1966 Chevelle...Code name "Danger Zone"

[wyattroa]

Question, I am still working on boxing in the frame rails. A little at a time, doing this by running my welder of a neighbors generator. I have the tops pretty much tacked in with no gaps and I have the bottom tacked every 5 inches right now. Can I get a couple of buddies to just help me flip this frame over so I can finished the bottom of the rails. Its not that fun trying to weld laying on your back or on your side with a big ass helmet on.

[wyattroa]

Well, this is a big update for me. When I got my chevelle, it was just a shell with no interior, pretty much nothing. Back on October 19th a member on here contacted me regarding parts he no longer needed. This member was on the chevelle forum. For the past 5 months we have been in contact and often talked about our build and anything else on our minds. He informed me he had a great deal of parts he no longer had use for and was willing to let me have them. My first thought was, whats the catch, this has to be too good to be true, does the guy want to kill me or something? Turns out there was no catch and he didn't want to kill me..lol...

This past weekend my wife and I made the drive down to his town, which is about a 6.5 hour drive from our house. Turns out he is every bit as great as I had anticipated from talking with him online. He showed me courtesy while I was there and gave me a personal tour of his Chevelle, which I must say is amazing.

I am still in shock that I was able to come across such a good guy, not to mention a guy who was willing to let me just have his old parts. These parts range from, front bucket seats, rear seat, center console, front grille, glass, window assemblies, UMI suspension parts new in the box, new g-force crossmember, and much more. I haven't had a chance to inventory all the parts yet. Either way, it puts me in a much better position for my chevelle. Here are some pictures from when I arrived back home. We were too tired from driving so we parked the car in our backyard and went to bed. Also, forgot to mention, he is letting me use his rotisserie which will make things much easier for me.

[HotRod47]

That is incredible!! There still are some very giving people out there. Good for you.

[1965_SS]

Very cool! Was it Tom who gave you the parts?

[wyattroa]

Very cool! Was it Tom who gave you the parts?

No, another member on the site, Bu 66.

[1965_SS]

Very cool!

[wyattroa]

Alright a small update and I mean small..lol..I have been bogged down with school work so it gets difficult to find time to work on the car. My neighbor came over and helped me flip the frame over so that I have an easier time welding the boxing plates on. Welding on your back is not fun, I don't believe anyone who says otherwise. I also decided I would replace two of the body mounts on the frame, the front two. They are not in horrible shape, but since I have easy access, I figured I would do. Just need to go to the hardware store to find some washers that match the size. I also need to pick up more welding gas as my tank is about dry.

[Fahrenschnell]

Car People are usually the best kind of people.

[rohrt]

subscribing.

[tommycomfort]

Man, I have searched high and low for the right size washers from different hardware suppliers and found it is just a lot easier to order this from UMI Performance.

http://umiperformance.com/catalog/in...roducts_id=756

[wyattroa]

A small, very small update, but an update none the less. I have been crazy busy with school and kids. I only get out to the garage every blue moon right now. I finish school this coming WED so I hope to have some more time. I just need to find a powder coater near me that won't bend me over on price. I have finished boxing in the frame rails front and back. I also replaced the body mounts on the front of the frame as you could tell they were thin. Figured I have access to it, I might as well do it. Here are some pictures of how its going.

[Zoomin]

Are you really sure you want to powder coat?

Nice work, it's getting there.

[wyattroa]

Are you really sure you want to powder coat?

Nice work, it's getting there.

That's the plan as of now. I really don't see a negative with powder coating the frame..anyone else?

[raustinss]

Problem with powder is
A it can't get inside the frame rails and front cross member easily
B because of A the frame can rust inside out and or leave rust
marks after it rains
C hard to touch up after it chips

Some guys I've seen have galvanized their frames and then used special paint which is meant to go on over top. Two things ...first you may need to brace the frame and possibly drill some small 3/16" holes in any tubes some air and galv. Can flow in and out ...second is if you go this route do not allow them to coat the frame in any oil or such after its been galvanized

[Zoomin]

To me, the positives aren't justified by the cost. A lot of high end builds have their frames smoothed and painted just as the body would be, it doesn't help resale, and it's impossible to match on touch up if you get a scratch.

[wyattroa]

Alright, well I finished all the welding on the frame for now, will just have to weld the new trans crossmember in next spring. Frame is off being blasted and then it will be put in epoxy primer.

This gave me sometime to start prepping to get other stuff in order for the suspension to start going on when it comes back. I had three great helpers today. Felt good working with new parts.

[wyattroa]

Well, not an update, but thought I would share. We had to put our 10.5 year old, old english sheepdog down this past Thursday. She was in perfect health up to this point, no arthritis, nothing. Sunday morning she stopped eating and was lethargic and did not want to do anything. We took her to the vet and all X-rays came back clear. They think her red blood cells started attacking one another as her red blood cell count was so low. they wanted to do blood transfusions, but even then they said it probably would not work.

She has been a fantastic dog. I bought her for my wife as a wedding present. My wife was going to be moving into our home prior to me and I wanted her to have company with her. I also knew with my job I would be gone for 24-72 hours at a time. She was been there when we brought home each of our kids and would always protect them if needed. She never caused us a single problem. Just wanted to share, my wife has been an absolute wreck about this.

My son went to feed our other dog yesterday morning and told us our other dog would not eat. Turns out, that he put the bowl in the sheepdogs bowl. She wouldn't touch that bowl as thats how she was trained.

[Motown 454]

So sorry for your families loss, our pets become such a big part of our lives. It's tough. The frame looks good your doing a nice job.

[wyattroa]

Alright another actual update. The frame was blasted and epoxy coated. Brought it back to the house and put another layer of epoxy on it and have it top coated. The frame didn't fit all the way in the bed of my truck, but I managed to make it 40 minutes home..lol

[keepat]

Sorry for your loss, two weeks ago we put down our 12-year-old lab I feel your pain.
You have a beautiful family, and you look like you're doing a great job on your Chevelle.
Keep the updates coming.
Pat