Body on frame restoration.

[Stephen R.]

Is it possible to do a "body on" frame restoration?

[Mike M.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

yes, but you'll get neck cramps and dirt in yer eyes. i've done it but it takes 4X as long to do it this way. good luck,mike

[Jim T.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

A lot of cleaning and painting of the frame can be done when the radiator, engine&tranmission, exhaust system,and complete drive train is removed. Front end components can be easily removed for cleaning and painting.

[Richard W.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

doing a partial one right now. removing the engine and transmission really helps. you also run into the issue of where to stop. I don't think I can make mine look like body off but it is going to look very nice.

[Mark P.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

Here is link that I was planning to follow:

http://www.julietpage.com/corvettes/rearsusp/rearsusp.htm

It may be more work but I want to keep driving my car and not take it out of commission for a body-off. I like to do smaller projects then take a break for a while.

[Alan S.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

Hi Stephen,
I think you can do a 'body on' in 3 phases... Front bumper to cowl, cowl to rear bulkhead, rear bulkhead to rear bumpers. This would allow you to work for a while and then drive for a while.
I started out this way and then decided the body needed to come off. The picture shows 'the beginning', it was good but not 100% thorough. I got VERY crazy with the body off.
I think it depends on what your goal for the finished car is as to whether the body should come off. It also takes room to do a body off because you basically have 2 cars for a while. You can just see the body sitting on a tall dolly in my 1 car garage.
Just some food for thought.
Regards,
Alan

[Stephen R.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

Thanks guys for the info. I'm getting a little worried about the frame and some rust. So far it doesn't appear bad. I've compared it to pics I've seen of frames here and other sites and I don't have any rust through's but I do have what looks like white blotchy mold on the frame ( that's the best that I can describe it). I would like to protect the frame from further damage but don't have the room to take off the body or to remove major parts such as the front end, eng/trans or rear.

[Jeffrey A.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

Stephen

What year is your car? My 63 coupe was a frame on restoration, three years it took me. Only thing I did not do is take the body off the frame. Its a pain, but can be done. Going to regional this year. Please feel free to email me with any help or questions. Jeff

[Stephen R.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

Mine's a 59 that I've had since 1974. Kept in an unheated garage for 33 years and driven once a month for those years. Now it's in a 12 x 20 shed. I've done a lot of interior, hard top, soft top, radio, antenna trunk . and windshield refurb. I'm down to putting on the ign shielding, the correct fuel pump/lines, and ground straps. My last items to do are the decals/stickers and then the frame. I try to drive it once a ointh.

[Lee S.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

Here's a tip when painting the frame. Instead of trying to struggle with a piece of newspaper and masking tape upside down under the car, I used cardboard. In most areas it will easily fit between the frame and floor. I just cut pieces to fit as a laid under the car. You don't have to be very accurate as you want the pieces to overlap each other. Just stuff it in.

PS - Don't forget to remove ALL of the pieces. I almost died on my first test drive after overhauling the rear suspension and painting the mid and rear frame. After about a mile of a perfect drive, the piece I missed (10"x 20") worked its way loose and the front fell to the road surface and started to drag. You can't believe how noisy it was!

[Paul J.]

Re: Body on frame restoration.

[quote=Lee Snyder (38671);404054]Here's a tip when painting the frame. Instead of trying to struggle with a piece of newspaper and masking tape upside down under the car, I used cardboard. In most areas it will easily fit between the frame and floor. I just cut pieces to fit as a laid under the car. You don't have to be very accurate as you want the pieces to overlap each other. Just stuff it in.

That's a good tip, Lee. I've used cardboard "spray shields" for 38 years. They're good for any spray painting application, not just for frames, and not just for cars. The thin cardboard is preferable. Every time I buy a shirt or run across some thin flat cardboard packaging it goes to a shelf in the garage for later use.