Читать книгу How to Restore Your Corvette: 1968-1982 - Walt Thurn - Страница 10
ОглавлениеFor disassembly, the trim and interior can be removed before or after removing the frame and mechanical components. Your choice depends on your access to a trailer and towing vehicle. If one is available, I recommend removing the frame first, which allows you to disassemble the body, interior, and frame at the same time in separate locations.
Once the frame and body are separate, work can begin to disassemble the body and remove the frame’s mechanical components.
As you proceed with your disassembly it is very important to store and mark items that can be easily lost such as grilles, trim, bumpers, and bolts. You will save money and time if you follow this advice during this part of your restoration journey.
Remember to always bag and tag all removed parts.
Removing the frame from a C3 body is a critical part of the restoration process. Over the years these frames have accumulated a lot of wear and tear. Some might even have rust damage or be bent from a previous accident or abuse.
C3 coupe and convertible bodies are bolted to a steel ladder frame with 8 (coupe) or 10 bolts (convertible). Newer Corvettes have their frames molded into the body structure and are not easily removed without extensive work. This C3 design feature makes the body very heavy and requires care not to damage it during the removal process. It is important to ensure the body is properly supported to prevent damage or cause any personal injury during removal.
While many enthusiasts remove the body and frame in their home garage, I turned to Van Steel to perform the task for this book. To illustrate how to remove a C3 frame, Van Steel offered the well-maintained 1980 coupe that has served as their project car for the past 30 years. It only has a little more than 40,000 miles on it, but age has faded its interior and exterior. This car and others in Van Steel’s shop were used to illustrate the proper disassembly method described here.
It is very important to visually inspect a Corvette’s frame from the underside. It provides a lot of clues as to how the car has been treated. Things to look for are rust, bent or damaged frame rails, and missing parts. Always take photos and make notes of what you discover as you inspect various Corvettes.
Art Dorsett, owner of Van Steel Corvette Parts and Service, has owned this 1980 L-48 automatic coupe since 1980. It has only a little over 40,000 original miles, but he decided to restore it with fresh paint and overhauled frame and drive components.
Remove the rubber or steel bumpers and brackets.
Disconnect the battery cables and remove the battery.
Remove the hood. This provides better access to engine components that need to be disconnected.
Disconnect the flexible steering joint coupling from the steering box.
Remove the two 7/16-inch steering shaft spline bolts from the steering box. Use a deep-well 12-point socket to aid in loosening these bolts.
Disconnect the transmission lock-out cable next to the firewall on the steering column. Great care must be taken when the body is lifted off the frame to prevent damage to this connector. Tapping it with a mallet helps break it free from the steering box as the body is raised off the frame. The three steering box bolts that secure it to the frame should be loosened before the frame lift can begin.
All wiring that is connected to the body must be unplugged. Bright-colored stickers should be affixed to each side of all engine-wiring connectors and numbered with a black marker. Do this before unplugging any connectors. This greatly eases the burden of reassembly.
Loosen the three 9/16-inch bolts that secure the steering box to the frame. This provides enough slack so that the steering column rod can be freed during the body lift.
Every wire that is unplugged from the harness should be marked with color-coded stickers or masking tape with a description and a number. This eliminates any cross-wiring connections during reassembly. If you are planning to replace your wiring harness with a new one, order the new harness before disassembly, and match and mark the new connectors with the harness currently in your car. This makes reinstallation much easier.
Build Your Own Body Dolly
Abody dolly serves several purposes: it provides a platform to secure the body to, allows the body to be transported around the work area, and enables you to transport to another location. Van Steel builds its dollies for all these purposes. The staff constructs them with lumber and industrial-grade bolts. Heavy metal casters are attached to the dolly to enable it to be mobile. Any dolly should be completed before attempting to remove the body from the frame.
If the dolly is needed for another project, you can move the body onto large pieces of wood that sit on four metal castor plates and industrial rollers. Simply place the wood underneath the rear battery/storage compartment and the front driver/passenger footwells.
Here is a list of materials that were used for construction of Van Steel’s body dolly:
• 1/2-inch-thick plywood 32 × 18 inches
• Six 4-inch-diameter steel casters
• Four pieces of 2 × 4 × 53-inch wood
• Four pieces of 2 × 4 × 55-1/2-inch wood
• Four pieces of 2 × 4 × 41-inch wood
• Two pieces of 2 × 4 × 33-inch wood
• Six pieces of 4 × 4 × 14-inch wood
• One pound of 8-penny nails
• Eighteen 5/16 × 3 × 1/2-inch lag bolts
• Eight 5/16 × 3-inch lag bolts
• Six 5/16 × 1-inch NC hex bolts
• Six 5/16-inch flat washers
• Six 5/16-inch lock washers
• Six 5/16-inch NC nuts
• Fifty 3/16 × 2-1/2-inch wood screws
Move the car to a suitable jacking area. A four-point lift has two towers on each side that support adjustable legs on each tower. Hydraulic pressure lifts the legs by turning a worm gear. A four-point lift is very handy for this kind of project.
Remove the rocker arm covers or sidepipe covers if equipped.
