69ragvette

I know I got hammerd when I bought this gem at $15,5oo.so I dont have a choice ws frame rust. rust in rockers,body mounts.as in pics body damage.car is not original anything so i will have to do my best and drive it.I have been told and sold a bunch of bs untill I found this site.I have good mech skills,and can weld.with your knowledge and experience I feel ready to start.Ive been reading old posts and checking out your cars.so lets go.thank you Bert. ps if you see me doing something shout it out. http://photobucket.com/bertpayne

nutsy

GOOD LUCK BERT. glad you found this site. very good and smart people here. when its done you will have a beautiful vet. forget about the past and just look forward. keep the pics coming, nutsy.

69ragvette

thank you,I,m not scared just want to get a decent fun to drive car out of the deal.dont know BB or sb ?

American Raven

Small Block. Vettes are already nose heavy as it is so the extra weight will impede handling. For a lot less $$$, get a ZZ4 turnkey engine. It makes as much power as a BB and the gas milage will be better. These are damned good engines that have been proven for years. I have one in my '79 and I'm more than happy with it.

Also, the engine bay is cramped as it is, a BB will just eat up more space.

Alan 71

Hi Bert,
It looks like you could have a really nice 69 to drive when your work is fiinshed.
I'd be interested in seeing pictures as you progress.
Good Luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
Regards,
Alan

vette54728702

We all enjoy pics and follow up's as you progress with this project. No doubt you will find the forum members helpful. Blood sweat and tears await, but doing the work yourself will make have you appreciating that car when it's finished! Good luck... looks like fun.

69L46vert

Looks like a fun project. It'll be nice once it's done.

rajsid

Welcome Bert.
You will have a great car when it's all done.
(I think, I saw this car for sale here on the forum).

BWH76

i'm sorry to hear someone had the same issue as i did. i purchased a 76 for a considerably lower price to only find a completley rotted rear kick up on the frame and the body mounts to. i am in the middle of a complete body off resto and haven't got to drive it yet but i am excited for the day i will with almost everything completely new. i just keep telling myself it will all be worth it, as i know it will.

69ragvette

when I bought this car it had a 74 454 wth 400 trans it was a bubbatech install I ripped it out chunked it. new harness installed fresh 327 bored and stroked 11.5 compression world heads big h cam and a munci trans ,2 seats and had a fun summer .racked up 2 5.0 mustangs 1 state trooper 2 other vettes .steering wheel broke in half in my hand, the brakes failed,and the accelerator stuck to the floor at 75 mph on back road that makes 3 scary rides.( time to fix)

Roco71

I think I paid too much for mine as well. However I just keep telling myself relative to the money lost on a new car’s depreciating value its nothing. So chin up its going to be a very cool car when finished

69ragvette

I think I want to start removing the front clip but not sure how to go about it without messing things up? any advice? thanks guys for the push and confidence.I need it.

markdtn

SB keeps it much more balanced.

redman76

Don't feel bad. When I bought mine, I didn't know squat about vettes and was just plum lucky that I didn't have major issues like rust. It's been fun working on and I've learned a lot. I found this forum along the way and it's been great for motivation, ideas and information. You'll have plenty of help working on it now. Good luck and start posting us some pics.

69ragvette

some new pics,rear deck hing perch,s removed, body mount bolts not looking to good,bondo removed from top of fenders

Tom's 79

About the rusted ws frame, I went through the same thing. You have an advantage in that you already know how to weld. I had to learn on thin sheet metal and at first I thought I was causing more damage than I already had. But it all worked out in the end. You will need to remove the glass and all the trim, then see how badly the frame is rusted. If it is really bad you can buy and install an entire frame, (in pieces), from vendors on this forum. The lower corners MAY be available, I'm not sure. Here are some pics from when I did my car...

Before...


After...

69ragvette

you sure did a nice job on that ws frame.I bought a complete frame with about 5 inches of fire wall that should be enough metal I hope? thank you for the reply

Easy Mike

My advice is not to remove the front clip if you do not have to. Leave well enough alone and turn your attention to other areas. Removing a clip is deceptively easy; hanging one correctly can be a major PITA.

Been there, done that.

69ragvette

thanks for the heads up,my front clip is in sad shape can it be repaired,eklers door to door one piece? what do you think?

RobRace10

I have been rebuilding my 69 with a total frame off, every nut and bolt. (4-1/2 years so far). My front clip had the fender lips in the wheel wells removed and some other significant issues so I went with a replacement front clip. Yours doesn't look that bad from the pictures and it is a lot less work to repair yours than install a replacement.

For your reference:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-progress.html