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Corvette Restoration: The Chassis

Transforming the frame

In our first installment about the restoration of a classic Corvette, we introduced you to Milton Lewis and his silver-blue '64 Coupe. We covered a bit about the history of the car, the engine, and the painstaking efforts to win the prestigious NCRS Mark of Excellence Duntov award. With the body removed and the engine being freshened, Milton set to work on the chassis with the assistance of Carlos Vivas of C&S Corvette Restoration. Vivas prefers handling the "mid-year" Corvettes ('63-'67). "I can do those blindfolded," he laughs. "But on the earlier cars, nothing was the same."

Body Off

Although a body-off job is more expensive, if the frame and suspension need attention, it's the best way to go. Cars from the back east often require this level of restoration. As Vivas points out, "Corvette owners from the East Coast are jealous of a 'California car.' Often their cars have frames pitted from road salt that have to be filled and smoothed, but frames out here usually don't have that problem." Vivas also showed us a diagram he makes of the car's shim locations when he removes the body. GM used a variety of body shims, made of metal, cardboard or rubber. It's critical to use the same type and number of them in their exact locations to get the body to fit back on the chassis.

With the body off, the first step is to remove all the suspension pieces, along with every nut and bolt. The frame is then sandblasted and powder-coated for improved corrosion protection. Some judges deduct points for modern powder coating, but if it's the right color, they might not do so. To make sure, some restorers lightly sand the powder coating and paint over it with original factory paint. That way they have the latest technology in corrosion protection, but the frame still looks original.

Body On

When putting things back together, Vivas says that the bolts don't necessarily have to go back in their original locations, just as long as it's the correct fitting for that spot. Generally it's a good idea to document and tag all the components so you don't have to rely on your memory. Taking videos, Polaroid snapshots and copious notes may come in handy later on if you forget about a particular aspect of a long-term restoration. For the next and final stage, see Corvette Restoration: The Body.