Well, I finally got to the point where I coated the frame with POR15.
It's been a long time coming, since I kept adding gussets, fixing weak areas,
and wiring brushing, cleaning, etching, cleaning.
I was just about to pop open the can or POR15, when I noticed something BAD.
I don't know how I missed it before, but there it was: A crack in the frame
right at the front of the lower control arm mount. Well, a quick grind and
the MIG welder had that back in shape.



Another side-track that kept me from painting was a great idea that I owe
entirely to my friend Ken (member 73ken73). He had mentioned that he
wanted to gusset up the front of his frame someday, but what he wanted most
was to reinforce the bottom of the front crossmember. It was badly dented
from jacking the front of the car up. He wanted a flat plate for jacking. Well,
he wants it, but I have it !! Here's a picture, after POR15 and a dusting of black:



So, the coating went well, except vthat I needed about 1/2 pint more to
complete. There are a few areas uncoated, but they will be done this week.
Luckily, my 9YO son was bored. I asked him if he wanted to paint the vette
with me, and he said yes (surprisingly). Thank goodness, as it would have
taken me 4 hours to do it myself. With his help ... about 2 hours. Thanks, Ty.

Here it is with only the front started:




Here it is all coated. It really came out nice. As Tyler was brushing the POR15
on, he asked me "How did you get it so shiny over there ?".
Well, the POR15 levels out nice and leaves a smooth glossy finish. I am very
happy with the results so far. Next weekend will see some suspension bolted
up.




:seeya :seeya


[Modified by NHvette, 10:56 AM 3/1/2004]

 

Very cool Dave....very cool indeed...driving late this summer?

Side note...I had to do some welding/gusseting in the same area...scary

 

:party: Nice work! :cheers:

 

I'm giving myself 2 months to get her rolling. I just want the chassis to be
immaculate. The body/motor/tranny will wait to be detailed. I want to drive
again very badly.

:seeya

(Thanks Jay)


[Modified by NHvette, 11:09 AM 3/1/2004]

 

Note to Ken: GM does NOT identify the front cross-member as a lift point for lifting the car. The placement of jacks and stands should be limited to 1) the two front frame 'ears' just forward of the coil springs/control arms, 2) on the frame just forward of the door opening (behind the front tires) and 3) at the frame just forward of the rear wheels. I am certain the shop manual identifies the correct points.

 

:thumbs: :thumbs: Very nice

Steve :steering:

 

i want to reinforce the front crossmember also just like you did. :thumbs:

 

:party: You are moving now! Its good to see your son is interested. Let me know if you need help. I would be happy to stop by.

 

sweet !!! gotta get my wheels out with the temp hitting 50deg !

 

This looks great!

I spent the better part of the fall welding & sandblasting the frame of my '78. Did the POR-15 thing on Valentine's Day (well, the wife WAS sick...) but did it in the semi-gloss black. Topcoated with POR-15 Topcoat (Chassis Black). REAL NICE. Used a brush, but it levels real well. And, the POR-15 eventually wore off my skin where it was unprotected.

Hope to start reassembly with my VBP/VanSteel suspension components soon!

 

Packy ... You better not.
If I see your vette out on Rt3 again, I'll have to run you off the road.
Please, please wait for the salt to go away.
Do not be drawn by the evil temptations of Mother Nature.

It was nice driving with the sunroof open this morning, and needing to turn the
heat DOWN !!!


Ted, while you are totally correct in theory, it is obvious that many people
ignore the theory. The idea, also - is that by jacking in the center, the
stands can then be located (at the same time) in the proper support area -
along the side frame rail.

ps - I plan to build something similar for the rear. I have always jacked up on
the rear spring mounting plate. The jack never really gets a good grip here,
so a similar jack plate will be fabbed and welded onto the spring mount plate.

:seeya

 

Keep at Dave! :thumbs:

 

Dave,
As you know I have been following your project since the beginning and it looks as if you are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. If I didn't like driving mine so much I would do a body off but I just can't take my baby down that long. I am agonizing on taking her off the road for a weekend to rebuild the tranny.
Man that looks GREAT. I can't wait to see the finished project. Are you going to POR the suspension parts as well?

 

John,

A weekend to rebuild the tranny ? (smile)
Well, maybe just a few weeks. :yesnod: :smash:

Definitley YES to the suspension parts getting POR15. If you look closely in
the pictures above, you will see my front spindles, caliper brackets, and
steering knuckles laying on the floor - wrapped up in stretch wrap. They are brushed, cleaned,
and acid prepped. They would be coated too - if I didn't run out of POR15.

The rear stuff was only a few years old (Van Steel TAs). I'm still assessing
whether to strip these or not. I'm thinking no - since I will actually be able to
remove them later without a sawzall.

BTW - for everyone's benefit - the frame alone takes almost 1 quart.
I used three 1/2 pint cans, and was about 1/4 pint shy of finishing.
This does not include the removed crossmembers - so all included, a full
quart should be just enough. I usually get a 6 pack of 1/2 pints, so it stays
fresh until using it. It seemed to keep really well. They suggest keeping it
cool. Well, I got this stuff over a year ago, and it spent most of the winter
outside in my body (like -10 F at times).

:seeya


[Modified by NHvette, 2:10 PM 3/1/2004]


[Modified by NHvette, 2:10 PM 3/1/2004]

 

Lookin' :cool: Dave. I really like the reinforcement to the crossmember. I use a 2x6 on my jack to distribute the weight a little but your way is much better. It feels good to be almost to the point of putting parts back on, huh? I'll have to let you know when I'm coming back home to visit my parents this spring and come over to take a look. Keep up the good work.

 

Sure, Matt. Anytime.
Too bad you won't be driving the '70.
Oh well, have to settle for borrowing Dad's.

Let me know when ... maybe we can throw a little vette-together.

 

That's looking really good. I bet it's nice to have that part of it about finnished. Now the reassembly can begin.

 

I have a 4-speed tranny guru and a brother-in-law with a shop (read lift :thumbs: ) so I think I can be safe in saying a weekend!!!! :smash: :smash:

 

Looks great!

I am still finishing out my frame as well. Not as far along as you are.

Question; I thought the front crossmember had holes on the bottom to drain out any water that might have splashed in from above, and the A-Arm area. If you have the plate there, does that block off the drain ports?

I think the plate is a great idea! I am going to look into building one on my frame before I POR-15 it.

www.bigdogvettes.com

 

:eek: Whew! I got tired just looking at the pix. I see a truckload of frame work been done. :thumbs: