And it begins....Body off

good attitude taylor. no deadlines are involved so setting your own goals and pace help to keep the fun in a project. nice work so far. work on my c3 is very slow going as i find myself in the spot that " 67 " once was, trying to get a decent shop built. :seeya:
 
Hi Taylor- I am a new '79 L82 owner, and started working on my car this year, but nothing compared to the level you're taking it to! I'm really enjoying reading this thread and planning the projects I have for this year, which include a new bushings kit and carpet. You're an inspiration for an inexperienced driveway mechanic like myself. How's the project going? Any updates?

Michael
 
Still moving, but probably slower for a bit. Had a baby boy to join my 2-1/2 year old girl on Jan 22. Named him Landon. I am sure he will be old enough to help his sister and myself work on the car before it is done. The chassis is getting very close to complete. Still left on the list is Front sway bar gussets, fixing body mount holes (they aren't bad but I might as well do it while I am here.), and make my transmission crossmember removable.

I did get the stitch welding all filled in and fixed some more rust spots though.

Slow and Steady.

T
 
Alright! Another future Corvette fan!

Sounds to me like you are making good progress on the car and it'll go even faster when your extra help can give you a hand. Great thing about kids is that they work for candy and they have small hands to reach in those tight areas where you may have dropped a bolt or wrench.:D
 
taylorsk8 said:
Still moving, but probably slower for a bit. Had a baby boy to join my 2-1/2 year old girl on Jan 22. Named him Landon. I am sure he will be old enough to help his sister and myself work on the car before it is done. The chassis is getting very close to complete. Still left on the list is Front sway bar gussets, fixing body mount holes (they aren't bad but I might as well do it while I am here.), and make my transmission crossmember removable.

I did get the stitch welding all filled in and fixed some more rust spots though.

Slow and Steady.

T
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Congrats to you and your wife buddy.
 
A big congratulaions of the arrival of the newest member of your family. I'm certain that it just became a little harder for you to find time to work on your project!
 
Actually if he grows up around vette's he'll want the keys before then. My grandson (four) can't understand why he can't do the driving. Congrats.
 
Tell me about it. We let our 2-1/2 year old daughter "drive" around the yard. Now she always asks to drive everywhere. We have to tell her she can only drive at home and not on the highway. Can only expect the same from my son. But hey I was driving trucks and tractors by the time I was 7 and I was on the road by 10 so it's just normal to me. Maybe we need to get a power wheel or at least a safe mini car!

T
 
Better late than never.....sorry I missed the big event, T. congrats on Landon's arrival to you and your wife ......
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C.
 
Well I need to get going again. I ordered a new differential crossmember sombrero and cover plate from Corvette Central. They are way to complex of a shape for me to try and make considering they are only about $40 each. I am going to try to get out to the shop this weekend to do some more gusseting and weld cleanup. frame is getting close though. The main two spots are this sombrero and the trans crossmember. Then to start blasting and painting! I ordered a POR15 starter kit to try it out on some of the smaller parts.

Trying to get back in the groove.

T
 
Well been busy but found a few hours on friday to get the new parts on. Forgot to take a picture of the old stuff before, sorry. This is what the right side sombrero looked like once it was cut off:

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20130407_143947_zps0840ece1.jpg



The previous owner had drilled holes in the top cover in order to put a bolt right through instead of into a welded nut in the sombrero. I suspect the threads were damaged and drilling them out was cheaper. However this allowed water to easily get in the sombrero and sit there causing it to rust out. The drivers side sombrero was still structurally sound so I decided just to cut out the top, replace the nut, and weld in a new cover piece.

20130407_143920_zpscd2ad10f.jpg


The passenger side was obviously cut off and new one was fit in using the diff. crossmember as a guide. (I left the old rubbers in the crossmember for this fitting procedure knowing they would likely get some damage from the heat of welding.)

20130407_143928_zps19ae43fe.jpg

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It is hard to tell but in the process I found a very thin spot in the frame where the sombrero cap meets the frame side and had to rebuild a short length (6") in the frame side. And I thought this frame was solid! Glad I decided to go full tilt and completely gut the thing.

Anyway, still slow and steady. Only the front gussets and trans crossmember left for frame fixes.

I also got some parts sorting done so I can start to blast the parts that don't have machined sections first. I might try to blast the other ones myself since they are small. That way I can be careful and take my time. And then a trial POR15 run once the weather smartens up.

T
 
Wow, love watching the progress Taylor -- thanks for sharing pics and stories.
Talk about a "frame off resto" -- you're right in the middle of it. Kudos.....:D

Hope you get some decent weather soon......

C.
 
good work taylor !! i'm sure you already know this , a couple of things to keep in mind re-installing the rear c/member. coat the rubber sombrero bushings with anti-seize in case the cross member has to come off in the future. press the c/member on to the sombrero's with a jack if you try to pull it on with the bolts you risk damaging the threads in the welded nuts. this is probably why the one side was drilled and bolted. fabulous job you're doing man it will make it all the more satisfying when you're back on the road. :D doug.
 
Thanks guys. I will be sure to use a jack and anti-seize. Wish I could find more time for the car, but hey that's life.

T
 

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