C5/C6 rolling chassis

[barno68]

I have been looking at a few on Ebay and it appears that the drive tunnel holds the front and rear together. I do not see any mounting points on this assembly, is the frame on the C5s integral to the body? What provides the stability for this setup. I like the idea of being able to purchase the whole suspension/drive train combo, just wondering how hard it would be to build a frame around it. Thanks.

Brent

[BB69]

Brent,
The Corvette uses a normal frame. The front and rear suspensions utilize aluminum subframes. The lower control arms mount to the subframes front and rear, and the upper control arms mount to the frame.

Good luck.
Ken

[JMarsa]

The steel perimeter frame is bonded to the body. They really cannot be seperated once joined. You'll never find a frame in a salavage yard unless they came from a dealer or it was pre-production. Look for pics of the 50/50 Camaro. Tyler bought a new frame.

--JMarsa

[barno68]

Ok, that makes sense. I have seen frames on C5 chassis for kit cars, had assumed up to now that they were custom made.

Brent

[TitoJones]

We bought all 4 frame rails from GM and welded them back to make a full frame. We didn't actually use the frame on the car, it was mainly so we could layout the suspension for the chassis jig.

Tyler

[Ricoch3T]

We bought all 4 frame rails from GM and welded them back to make a full frame. We didn't actually use the frame on the car, it was mainly so we could layout the suspension for the chassis jig.

Tyler

It sure looks nice though... What do you have holding the front fenders where the core support goes?

[TitoJones]

Here is the frame on the table- We did not use the C5 frame for anything other than pick up points for the jig.



From there, Wayne made new frame rails with Morrison parts, and welded it into the car:




The car still uses the factory core support for the time being to hold the fenders, but we will be remaking the entire support to lay the top of the radiator forward like a C6R Corvette.

Here is the underside of the frame with sheetmetal.





Tyler

[barno68]

Tyler, that is an impressive bit of fabrication. Was the corvette trans tunnel length correct, or did you have to shorten it?

Brent

[TitoJones]

Brent-

We had to lengthen it by 3.5 inches. That was a pain to find a shop to do it correctly.

Tyler

[BB69]

Tyler,
What do you mean when you say you bought all 4 pieces? The rails themselves are hydroformed correct? Does this mean GM sells frame sections? I am asking because I am trying to acquire the rear section of a C5 frame for the track car I am building. Would you mind posting some pics of the rear section of that setup?

Thanks
Ken

[TitoJones]

Ken-

They come as RF, LF, RR, and LR sections. We welded them together in the middle and made 1 frame.

Tyler

[JEFFTATE]

Wow ,
I want one too , Tyler !
Maybe someday.

[BB69]

Ken-

They come as RF, LF, RR, and LR sections. We welded them together in the middle and made 1 frame.

Tyler

Tyler,
Where is the joint? Do you mind saying what the sections sell for? Were these repair sections? I thought the production rail was one piece?

Thanks
Ken

[JMarsa]

Ken,

Google "GM Wholesale Parts". In the results is a local dealership from Royal Oak that has an online parts catolog. Browse it by model and repair parts. You'll be able to see diagrams and prices of what your asking.

--JMarsa

[BB69]

Ken,

Google "GM Wholesale Parts". In the results is a local dealership from Royal Oak that has an online parts catolog. Browse it by model and repair parts. You'll be able to see diagrams and prices of what your asking.

--JMarsa

Thanks, I will give that a try because I will need a lot of parts for this car I am building. As for the frame rails, I actually just got off the phone with a guy that specializes in Vette salvage. He is going to sell me the pieces I need for a very reasonable price (<$200). My buddy works right next to him and is going to pick them up, so I am saving the cost of shipping. I'm pretty excited; this will save me a lot of work and hassle.

[Zeventy1Z]

need to post pics once you get started on it! cool project!

[96Z28SS]

You could just order one of these frames.
http://www.eckertsrodandcustom.com/chassis.php

I went to the shop yesterday they are building an Impala for SEMA it will be in the Sony booth. It had one of these frames in it.

From what they were saying they can make it any length and they can narrow or widen it.

[barno68]

You could just order one of these frames.
http://www.eckertsrodandcustom.com/chassis.php

I went to the shop yesterday they are building an Impala for SEMA it will be in the Sony booth. It had one of these frames in it.

From what they were saying they can make it any length and they can narrow or widen it.

Is that 15-20K for a bare frame? The whole C5 suspension and drivetrain can be had for around 10k; I may be off, but that sounds rediculously high considering the frame supports no suspension components.

Brent