When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Ive had a 2004 Corvette that belonged to my late father in law sitting for a while and decided it would be best to sell it to someone who would enjoy the car rather than it sit around and "rot". I began fixing it up with new tires, new battery, oil changes, flushes, etc because i work at a dealership and it wouldnt cost too much thanks to cheap labor prices. When the car was put on the lift, come to find out that the frame on the passenger side is split in half. Does anyone know how much it would be to fix that bar? the guys at work said it could take up to 5k but i thought id ask incase someone here has been through something similar. Besides that, the car runs great. Thanks in advance for your replies.
I'm not a metal fabricator, nor do I play one on TV. I would agree that to restore the care to a like-new condition, where it would be difficult to detect that a repair had been made, would indeed be extremely time consuming and expensive. But, unless you are doing a frame up restoration so that the car can sit in a museum somewhere, why would you go to all that trouble? A repair that merely restores the structural rigidity of the vehicle could likely be effected for a fraction of the price.
I would doubt that you can get that brace from your friendly, local Chevrolet dealer, but you may be able to have one cut out from a car at the salvage yard. That would be the best scenario. But, equally good would be to find a real life fabricator who can design an new brace and weld it in for you. Talk to some folks at your local hot rod restoration shop and/or race car prep shop to get their opinion. Both should have a skilled fab person on staff.
That is not the frame. That is a floor support that holds the seat belt anchors in place. It also supports the weight under the seat as that panel is the Bulsa sandwich floor.
it looks like he hit something and punctured the floor and the brace.
a goos welder could patch the floor and then re weld the brace for much less than $5k.
Agree with both posts. 5k to fix that? Uhh-Absolutely not. That floor and the support could both be fixed without very much work for a good fab guy. The floor could be easily patched by you with some tiger hair, filler, sandpaper, and gray paint...
I an a welder and that "support" is just that, and while the balsa wood sandwich floor looks worse that it is. You can get another floor support and weld it back in and other than the floor, no one is the wiser. Just get a replacement part from any of the vendors here or one I know of :Contemporary Corvette and the whole thing can be done in a morning work. Damage is only surface level, and it is great that you want the person who you sell the car to is taken care of properly.
First off, this is a STEEL frame, so its an easy fix. Next, I'm guessing the hit didn't do any structural damage to the actual frame rails, but you should thoroughly go through the undercarriage to ensure it.
The proper fix would be to cut the cross support welds off the frame rails and replace it, maybe they make a replacement part or maybe you get one out of a junk yard(very worst case)..
Be happy this isn't alum..
Anyone with a mig welder can fix/install the support in 1-2 hrs with correct prep, at $100/hr youre about $200.. BUT.. welds appear to be on the bottom only, however they may want to remove the floor above it? (prob not).. I can look in my Factory Service Manual to see if they have the repair..
#30 in the diagram below is the bar (less than $100 at the dealer)
#26 are the floor pieces ($140-150 depending on left or right)
have one of your techs do it as a side for a 12 pack and lunch.
Thank you for this! What is the exact part number so i can have it ordered at work, since we get discounts from Chevy. Ill have someone in town weld it on when i find a reputable candidate.
#30 in the diagram below is the bar (less than $100 at the dealer)
#26 are the floor pieces ($140-150 depending on left or right)
have one of your techs do it as a side for a 12 pack and lunch.
Originally Posted by ShadowHD01
Thank you for this! What is the exact part number so i can have it ordered at work, since we get discounts from Chevy. Ill have someone in town weld it on when i find a reputable candidate.
Looks like the floor support will be bonded to the floor, service manual shows it in the floor removal/repair.. that crossmember is not officially listed in frame identification section btw
Thank you for this! What is the exact part number so i can have it ordered at work, since we get discounts from Chevy. Ill have someone in town weld it on when i find a reputable candidate.
I have a number of links to corvette dismantlers. Pm me if you need more options.
I didnt find the repair(removal/instal) for the support in the manuals.. maybe ill have to dig through it more carefully when i get a sec..
like i said above, the floor support isn’t officially listed in the “frame specifications” section which has a diagram pointing out all the frame sections by name
Like taking anything apart, it helps to know how it went together, (ie the manual is the key for all that). That said, when the “body” was assembled did the floor go in first, then the support? or the opposite. If the support was first, there could be welds facing the floor, which would make sense since you rarely weld only one side of a joint but that depends on many things..
Im sure someone here has replaced one, esp since its only a few inches off the ground
You can call Dino who sells salvage parts.. i bet he can walk you through the repair..
Estimate to get frame damage fixed.
