drspencer

'71 350/270, matching #'s Roadster w/120K original miles.

Body had one repaint in it's lifetime. Paint looks good, 8/10. Has chips, scratches, etc., but certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Turns heads everywhere.

Car is a blast to drive. Drivetrain is tight, but messy. Leaks a little oil (in several places), drips 4 spd. gear fluid & ps fluid.

Rear suspension seems OK, but I have no history when the trailing arms were last serviced, if ever.

Front suspension is a little tired, but car tracks very well and is a blast to drive. Wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere.

I don't have the time, space, or funds to do a complete frame off resto of the body, drive train, & chassis.

But, if I were to rebuild the drivetrain and chassis, would it be to my advantage to remove the body, not repaint it, then put it back on?

Or, should I just do the drive train/chassis rebuild with the body on (this seems like a headache)?

Thanks

Big2Bird

It just depends on what you need to do.
I would do a frame off for a total rebuild.
Just odds and ends, not so much.

drspencer

Which is more of a hassle:

1) Rebuild drivetrain/chassis with the body on.

2) Remove body (do not repaint) for drivetrain/chassis rebuild.

Thanks

Richard454

And just pulling the body off is a cakewalk?


Why don't you just drop the rear suspension - clean- paint -rebuild it- drive it then do the same to the front.

You said you don't have the funds- time -space to do it. So why would you take the car off the road for years while you get the funds- lose interest and then sell it to someone else at a loss to finish?

Richard

drspencer

This is exactly what I'm trying to decide.

Is easier to pull an engine/trans & rebuild front & rear suspension with the body on?

Or, is it worth the extra effort to remove the body and temporarily place it on a dolly while the drivetrain/suspension is being rebuilt?

Thanks

gjohnson

Much easier because you don't have to pull the body.

drspencer

So, the extra effort required to pull the body off is not worth the added convenience you gain for doing the drivetrain/suspension rebuild?

Thanks

oldgto

I wouldn`t remove the roof of my house just to add insulation to the attic....
nor would I remove the body from my car just to rebuild the drivetrain.

waljr

That's funny I'm about to remove the wall & roof cladding to add insulation (flat roof). But your point is taken, it can all be done with the body on, unless you want to stiffen the frame.

Alan 71

Hi drs,
I believe you can do just as thorough a job MECHANICALLY with the body ON, but not nearly as thorough a job COSMETICALLY as you can with the body OFF.
Doing serious work on a car with the body off is a wonderful experience…...IF you WANT to do it!
You seem to be on the fence enough for me to say probably NO in your case.
Regards,
Alan

BUT you could lift the body, do the frame and running gear entirely, put the body back on, and do the paint and interior later as time and money increases. Space still would be a problem though.

Easy Mike

Haven't you answered your own question?

hwcoop

I found it was so much easier with the body off to work on the chassis though you will probably end up doing way more than you planned.

since your car sounds complete and drivable with no major issues such as frame rot you can do a lot of work with the body on and it won't be as intimidating a job

My body has about 70% original paint but frame was rusted out so i had to pull the body. I decided not to paint until later. While the body was off i replaced the rocker channels, rad support, seat belt brackets etc
The chassis restoration took 2 years and have been driving the car since 2008, I have done some work such as interior and a big block swap but the car still retains most of its original paint

For this kind of project you definitely need the space, time and organization skills to get it done



With the body off it is much easier to replace brake/fuel lines, rebuild assemblies and sandblast/paint everything


Even with the worn paint (patina) people still enjoy looking at our cars. I found by dropping the body back on and driving i was able to maintain my motivation which would have faded if the body was all apart for paint for several more years.

rdroket

After I spent 10-15 grand I am this far

Pop Chevy

Do you want to drive it or work on it for the next couple years ? I myself like to do sections of the car at a time that way I can still take it out to occasional car cruise. People actually like to see the progress I am making.

gjohnson

No not worth it IMO.If your doing a full on restoration then yes but what your doing no

Richard454

If you think you can't do a good job w/o taking the body off-

Look over this website- http://www.julietpage.com/corvettes/

Didn't pull the body and earned a NCRS Top Flight Chapter Award- and so tough even a WOMAN did it!!!




Before-




During-



After





I also did not remove my body- as the rollbar had been welded on back in the 70's. The car didn't need any rust repair - just some surface stuff and I wanted to make it pretty-

During-



After-

drspencer

As an aside, were these cars rattletraps when they were new?

My '71 convert is pretty tight, yet it's still a symphony of squeaks and rattles.

You guys who've completed frame off restos, does your C3 still squeak and rattle?

Is this just the nature of these cars, regardless of new or old condition?

Thanks

lurch59

It's more like a cacophony of squeaks and rattles. Put some loud side pipes on the car, then in won't matter.

7T1vette

When new, these cars were pretty tight and had few rattles or squeaks. But, years of rubber weatherstripping drying out and shrinking and going over lots of RR tracks, etc causes fasteners to lose torque and work loose.

They can be made tight again. Just remember that whenever you tighten a fastener, you deal with it so that it won't come loose again. That requires dedication and patience. Dedication, I can deal with; patience...not so much.

Franks73

I have done a ton of restomoding on my 73. Due to my circumstances I could not pull off the body. Removing and replacing the fuel lines down the R side was a major PITA. The two body mount points by the foot wells or kick plates had some rust that I wish I could have addressed better. Dealing with the tranny lines for the 700-R4 was a bit tough. Other then that everything is doable with body on. Everything came off the car. Suspension front and rear, tranny, engine, fuel tank, and interior. That allowed me to clean, and refurbish everything. There is something to be said for doing one system at a time. Allows you to keep the car on the road more, and spread out the expense some. Also, I recommend keeping the old parts until you are done with the new ones. You will be surprised what little piece you might still need, or how the new ones do not match up. Bag and tag all the screws and bolts, even if you plan to replace them. Take lots of photos before and during disassembly. I WISH! I would have done a better job of that. Would have saved a lot of time and aggravation putting things back together. Best of Luck, enjoy the journey! Frank.