Hot Rods I finally got an injected 1961 Corvette !

Now that is more like it! A little heat and using the other king pin the passenger side came right out. Plus it would appear this one had actually been greased at some time in its life.


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Thank you Jim! That helps a whole lot!


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When I hold my driver side lower shaft from the lower control arm up to a straight age the threads are worn. The shaft itself does not appear to be bent but rather the threads seem worn down. Do I need to replace it or am I just being picky. Keep in mind the replacement kit for all the shafts is $575 from corvette central.


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Worn or maybe stretched. Either way, probably best to replace it. Yes, the replacement kit is expensive, but in the scheme of things (ie. what the car is "worth" when finished), what's $575? Ron

 

Well when you say it like that Ron it almost doesn’t sound so bad. Lol

The aftermarket bolt on with “modern 50 yr old camaro” part is sounding better all the time. However; definitely not the price.


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[QUOTE
The aftermarket bolt on with “modern 50 yr old camaro” part is sounding better all the time. However; definitely not the price.


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Huh? What aftermarket modern 50 year old camaro part?

 

Sorry that wasn’t very clear. I was munchkin wrangling when I wrote that. I was referring to the aftermarket bolt on front suspension that corvette central sales. It uses parts from the second generation camaro ie the 70 to 80 something. They are like $4 grand or somewhere in there. I just get a kick out of the fact that for around $4k we can upgrade to “modern” suspension with tubular control arms but ultimately it is a 51 yr old design. Not knocking it but thought “modern” and 1970 camaro was kind of funny to think of funny.


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Is that a hardened all thread stud with a nut on it, or a bolt?

 

Scott, I would replace them and the ones that I have purchased from Corvette Central were actually pretty nice IMO. They run $39.95 each for the threaded bolt and the sleeve. The kits get a bit pricey when you buy the whole kit with the all of the parts. As you can imagine the bolt is under a bit of torque so I would replace it. I have a couple of equally bad ones in some boxes I am sure.

The other part that you should look at is the upper control arm shafts that go through the cradle which you have removed (the inner shaft in essence). If you can move the upper control arms with ease as it rides on the shaft then it is something to consider. You will have to remove the upper control arms anyways to install new rubber bushings anyways and when you do it will be easy to inspect the shafts. When they are worn the grooves are obvious. If you have to replace the shafts Tom Parsons has a great instructional paper on the topic with pictures. If you have to do that be prepared for a great deal of fun. It is one of the not so fun jobs. Hopefully yours are good.

You probably will have to make a laundry list and see what you have to replace before buying the kits. I am not a fan of some of the new parts, like the upper control arms. I have purchased a couple that I did not like and sent them back and looked for extras at swap meets. Also when you replace the aluminum shims for caster (that sit on the cradle and against the lower part of the frame) the new shims are supposed to be 2* but the new ones are closer to 1*. I try and buy nice used ones at swap meets or on ebay.

 

Budget 36, it has a passage way for grease from then end part to about half way where it travels through the spindle support. It is definitely not just a big bolt.


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Jim, I got both upper control arms off the cradle but I haven’t inspected the shafts yet. They are still pretty dirty.

I’m definitely not opposed to buying new stuff but after I got my “new” made in China third arm bearing from corvette central I am a bit leery about just spending a lot of money on replacement parts.


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Thanks again everyone for your help!!!


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Ryan, would that be a play on words? Lol


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The threads on the upper control arm shafts look good so hopefully I can leave those alone as some have suggested that they are pure evil to get out! I’m hoping to now start putting things back together!!!


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Off to the soda blast guy! Some 60 Pontiac parts hitched a ride too. [emoji6]


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Body work on the corvette has officially started! A local guy I met from Tri5Chevy who has experience with corvette fiber glass work has offered to help me with the body. I’m excited but nervous. Body work i know nothing about.....fiber glass I know even less about! Lol


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It is hard to tell from the picture but the parts actually sparkle. [emoji16]
My first time having something blasted with water and glass. When it’s all done the treated water acts as a rust inhibitor. Or so they told me. It sounded good to me.


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There’s a local shop that does THE BEST blasting and powder coating work, affordable and quality. When you find THAT guy you stick with him!
W Kendall & Sons Inc In Wanatah Indiana

 

Almost ready for the chrome shop!

 

They go just as fast painted

 

Well I started sanding a fender! It was super cool for about 30 minutes and then lost its cool fun factor. A body man I am not but I am determined to learn!


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That reminds me of my '56. It had been 7 different colors, no telling how may coats. I stripped it to bare glass. I used 10 gallons of military surplus stripper and probably 50 sheets of sand paper of various grits. It'll uncover stuff you wish you hadn't seen, but it's so much easier to fix it right when everything is exposed.

 

Definitely! So far I’ve found dark grey primer, red, the factory fawn beige and some weird stuff!
The car suffered front end damage and was pieced back together. With the help of a friend I am slowly over coming my body work fears.


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Nice. Main thing to remember when sanding glass is that you can sand too much and cause yourself problems if not careful. It keeps going away about like paint and not steel when sanding. Otherwise, I would rather work with glass than steel since there is no rust to deal with.

 

I cheated

 

What did you use for blasting media?

 

Crushed glass

 

You know, I still think that front crossmember looks like a two headed slug. Good thing it’s hidden under a hood and two fenders. Lol


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