Body Off Resto?

[Al 65 Sting]

I finally got my '65 up on jack stands and pulled off the wheels and started rolling around under this former beauty queen. Well, the good news is, no rot through on the frame anywhere. The bad news is that I can tell that there has never been a body off in the past and even though the odometer says 51928, she is still 40!

Now the big question is......Do I do a complete frame off or just R&R what needs to be done?

This is not a matching number car. Her heart beats with the sound of a 69 Camaro 327. Anyone need a 69 Camaro 327 with matching heads???? (Yes, it runs, nicely.) I am going to build a 383 stroker for her. She was factory white and a bad man gave her a black overcoat. I am not worried about the matching numbers stuff. She will be my driver and attention getter.

My big question is, Where do I start with a frame off? Remove all the interrior then get 10 guys to lift? What do I put the body on? Do I remove the doors first or leave them on so I don't tweak the body? Paint the body while off or after re-installed on the frame?

I am not made of money, so I can't pay someone else to do this. Is there a good reference guide for the frame off resto? Perhaps I am another guy with the beer budget and the champagne taste. I have already bought the complete front end rebuild kit, rear rebuild kit, every brake part made and new front/rear springs, alum radiator, sent the clock out to be rebuilt and installed the new p/window which makes the windows work very nicely.

What say ye peanut gallery?

Thanks,
Al

 

[67HEAVEN]

Us peanuts say, don't be surprised if the "while-I'm-in-there's" getcha.

An oil change becomes a body off. It's been known to happen. For a look at what you may be up against...... www.67HEAVEN.com There are hundreds of photos and text description to keep you busy.

The more questions you get answered and the more research you do before turning a wrench, the better the long-term outcome.

Good luck.

 

[Ol Blue]

I'm on my 3rd body-off (72 LT-1 below) and each one was only done because the cars were completely shot. If you have a good frame/body mounts and like to drive your Vette, I'd fix it in stages and enjoy it between fixes.

As 67 HEAVEN says, once you begin taking it apart you will find more and more that needs to be done, and that IS cubic money! If you have the space, money and your enjoyment is primarily from the sense of accomplishment, then a body-off may be what you like.
Ol Blue

 

[WayneC]

Now the big question is......Do I do a complete frame off or just R&R what needs to be done?

My big question is, Where do I start with a frame off? Remove all the interrior then get 10 guys to lift? What do I put the body on? Do I remove the doors first or leave them on so I don't tweak the body? Paint the body while off or after re-installed on the frame?

I am not made of money, so I can't pay someone else to do this. Is there a good reference guide for the frame off resto? Perhaps I am another guy with the beer budget and the champagne taste. I have already bought the complete front end rebuild kit, rear rebuild kit, every brake part made and new front/rear springs, alum radiator, sent the clock out to be rebuilt and installed the new p/window which makes the windows work very nicely.
Al

No one can answer that question for you. Depends on what all you want to do. Certainly you do not need to remove the body to refurbish the suspension and brakes and replace a radiator. Nor would I even consider doing it for just those things. It becomes nesessary when you need to de-rust or replace the frame, replace all the fuel and brake lines, etc... ie, stuff you either can't do with the body on or which would be much easier to do with the body off, thereby justifying that effort.

There are extensive checklists for gettting ready to remove the body from the frame (email me and I'll send you one). Basically it involves disconnecting the steering column, brake line, electrical connections, water hoses, removing the bumpers & brackets, brake, gas, and clutch linkages, shifter, rear exhaust pipes, gas filler boot, and all the body mount bolts (but that's not a complete list).

How you remove the body depends on how many able-bodied friends you have, or whether you have access to floor jacks, chain hoists, cherry pickers, etc. It can be accomplished a number of ways. Generally it is better to leave the doors in place. There is no need to remove the interior, but seat removal would make the body lighter (as would hood removal) if your friends' backs are being bent in the process.

The body then needs to rest somewhere, like on a movable purchased dolly, a home-made dolly, or just some sturdy wide carpenter horses... depends on how mobile you need it to be once it's removed. Remember, you need lots of garage space for the body, for the chassis, and room to work and store lots of parts, so a two-car garage may well be inadequate for the task.

Whether the body should be on or off the frame for painting tends to be a painter's preference. It can be done either way, and there's pros and cons to either approach. The pros to painting it off the frame is that it gives better access, requires less masking, and doesn't risk messing up the frame or engine; the pros to painting on the frame is that the car is more mobile to be moved to the painter (and sitting at a height the painter is used to), the fiberglass won't be stressed AFTER painting (while bolting the body into a slightly different position), and there's less chance of harming the paint job while handling the body to put it back on the frame. Etc, etc.

There aren't any step-by-step guides to a total restoration, but there are a number of helpul publications detailing others experiences doing a frame-off, several pubs by Noland Adams on body removal, etc, the AIM (Assembly Information Manual) and shop manuals are essential. There is no one perfect book. Peruse the NCRS.org website for pubs.

As prior posters said, the job tends to snowball out of control, because you'll want to do nearly everything once the body is off. Just like replacing the threadworn living room rug: suddenly the couch looks tacky, then the walls could use new paint, the drapes look droopy, the ceiling seems dirty, that old recliner is looking dowdy, etc, etc, etc.

 

[Al 65 Sting]

Thanks for the words of wisdom guys. My frame looks a lot like 67 Heaven's when it comes to the surface rust. I am not affraid of getting dirty on this, just afraid of running out of $$ while the car is appart. Thanks for the input guys. I am gunna go see a friend from the local Vette club tonight and talk stratedgy. I personally think the frame off is the correct way to go. Just a matter of if I can handle this whole mess by myself. Afterall, that is usually the way things turn out. A lot of volunteers to start, then its me and Kasper the friendly ghost!

By the way, I think your website is great Heaven.

Thanks,
Al

 

[67HEAVEN]

Thanks for the words of wisdom. My frame looks a lot like yours when it comes to the surface rust. I am not affraid of getting dirty on this, just afraid of running out of $$ while the car is appart. How many hours do you think you have in the disassembly of that beauty you now have? Did you have to remove the entire interrior first?

By the way, I think your website is great.

Thanks,
Al

If you're referring to my website, thanks for the kind words. I have in excess of 2,000 hours into the entire project, when you consider the important assistance provided by a few friends. I removed everything possible prior to the body lift simply to get the body as light as possible.

Why so many hours? Several reasons, the main one being that we made a lot of modifications to the midyear design that required hours and hours of test fitting and parts modifications. If I had chosen to keep the car in original form and function, it would have reduced the time by almost half. Also, my project dealt with absolutely every piece on the car. I determined that the car would be a "new" 1967 Corvette. Not everyone wants or needs to go this far.

Before starting, consider all your likes and dislikes about your car and other midyears. Choose a path, after sufficient research, that will result in the car that you want. As original looking as possible; or, as technically updated as possible; maybe a one-off project; or, whatever turns your crank. Then, talk to Larry (IH2Lose) who has an excellent method for properly organizing and cataloging a project while keeping track of things with an Excel spreadsheet.

Good luck, and keep asking questions. That's why is here.