redwingvette

I finaly got all of the rusty rocker channels out of the way. I found that a round carbide burr in my air grinder worked best to seperate the spot welds once I could find them. I placed the new rocker channels in place to see if I could weld the inserts to it before i installed them. Looked pretty good so they are now one piece. I am going to spray whats left of the rusty metal with Por15 and paint the new rockers next. Now it is time to start on the frame. Pictures can be seen on my web page.


[Modified by redwingvette, 11:59 PM 7/29/2003]

jerryp58

Glad to hear you're making progress :thumbs:

75 BBC Stingray

Nice! I checked the website, that is certainly a different body dolly!, but I suppose the others that I have seen have rested inside the rocker channels, so that would be a slight problem to replace them! :D I'm about 1-2 weeks out from removing the body. (1st attempt failed due to time constraints). Did you find the hooks from the lift straps wanted to slide together when you started to lift?
Good luck with the rest of the project!!!

redwingvette

75 BBC, No they stayed where I put them. The biggest problem I had was the rockers were so rusted that they bent out as I lifted it. I ended up putting some shims between the rocker and the bottom of the door for extra support.

cardo0

Wow! :eek: Nice work Brian. Somehow I expected body to be lifted only a few inches to swap out frame sections. From your pix looks like rocker panels are separate from main frame. How/where do they fit in? And one more annoying question, what did you use for a lift? Engine hoist? Also is that a standard 2-car (20'x20') garage?
Thanks for the requirement list as have saved it for referance. :cheers:

FASGLAS

Looks like "Man on a mission."

:thumbs: :cheers:

redwingvette

cardo0,
the rocker channels are attached to the body. It is what the body mounts bolt though to hold it to the frame. They run from the #1 mounts to the #3 mounts. They are welded to the windshield post and the rear support. The garage is 24X32 with a 10 ft ceiling. I used two come-a-longs attached to a beam above the rsfters and a set of body straps to lift it off. Care had to be taken because the rockers are what the straps attach to and they were really rotten.

Big Fish

Brian, it's refreshing to see you are doing this thing right. The picture of your old channels pretty much tells it all. That's about how mine looked, and I'm sure there are a lot more of them out there. You were much braver then me lifting that body from those rusted out channels, when I lifted mine I used large ratcheting type tie-down straps that I worked completely under and around the body. I hope you might consider submitting your step-by-step photos to the "FAQ" site for archival. :cheers:


[Modified by Big Fish, 6:35 PM 8/3/2003]

redwingvette

I spent yesturday with a wire wheel and hit the rust off the frame, Started to paint it today. Hope to get it painted before I have to go out of town on Tuesday. Man that POR is messy. Can't get it off my skin. Friday should be welding night for the rockers and frame body mounts. I would like to start reassembling things on Saturday.

NHvette

Ah - those pics bring back bad memories.
Good to see you're making quick progress.
Keep us posted.

:thumbs: :thumbs:
:seeya

redwingvette

I got back home yesterday and started working on it again. I replaced the fuel and brake lines with stainless and put the tank back on. Now I need to weld the rocker channels back in and I can put the body back on the frame. Just in case someone is keeping track: Rocker channel repair kit $250, Fuel and brake lines $310, tank straps $25, assortment of bolts $50, frame paint $25, body mount kit $140, etc.... At least my suspension and drive train was already rebuilt. Hope to get a lot done tomorrow.

Smokehouse69

Wow, what's it been about 2 or 3 weeks since you pulled the body? That's got to be a record for a body off, especially with the bird cage repair you had to do.
Great job!

noskillz

how did you get to the front and rear cage welds without disassebling the fiberglass body from the cage?

redwingvette

I used a air grinder with a round burr to remove the spot welds from the inside and bottom of the rocker channels. After the rockers were removed I did the same on any left over tabs inside the post. I then fit the new front and rear inserts to make sure they would fit in the channels. Then I welded them to the rocker channels and sliped the assembly into place. Then I welded the inserts to the post from the inside.

redwingvette

The body is back where it belongs, Mounts are tite and doors open and close the best they have in a long time. Now its reassembly time for everything else. New bolts every where.

Smokehouse69

Brian, I think we need to put you in a special category of C-3 owner. Over the past 3 years or so I have followed a number of body off repair projects, and your repair has to to be the quickest I can remember. I know who I'd want helping me on a body removal and repair!
Great Job!

cardo0

:cheers: Congratulations Brian. You’ve done some impressive tool turning. :yesnod:
I guess I’m still not sure how those channels fit in as it looks like they could have been chiseled out with some kind of long shaft hammer tool. Now this has me worried when someone mentions “the birdcage” as it sounds like a metal framework hiding behind the fiberglass. I guess my question is how bad can it get ? And does anyone normally replace the whole birdcage? Now I'm afraid to look at my body mounts or the front window post/channel. :lurk:

LemansBlue68

Your frame looks pretty nice and solid. I'm surprized the rocker channels rusted so severely. I hope you were able to take the opportunity to spray rustproofing inside the frame rails to make sure that the frame stays solid for many years to come. I've found that Eastwood has a nice undercoating sprayer with many attachments. Their undercoating's a bit pricey and watered down, though. Modelcraft paints sells a good undercoating that's only about $12 a gallon. They have a number of outlets in the Detroit Metro area if your interested.

Nice work on the bird cage and super quick too!

NHvette

Knowing your body will stay attached to the frame for another 30 years ... PRICELESS.

Wow Brian, you just flew through that. I can't believe yoiu've got the body
back on already. You do sleep, right ??
What did you use for body mounts. I am convinced that the original rubber
mounts collect moisture and help the rotting process. I'm hoping the poly
does not have this problem.

Good luck wrapping it up. :seeya

redwingvette

NHvette,
I stayed with the rubber mounts. I have to believe I won't be doing this again in my life time again: at least not on this car. :lol:
By the way, I up dated the web page.