Mark Furman at Criswell says it 's Aluminum.

 

There is no "rolling suspension". The C5/6/7 is a unibody and the chassis/body are the same and are "married" to the drivetrain/suspension. The drivetrain/suspension is mounted to a fixture on a pallet to hold everything in place until the "marriage" takes place. The chassis/body is suspended from an overhead conveyor and drops down to meet with the chain driven pallet holding the drivetrain/suspension. The fixture that holds the drivetrain/suspension then raises so that the marriage takes place at a comfortable height so the workers can bolt the rear crossmember and front engine cradle to the chassis(suspended from above) The workers also connect the shocks and bolt the upper a-arms to the chassis. The pallet fixture has cylinders to raise the control arms(loading the springs) so the worker is able to attach the upper a arms to the chassis. From that point forward, the exhaust is connected, brakes connected, etc and then the front fenders attached, the front fascia attached, the hood attached, the wheels put on, etc. The overhead conveyor now has the completed car and the floor mounted pallet is directed to the side so the car can be lowered on it's wheels. At no time is the drivetrain/suspension able to be "rolled" about like a body on frame vehicle(ie: Silverado, etc) until the unibody is married to the drivetrain/suspension and the wheels attached(at a later workstation).

 

Here's a bit more of an in-depth article...
http://www.mlive.com/business/mid-mi...echnology.html

 

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 427!!! AAAAHAHAHHA!!! My head hurts

 

Sounds good, says all the right things, especially more extensive use "next year."

.Jinx
03:01:44:47...

 

In the video there is a casting being welded to a extrusion, thats got to be aluminum.

 

I tried to explain that to Jinx but he just wants to argue without presenting anything to back up his assertions that the sheet metal is steel or the casting is magnesium, or the...... I don't think he understands that welding dissimilar metals is difficult to do.

 

Back up the assertion that it's got to be aluminum with something more than "otherwise it's hard." They do lots of things that are hard.

Explain. Seriously. I'm asking for an explanation.

 

I have seen alot of aluminum castings and extrusions, based on my experience, I belive thats what they are. In a few days we will know.

 

I dont't care how it's welded as long as it gets to my fellow corvette fanatics possession in one piece. The car is gonna be amazing. I can only imagine the work being done on the Z's. Wooooooosaaaaah!!!!

 

Maybe the frame is lighter and stronger than aluminum. Maybe it is an Al/Sc alloy or maybe even a Ti/Al/Sc alloy These alloys are being used in other industries. Maybe they don't have the properties needed for an automotive frame, but they are used in other forms instead of normal aluminum alloys.

 

Oooo'h sh*t, this is not gonna turn out at all what I was anticipating if this is in deed the front end of the car.

 

 

Yes i get it

I spent two days there when they built mine wheels never touch the gound till the end of the line.

There is was two lines when i did my museum delivery one was frame body and other was " rolling chassis " thats what i called it it was the drive train with torque tube and transmission and so on. then they get married.

But you missed my point.


At the time there were 2 lines as mentioned above here.
And the XLR was there so no room so Z06 frames to be made inhouse, all were all AL and made off site.

NOW there is a 3rd line we just saw it.

Building in house AL frames where the XLRS use to be built

SO

 

Sometimes a good design is just good...no matter what it's made of or how old.

1963 Impala frame...not all that different.

 

Not sure you can really compare the two

 

and look dry sump on left

So all cars dry sump ? hmmmmm

Keeks showed 2 motors and one had an oil cap so this cant be the base one ??



No oil cap in LT4
so which one they unvailing ?

 

Not all that different from what?

 

The C6 aluminum frame's hydroformed side rails are produced in the Bowling Green plant, The stampings are produced off site(as they are with the steel frame). Then the frame rails are shipped to Dana Corporation in Hopkinsville, KY where they assemble/weld all the various pieces into the completed frame. Then the frame is returned to Bowling Green where it is cleaned using the same equipment as the steel frame and then coated using the same equipment as the steel frame.

The reason GM elected not to assemble the frame in house is because Dana agreed to do so cheaply as Dana wanted to gain the experience necessary to fabricate aluminum frames(primarily pickup truck frames for future trucks). The part of the plant that was used to built the XLR's has been vacant for the past 3 years. It was just last year that GM moved the production assembly/welding equipment from Dana to Bowling Green.

I believe that most(if not all) the equipment used to build the C7's aluminum frame is new, as it's designed for much higher volume's then the equipment at Dana. Much more automated with robotics, etc. They have spent the past 6 months(?) installing the new aluminum frame fabricating/ assembly/welding equipment where the old XLR was made. Now they are shutting down the plant to change over the remaining(the old C6 assembly area) to handle the C7 with better productivity etc. over the next six months.

A two phase conversion from the C6 to the C7.

 

You obiviously have worked there or something. :wink:
Hopeing to do a museum delivery on my C7 as well.

It was a great expirence

That all makes since. and again when i was there they were building XLrs and i got to see the Metal bucks or what they called them that they could check body panels on the C6 and the XLR