1976 Corvette Stingray 496...

[slofut]

Vetteman,
At the local Moultrie Automotive Swap Meet twice a year, there is a guy that has complete rolling c6 suspensions for sale. It always looks inviting to me to put a c3 body on that suspension. But he also has custom frames there built to combine both. Really nice quality too.

Here's a link, if you're close at the time it's a great weekend hunt too.


http://www.moultrieswapmeet.com

[autowiz]

Originally Posted by Marks76ray

I haven't touched it in 2 years, took a long break i have however restored a pontoon boat and completed it last week so it's not like I have been sitting around. I am however about out of projects and am getting the itch to start back on the vette.

I will keep an eye out for updates on your thread. That is such an awesome project you have.

[76-Vetteman]

slofut- It would be interesting to see a complete C6 rolling chassis. Wish I had the bucks to invest in a system like that. Sure would save a lot of time on a build. Perhaps I can get to the event sometime soon.


So this is my first shot at posting some kind of photo. If it works, Great. If not - well, we'll try again.


Just a couple of screen shots of the engine stand from my 3D program. One in perspective view. The other just a side view. The side view indicate where the engine mount rotational center is raised up above the crankshaft centerline. This should distribute the weight a little more evenly and provide an easier rotational effort.
The base is large, as the stand will fill multiple roles. It will be modified later to act as a test stand; where the engine will be mated to the transmission and tested together.

[autowiz]

Originally Posted by slofut

Vetteman,
At the local Moultrie Automotive Swap Meet twice a year, there is a guy that has complete rolling c6 suspensions for sale. It always looks inviting to me to put a c3 body on that suspension. But he also has custom frames there built to combine both. Really nice quality too.

Originally Posted by 76-Vetteman

slofut- It would be interesting to see a complete C6 rolling chassis. Wish I had the bucks to invest in a system like that. Sure would save a lot of time on a build. Perhaps I can get to the event sometime soon.

https://www.digitalcorvettes.com/for...d.php?t=278842

We got that frame and a few others here:
https://www.streetshopinc.com/

The c5,c6,c7 rear suspension has upper a-arms and the rear frame rails need to tuck in the same as for a back half chassis car. This means modifications to the floors in the rear they gotta be raised. Not the end of the world but definitely food for thought.

[76-Vetteman]

Yep, saw that one coming. The rear deck will have to be raised. And I'm sure the boxes behind the seats are gone too. I'm just worried that the bellhousing for the transmission will wind up being my right arm rest

[76-Vetteman]

Just adding a few photos today


This is a simple photo of C6 - Z51 front and rear suspension cradles sitting on the bench, looking top down. You can find cradle assemblies from a number of yards across the country. You will find varying prices for them. Some vendors do a better job of cleaning and packaging, some, not so much. Some vendors offer free shipping included and others require freight.


My front cradle assembly came from Florida, it was cleaned well, and I paid freight. The rear cradle assembly came from Michigan, it was kinda' dirty but shipping included. In the end all the parts cleaned up well and free of damage.











This photo is the front cradle with the upper frame rails attached. The view is from the rear looking forward. You can easily see the cradle mounting perch points on the driver side, and you can see the frame front and rear attach points. Each cradle perch is cast and machined to a specific dimension. Likewise, the frame attach weldments are jigged and welded in place during the frame build to specific dimension. When the cradle and the frame are mated together on the line there are no shims required.












This photo is of the cradle and frame rail, passenger side, forward looking right. At the bottom of the photo you can clearly see the lower control arm mounting bolts. Directly above you can see the upper control arm mounting pockets. And between them you can see the upper shock mount pocket. The Upper and lower control arms, and the knuckle are cast aluminum or magnesium and machined to a specific dimension. And when they are assembled together with the cradle and the upper frame rail, they form the desired geometry for the corvette. And this design and assembly method is so good, rarely after assembly is extensive alignment required.
Yes, the bonding epoxy can be broken off, but I'm sure it won't be a lot of fun.

[76-Vetteman]

A little bit of inspiration for this build.


A couple of small videos at the bottom of thread #1
https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-touring-build

And a 76'.
Scroll down in the information window for many photos and a short video

http://hebonline.hu/heb.php?page=C3C5Corvette

[76-Vetteman]

I've wanted to update this thread for a while, but other distractions have taken priority.


Earlier this spring electrical problems popped up in my 2007 Yukon Denali. I won't bore you with ALL the details but I will share with you the problems encountered, and the Root Cause.


Randomly while driving and often all together, the electronic chime would go off, the door locks would cycle unlock/lock, unlock/lock, the traction control system would disable/re-enable, the transmission would go into 'limp-home' mode. And the cherry on the top, sometimes after parking the car the VATS system would completely disabled the start circuit, giving an indication of a dead battery. This happened, rain or shine, not specifically related to water intrusion.


I finally realized the commonality to all this was the CAN BUS. So I inspected the wiring and found the CAN BUS twisted pair chaffed, specifically at the transmission TECHM plug.





Over time the TECHM bundle plastic loom cover disintegrated and broke away, leaving the wires unprotected. With the loom covering gone, the unprotected wires would occasionally lay against the transmission heat shield. The shields job is to minimize heat migration from the exhaust system to the transmission and nearby components. But with the CAN BUS pair covering unprotected, partially melted, and the BUS intermittingly grounding, the Body Control Module was not able to deal with the broken data stream.


In the end the solution was simple. Repair the wires, replace the broken loom sleeve, and the electrical problems would magically disappear. And it worked!!


A C6 electrical system have been planned for this restomod from the beginning. The electrical problem with the Denali provide me with a better understanding of CAN BUS systems in general, and how the sensors and modules relate to one another.



I guess one could say, this has been a 'blessing in disguise', as I have been gathering a lot of C6 electronics over the last few months.


More to come...

[76-Vetteman]

Today, I started the teardown of the Corvette. As I pulled the carpet away I realized how severely rusted both floor pans are. I got most of the interior apart and after I got the seats out, I found a little rust hole near the driver seat belt retractor. The rust hole confirms the floor pans will have to be replaced. I'm sure more rust holes will show up as I get further along dismantling and cleaning.


The driver seat belt retractor bolt is severely rusted and I can't get it out. But since a color change is planned the retractors can be discarded with the floor pans. I'll just leave it where it is.


Tomorrow I'll have the dash out and the eight body bolts loosened. And from there I'll move forward to break loose the electrical, brakes, head light assemblies, and the front and rear bumpers.


My goal is to have the body off by the end of the week. We'll see if this can happen.















This photo shows the small rust hole at the 5-oclock position just below the retractor.