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Those with Frame Off Builds

mattrains

mattrains

MRAINS
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As some of you know I will soon be starting the Frame Off restoration of my 86' K5 from years past.

Before I begin heading in the wrong direction I wanted to survey the masses of those people who have either finished a frame off or are in the middle of a frame off.

What advice would you begin? Where do you recommend I start?

I am thinking the first thing that needs to be done is getting the tub emptied then removed from the frame and put aside. Once the tub is put to the side I can begin work on the frame and all frame components like the fuel tank, axles, springs, steering, motor, trans t-case etc.

Am I right in thinking this is the way to go first? I do not currently have my body/paint guy picked out yet and I don't think I need one until I have the frame and other components ready to start on the tub?

Ideas / Recommendations?

Thanks for the help.
 
Enjoy the truck

Frame off is a long dark road where good intentions and motivation can lead to the land of lost hope and forgotten dreams. Tread carefuly.

Do you really need a frame off?

Why not just take the whole front clip off instead. That gives you access to the front half of the frame and the whole fire wall. With the front clip off, and drivetrain out, access to 90% of the vehicle will be easy.

Rust/sheet metal repair can be done on the tub with it on the frame.
 
Scottishdave makes a lot of really good and accurate points :doah:, I began the frame off on my 86 2 1/2 years ago and the end is not really in sight yet, and what's makes it even worse is mine was 99% rust free. The fact I completely changed my mind power train wise after I had made some mods didn't help either.

It is a big undertaking for sure, and if you are like a lot of us are, you find yourself continually going further and further because of how far you've already gone ("might as well"). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying , don't do it, I'm just warning/preparing you for what a frame off really is. I have a specific picture in mind of what I want when it's done and I'm not really in a rush to get there, and at this point I'm not going to cut a corner to get there either.

It does get frustrating for me because I miss driving/wheeling a K5 really bad , so much so that I bought another one just to use as a beater / wheeler while my "nice" on is still under the knife , and I will most likely keep both because the nice one will never be a wheeler again.
Yay or nay on a frame off.......don't know.........right now I would say I'll never do another one..........once mine is done, who knows :dunno: :D
 
That's a very good point. There were 2 BIG problems I had. First was how to even get the tub off, even though I love how you used an engine hoist I don't think I could. Second was where do I store the tub while I work on the frame?

If I just remove the front clip I can work on all the important stuff and if I need to POR-15 the frame I can just unbolt the tub and lift it up a little with some blocks then just let it back down.

I like this, i'll have to think it through but I think that option may be more "realistic" for me.

Any other tips?
 
Id say thats a good idea. Your truck looks great IMO. Little touch up here and there and it will last a long while.
 
scottishdave & jt512 both make very good and accurate points.

I am 5 yrs into a frame swap myself. My ordeal was necessary because the original frame was bent, I had no intention of doing any restoration work. What they say about "might as well" mentality because you're already that far in is so right. Cost is a huge factor as well, I've spend literally hundreds of dollars in nut & bolt hardware alone. I've spent/dumped/lost $10k in mine and it still needs paint and a fresh motor, when I started I intended to simply swap frames and install good running gear I already had. :doah:

I wont tell you "don't do it" but I will say I wont do it again. Next time I'll buy a clean running stocker and make my upgrades in small steps so it's always running again quickly.
 
One other thing to consider is if it will be inside or outside. I have a shop now but while I was doing all the work it was all outside. Parts I spent time painting and detailing are faded and beginning to rust.

Also, if you're outside, when it's cold everythings cold - no big deal. When it's hot, everything is hot (including tools) and it gets pretty damn hot here in the southeast. For outside work, I would suggest at least getting one of those 10'x10' tent things to put over the area your working on.
 
Got a frame off going right now. Everything is off the frame and started working on it. I have the luxury of time, space and all the equipment you can shake a stick at. Without those, I don't think I would even consider it.
 
I little note was given to me once when taking on a job of that proportion

Labeling, marking and identifying takes twice as long to dissasesmble, bit the project will go together 10x fastest.

Invest in zip locks, rubbermade totes and sharpies
 
63chevyll said:
I little note was given to me once when taking on a job of that proportion

Labeling, marking and identifying takes twice as long to dissasesmble, bit the project will go together 10x fastest.

Invest in zip locks, rubbermade totes and sharpies
Click to expand...


And any wires and such you disconnect use lots of bright colored tape on both ends so when you go to put it back together you can see all the things that need hooking up :waytogo:
 
It's a tricky thing to do a frame off resto. My dad started a frame off on his 68 442 back in the mid 90s, it still isn't done yet. It's about 80% done just that other projects/life/money have kept it pushed on the back burner for several years. The only saving grace for the car is it lives in a climate controlled garage so it hasn't rusted any over the years. We're actually planning to get it running this year after we finish the engine rebuild on my stepside. My chevy is going to get a frame off one day, I actually have a spare cab and tons of other parts stockpiled. Time and money are my biggest limits so stuff gets done little by little, but I at least get to drive the truck.

The other things to consider are time, money, skill, and what type of restoration. Is this to be a back to factory resto or a restomod? Do you have the tools and knowledge to do most of the work yourself or do you have the checkbook to pay someone else to do certain things? For example between my dad and I we have enough tools/knowledge to rebuild a car/truck however we want it to look or preform. Space to do said work is also another big factor, not saying you need a 15 car garage (who wouldn't like one though :D) but you need something.

It's a huge undertaking that takes a lot of work and planning to come out right. Most people jump into all gunhoh and get burnt out real fast when the reality of it hits. It's worth it but it takes a lot of patients to do, plus a very understand spouse probably helps too :whistle:.

On edit: I forgot to add is this. I found through my projects and the ones my friends are doing whatever you think this will cost, at least double it if not maybe triple it depending on your starting number. The "might as well" bug can bite pretty hard on the wallet. Plus you want to do it right since it's all apart don't ya. :whistle::D
 
That's some good advice from everybody on this....I only intended to "repaint mine"...now I am into my second year with everything off except for the tub. But, I knew what I wanted it to look like and while I wasn't going for a "show car" look I find that I am not satisfied unless it's taken down to metal...at some point I got to just say...ok...enough is good enough.

Isn't yours new enough that they started spraying the rust prevention stuff on those? Mine was few years early for that...

But, as somebody said, the deeper I get into it the more "it's now or never" moments I have..."might as well I am so close" kind of things.

I don't really know how long a restoration is supposed to take...but I never thought it would be this intensive...

If I can ever get my frame clean that will be the huge turning point to heading back in the other direction....reassembly...:popcorn:
 
Yea I pretty much stopped keeping one as well. I watch my spending but that's about it.
 
Oh...and I can second that I will never do it again...this is my first and last one...
 
I say go for it!

I'm on the down hill side of my build, and I'm really glad I did a frame-off. I'm some what of a perfectionist, so it would have bugged me to put a great deal of effort into the rebuild and not gone "all the way" with it. It's so much easier to get to every part of the frame and under body.

I agree that the "might as well" temptation is tough, and you will likely end up spending more than you expect, but it can be kept to a minimum if you start with a clear plan of what you want to do with your truck. I was tempted to put 1 ton axles under mine, but in reality I know that I will never need them - my truck will be a daily driver and too nice to wheel it real hard, so I stuck to my plan of just using the 10 bolt front and swapped in a 14 bsf rear.

I've been able to stay motivated by setting small goals as I pregressed - get everything stripped off the frame; get the frame and small parts prepped and painted; get the axles built and painted; assemble rolling chassis, and so on. Take it one step at a time rather than getting overwhelmed with the size of the whole project.

As others have said, use tape and a sharpie to lable all of your connections - vac hoses, fuel & brake lines, all wiring connections, etc.; lable zip lock bags with all your hardware, and also take lots of pictures. Take pictures of everything as you take it apart, even if you think you'll remember how it all goes back together - it helps to see where every bracket goes and how every wire and hose is routed - remember it may be a year before you are bolting it back together.

I think the others have made some very good points; just trying to give another perspective. I'm a year into my build and expect to have it complete in another 6 months. I haven't done a lot of custom fabrication - that will definately lengthen the process if it's in your plans.

I have no regrets about doing a complete frame-off on mine :thumb:
 
There's a huge difference between a "restoration" and a "custom build".....

If I had only wanted to "restore" a stock vehicle (or even just repair, and repaint the setup I was driving) I might be done with my project already. The nice thing with stock rebuilds is that you have a clear reference for what each part is supposed to look like. A custom build requires a lot more thought and effort and will drag your schedule on forever. :whistle:

My advice:

Stock rebuild (or rebuild what's there now). Also, get the vehicle professionally steam cleaned (high temp / low pressure) before disassembly. It will make the whole process more enjoyable and will let you more quickly assess the true condition of parts underneath....

Frame-offs require a lot of shop space. If you don't have the space to store the body (and a massive amount of "take offs") you should probably choose a more modest restoration goal.

-G
 
It's quite amazing how much more room everything requires when its not bolted together.
 
If you really want a K5 that is perfect, my advice is DON’T do it. Buy a truck that is already done. You will save thousands in the long run. This is especially true if you don’t personally have the skills like engine,trans, paint, body, metal work, etc…. Labor costs is the big killer when doing a real restore.

I did a “frame on” to my K5 over the last few years…. I’m embarrassed to say how much money it has costs. I would be lucky to sell my truck for half of what I have into it at this point. Instead of the real nice driver I have now… I could have got a Barret Jackson show quality truck. BUT…. On the flip side.. I have learned a lot!! and enjoy it for the most part. I just wish I could do most of the complicated labor stuff.
 
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