67 Frame question

[Chris E.]

My frame is ready to go to the shop for acid dipping. Once it comes back, I'll have to have the welding shop do some work. It is a MN car that was driven through MN winters for a few years. It has a lot of surface rust, and the kickup areas are not 100%.

Here's my question.

After having the weld shop fix the real problem areas, should I also have them fill in the spaces between the factory welds to improve the overall strength of the frame? I intend to complete the restoration, NCRS judge the car, and then drive it as often as MN summers will let me.

Comments?

[Chris E.]

Re: 67 Frame question

Here's a link to some photos of the frame.

http://www.vetteaction.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=33

[Rob A.]

Re: 67 Frame question

Chris...

One area I would have them check/reweld is where the rear crossmember that supports the differential attaches to the frame. The mounts on each side easily crack and/or rust. They weren't that carefully welded to the frame originally. I think they are referred to as the differential crossmember anchor plate or "sombrero".

[Keith B.]

Re: 67 Frame question

I have done two complete frame off restorations. One (camaro) frame I had dipped and I was shocked to see how nice the metal looked when I picked it up. They recommended that I rinse and use a neutalizer on and in the frame. I washed the frame as instructed and when I went to paint the frame I first primed the metal. Then I applied paint per shaker can (eastwoods) to the frame and allowed to dry. After about two weeks the paint began to peel off in these huge sections right back down to the beautiful metal. I ended up having to apply aditional paint by foam brush out of a quart can to make it stay. It looked ok but it never was really the way it should have been.

The second frame (1967 corvette) was prepped by sandblasting. My frame had some really nice areas and some that looked very similar to what your frame looks like. My dad is an old time welder and we ended up putting in a right side rear section 18", end caps, front horns, and sombraros. We really focused on reproducing the welds like the factory did it. Tell the weld shop to make the welds right. From there I used a light grinder on some of the heavy areas and then I primed the complete frame with DP90. After that I took and used poly fiber fill on every section on the frame filling what seemed to be 1000 small pits from the rust. Then I applied a high fill primer to the frame and block sanded the frame to a smooth finish. I put a second coat of DP90 to seal everything then top coated with 60% sheeen two part acrylic. The frame came out beautiful and seven years after I painted it the next owner Duntov'd the car last year. The paint never chipped and it kept the same sheen as the day I applied it.

My point is be careful on chemical dipping to assure that you can get good surface prep for painting. Chances are you will never take the frame apart again so you really want to do this right the first time.

[Stephen L.]

Re: 67 Frame question

67 Frame,chemically stripped and neutralized. Painted with Eastwood rattle cans. Hanging in there 4 years later. Even found the original stencil.

Don't ad weld to the frame unless you have to... it would no longer look original for judging.



Frame numbers:

[Dick W.]

Re: 67 Frame question

Always wash the bare metal with an etching acid, i.e. Metal Prep, or a similar product. I know that the some of the primers are supposed to be self etching, but I am from the old school and do not like "lickin' the calf over". Especially after the body drop. Does not take that much longer.

[Chris E.]

Re: 67 Frame question

So would I get a deduction in judging for overwelding the frame?

[Stephen L.]

Re: 67 Frame question

If the judges noticed it.....

[Chris E.]

Re: 67 Frame question

Any thoughts on what the points deduction would be?

[John H.]

Re: 67 Frame question

Chris -

The "configuration" deduction would probably be one point.

[Chris E.]

Re: 67 Frame question

Thanks John, I thought you might chime in here.
C