frame undercoating

[curtg17]

Hi all,
I bought a 1978 vette here in michigan and i got under the car and inspected the frame. It seems solid but is rusty, i was wondering if anyone has done anyform of undercoating or painting with the body still on the car. The car only saw 3 winters but that's enough for any car. I read there are paints you can just paint on and it stops rust but please give me some feed back thanks.

[curtg17]

I just noticed one thing on my frame, the frame itself is actually in good shape with just surface rust. I did tho find that on the number 4 body mounts that the plates attached to the body are just about gone and the driver side rear quarter panel is cracked where the #4 body mount is, so i am thinking of replacing the reinforced body mounts and glueing and pasting some new fiber glass around the cracked body area.
ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD HELP AND GO A LONG WAY
THANK YOU

Curt

[fatherlarry]

curtg17

Welcome to the forum. That's a common problem with the rear body mounts support bracket, especially in the rear because it picks up a lot of dirt and road salt. Call Barry at Michigan Corvette Recyclers and he can guide you in the right direction as to where to get the brackets. He may have some himself and be able to cut them out from a damaged frame. His link is on my homepage. It's very important and the rear bodymounts on the c3's are a crucial area, because that's where you get your space and alignment on the rear quarter to the door. This needs to be repaired properly. If you do get the brackets and you attempt to weld them in yourself, with the body on, it can be very dangerous. The gas tank is in the back and should be removed. Sparks can fly and also cause a fire. If you've never done this before, I would recommend letting a professional do it.

As far as repairing the rear body panel that's cracked, there are many ways to approach it. A lot of guys will shape an 18 to 22 gauge metal plate, then grind about 6 inches away from the plate and cover with fiber glass for strength. If it's the inner skirt that you're talking about which is attached to the body mount, you could also buy a new section, and this is the route I would take.

As far as the frame, I would never undercoat the frame. It only holds more moisture with undercoating. You could disconnect all the body mounts and raise the body, so you can get all around the frame, and wire brush the rust off. There's a product called NutraRust. It's a company out of New Jersey, and it was formulated in England, where they used it as a metal prep on their battleships. You can brush this on and let it sit for 24 hours. It will actually neutralize the rust and get it ready for paint. As far as the paint, you can use rustoleum satin finish, its the closest to factory paint that you can get already made up. It can be sprayed or brushed on, depending on how fussy you are, and what kind of restoration your wish to do. I would cover it well with 3-4 coats. That's one way.

Good luck...let us know how your progress goes. Hope this helped.

PS. If you do lift the body up slightly to get at the frame, if it's a convertible, make sure the top is up and the doors are closed. If it's a coupe, make sure that both roof panels are attached. If you've never done this before, and you want to attempt it, make sure you have a shop manual handy, and also check with local clubs and members that have done this process, or a local body shop that works on Corvettes, so they can give you some extra tips.

[curtg17]

Thankyou very much for your help and support
The bracket on the frame for the #4 mount is good, its the bracket that seems to be riveted to the body on the mount, and yes that is where the crack i was talking about. I want to fix it right and will probably have it done proffesionally from a number of corvette shops in my area. I only bought the car for 3800 dollars and the only other problem is with the headlights they seem to be rubbing on the body as they open and seem to have a dip in them. But that comes later i want to drive it without cracking up my body.

I will do exactly what you said about painting the frame, I am a machinist and there is only one way of doing things and that is the right way. I will raise it and go about it like you said thanks for the excellent advice.

Great web site
Curt

[fatherlarry]

:smoke: :chevy: ;bt