Front Suspension Is Done

Its March 3 2007 now and I finally got the front suspension done. I replaced everything. New Upper & lower A-Arms, springs tie rods, bushings and Shocks. I decided to install disk brakes on the front. Nice kit, everything bolted right up. I used rubber bushings all around instead of poly. Now I just have to run the brake lines from front to rear, emergency brake cables and fuel line to complete the job, then onto the body.

12 Bolt Rear Is In ....

After replacing the axle bearings and seals, I cleaned and painted up the rear differential. I finally got around to installing the 12 bolt rear. I bought new upper and lower control arms from UMI Performance. They are nice quality. Nice welds and strong. Everything bolted up nice. The rear is a posi with 3.31 gears. Next, I will work on the brakes and get the front suspension together.

Chevelle In 1973

Here is the earliest photo that I have of my Chevelle. From the car in the background it looks like about 1973. The paint was probably factory Madrid Maroon. Someday I will get it back to this condition

Frame is Done !!!!

I was originally going to take the frame and have it sandblasted due to its size. In order to save a couple hundred bucks I decided to do it with a wire cup wheel. It took me a while but it turned out great. I welded a patch on the ladder bar mount damage and bought a bunch of large flat washers for the body mount repairs. Since I can run a lathe, I turned the inside diameters of the flat washers to the correct specs for the body bushings and welded them in place. I then soaked the hell out of the frame inside and out with a rust encapsulator, primed and painted in semi gloss black. This whole job cost me about $100.00 give or take. It probably would have cost me that much to have it sandblasted only. Anyway here are some pics of the finished frame. Next job is to clean up the rear differential.

Frame Off

Here are some pics of the frame. I have a lot of rust and a spot on the passenger rear side where someone broke it out while using a ladder bar mount. Most of the body bushing holes are enlarged due to rust so they will need attention too.

Lifting the body from the frame

To lift the body from the frame, I used an Engine Hoist, AKA: Cherry Picker. I did this job by myself and it was not really that hard to do. For the front, I hooked the chain in two spots down on the lower firewall. For the rear I hooked up on the trunk mounts. I then slid the frame out from under the car.

The 1965 Chevelle SS Coupe

Here is my new project, A 1965 Chevelle SS Coupe. I found this car sitting in a fence row on my friends property. After working a price, I bought it. It was missing the rear differential. The 327 block, fenders and hood were laying beside it in the weeds. The M-20 Muncie was sitting in his garage. It went with the car. I owned a few classics when I was a teen, 1968 Camaro, 73 Plymouth Roadrunner and a Ford Fairlane. All of which I wish I had kept. Now Its 2006 and I am 41 years old and decided to bring a 60's car back to life. What you see in the picture is how it looked on the day that I brought it home. Not much to brag about huh. This car will need everything, floor pans, trunk pans, frame repairs and interior. Can I go on, yes, but I will stop here. I will post my progress for you to watch, if you are interested.