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CK5
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64 Vette….Rebuild 2.0
- Thread starter 76zimmer
- Start date
It's aliiive!
Well, its been a busy holiday season, spent a couple weeks at my daughters in AR. moms birthday, family christmas’, broken down furnace, snowblower tractor needing repair on a blown out spark plug hole, etc…my wallet is still intact, so time to spend some money on the Vette rebuild 2.0 again.
I’ve been looking for an economical option to clean the frame to bare metal for welding.
Last time I had it stripped was 40 yrs ago. It chemically stripped and spotlessly clean like new metal. I primed, painted, then took it for rustproofing inside as it was still bare metal. They proceeded to spray the inside AND THE OUTSIDE OVER MY PAINT. After complaining about that to no favorable outcome, I took it home and after a couple weeks to harden good, I proceeded w assembly. Now at 40 years later, nobody wants to touch it. Stripper doesn’t want to for reasons of the neutralized solution bleeding out when painted or powdered.
Sandblaster that Ive used years ago, said the rustproofing is a mess to deal with and said it would be $100/hr and might take a couple days to get it all off, and it ruins the blast media because it can turn it sticky.
Well word got around and a guy suggested a place about 25 mi away. Called him, agreed between 350-500 depending on how involved it gets. Agreed! Dropped it off today. He has a walkin booth as big as a 1-1/2 car garage and about 30’ deep. Should be able to handle the frame cleanup Im hoping.
Pics of the A arm alignment shims
I’ve been looking for an economical option to clean the frame to bare metal for welding.
Last time I had it stripped was 40 yrs ago. It chemically stripped and spotlessly clean like new metal. I primed, painted, then took it for rustproofing inside as it was still bare metal. They proceeded to spray the inside AND THE OUTSIDE OVER MY PAINT. After complaining about that to no favorable outcome, I took it home and after a couple weeks to harden good, I proceeded w assembly. Now at 40 years later, nobody wants to touch it. Stripper doesn’t want to for reasons of the neutralized solution bleeding out when painted or powdered.
Sandblaster that Ive used years ago, said the rustproofing is a mess to deal with and said it would be $100/hr and might take a couple days to get it all off, and it ruins the blast media because it can turn it sticky.
Well word got around and a guy suggested a place about 25 mi away. Called him, agreed between 350-500 depending on how involved it gets. Agreed! Dropped it off today. He has a walkin booth as big as a 1-1/2 car garage and about 30’ deep. Should be able to handle the frame cleanup Im hoping.
Pics of the A arm alignment shims
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@folkenheath
Here are the measurements of the springs and spring pockets.
Springs 3.80-3.85 ID, 5.125 OD
Pockets 5.375 OD
Here are the measurements of the springs and spring pockets.
Springs 3.80-3.85 ID, 5.125 OD
Pockets 5.375 OD
Picked up the sandblasted frame today on shitty salted slushy covered roads.
Knowing the hazards of salt on raw metal I wrapped the frame in plastic wrap before loading it in the open trailer then wrapped it in a tarp. Got it back in the barn and unwrapped, it worked out very well.
Knowing the hazards of salt on raw metal I wrapped the frame in plastic wrap before loading it in the open trailer then wrapped it in a tarp. Got it back in the barn and unwrapped, it worked out very well.
Frame cleaned up real good. 13hrs, completely externally blasted, $450. He said it took some extra work with the rustproofing and paint coatings, but it looks nice and clean again.
I can’t believe how shitty these welds are. Blind beginners could have done better!
This bracket and the other side as well, are where the rear differential crossmember mounts to. I’m surprised they’re not twisted or cracked from the lack of good welds. These will be getting ground down, rewelded, and reinforced as they’re a high stress area
I can’t believe how shitty these welds are. Blind beginners could have done better!
This bracket and the other side as well, are where the rear differential crossmember mounts to. I’m surprised they’re not twisted or cracked from the lack of good welds. These will be getting ground down, rewelded, and reinforced as they’re a high stress area
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Is that 1963 GM welding or something else?
I can’t confirm that this is the original welding, I bought this 65 frame at a swap meet, as my 64 frame was rotted out in too many places.
I have asked on the corvette forum, and the consensus so far seems to think it is.
Comments like…”its been good for 60 years, theres nothing wrong with it” type of stuff.
I have asked on the corvette forum, and the consensus so far seems to think it is.
Comments like…”its been good for 60 years, theres nothing wrong with it” type of stuff.
Well, definitely not done by robot welding.
The people on that forum are…..special.
I worked for Checker motors (the taxi cab company) and the line I worked on was production of F body front sub frames (contracted w GM) all welding was done by union welders, my job was to unload the frames from the transport jig that moved them from station to station. At the time I couldn’t tell you if they were sound welds or not, as I hadn’t ever welded before (this was 1982). Many years later while at the Chicago auto show, the new 2005 Z-06 Corvette was unveiled with its aluminum frame on display. The welds on that were robotic and as I recall were no work of art either.
My dad built a speed attack 66 corvette for a guy in the early 80's. Frame came out for upgrades/stiffeners. I held the new brackets as dad tacked them in. I do not remember anything looking like that. Because he would have corrected them.
This looks like a repair.
This looks like someonwe took a grinder to the weld.
Upper right weld was ground. The bracket looks like welds were cut to remove it from another car.
This looks like a repair.
This looks like someonwe took a grinder to the weld.
Upper right weld was ground. The bracket looks like welds were cut to remove it from another car.
I took some pics of that 79 frame and it looks like it may have been MIG’d?
Still sloppily pieced together. This one looks unaltered.
My 65 frame vs salvaged rear 79 frame…
Still sloppily pieced together. This one looks unaltered.
My 65 frame vs salvaged rear 79 frame…
Must have been welded at beer thirty on a Friday.
Some Corvette “historians” and others experiences said this crap welding is somewhat common.
Looks like they were practicing their stick welds on a rusty exhaust system!
Looks like they were practicing their stick welds on a rusty exhaust system!
Take it to Kerts for some new welds and powder coat.
Yikes kind of scary but it has been on that long and worked fine. That being said I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting it go like that.
Hey, the maintenance guys at the plant we work with here say those are great welds.
