2003]

 

RUST !!!!

A four letter word I really hate. :rolleyes: :cry

 

Whoa- no kidding! Were the inner pillars okay? My frame was basically solid, just coated with surface rust. The sand blaster took care of that quite nicely. I found an elevator manufacturer who did powdercoating of large parts. I loved the process.

He had four huge tanks- hot degreaser, rinse, phosphate solution (metal prep), rinse, then into his huge oven to bake dry (ie: no trapped water). Then he inspects and touches up any spots where water may have disturbed phosphate coating while boiling out. Finally, two coats of epoxy powder with a 'bake' session after each coat. I don't anticipate any more rust problems with my frame (or A arms, spare tire frame, brackets, front bumper etc.)

 

Your frame and tank shield look reasonably solid in these pictures, but this is not the area most subject to rustout. You really need to check out above the gussets welded to the bottom of the frame at each corner forward of the kickups, and also check your rocker channels like other posters mentioned. The best way I know of to do this is lift the body. :cheers:

 

I'd just remove the fuel line and spray the rest with Rust container like Extend or something like that. If you take everything apart and reassemble it your going to be very frustated and bitter. :cry