Hello All, some of you saw my previous posts on the chopped 53 Chevy sitting on a g-body ch***is. I took a break for a couple months. Fixed some stuff that just makes you wonder what kind of idiot touched this car before and finally got it out in my driveway. It was listed for sale for $10,000 (I paid $10,500) and someone and his buddies looked at it and offered less and didn't jump on my bottom price of $9,000.. they claimed it needed a lot of work (true) and that the sail panel on the chop (overlapping) was going to lead to a crack... also possible but they gave me the impression they wanted to flip this car as they asked if I would take $8k and I asked them some questions and it seems they go through cars a lot. I think it makes sense for me to move forward rather than take a big loss. Another person offered $8,500 but I declined at least for now. As is, even with all the ****ty body work, I'd drive it around San Diego as is no doubt and not even bother bagging it or giving it a nice paint job (at least not for a really long time). It's not until I got the car outside that I was able to determine that. I get the look I like with the whitewalls and red or black steel wheels... However first thing is safety.. how can I fix this as a beginner welder in no rush whatsoever? Can I grind the weld splatter flush, then add plate over the frame splice that has the ****ty welds? Like three sides of plate metal? I don't want to take the body off and I don't want to change to a stock ch***is (at least not right now). I figure I have nothing to lose, unless welding more will weaken the frame. A "certified welder" responded to my craiglist post and came and looked and said he can fix it all for $800 with his flux welder.. I quizzed him on my ****ty garage wiring and he said that won't be a problem... he said its 30A and would work fine. I took that as a sign to not proceed. For the rear z-notch, I may add plating to the angle frame and close it up and strengthen it that way. Would that work? I found a 240V Lincoln Tombstone arc welder at a good price that has DC setting as well. Would this be a good choice for practice then eventually when I am proficient try to salvage the frame? I'd be doing this in the driveway so I don't burn my house down and it gets windy out here so I imagine stick is a better choice. I'm thinking I need to jump fast on it before its gone. My plan is to use my kitchen over range outlet (not ideal but It will give me the power and that outlet is close to the garage and I don't need to use the oven when welding) Eventually I would get a MIG machine and english wheel to handle the chop issues (the overlapping sail panels) and cut out and redo where needed. It seems I can deal with that later and the frame is what I need to focus on now so I can drive the car. I could also abandon ship and take a $2k hit... and call it a lesson learned.. but that will be it, I'm not willing to pay the high prices I've seen for the more finished cars and I'm not going to chop a car from scratch. I've not found anything else in the $10k range with a SBC 350 and 700R4 (or TH350) drivetrain and chopped already so it might be worth proceeding still. I don't want a Merc, a shoebox or anything else, its a 53 or 54 Chevy only and it has to be chopped Also as long as I'm in San Diego, the nicer the car, the less I'll drive it because of the stressful driving conditions, traffic, crowds etc.
I would take the hit and move on. that frame is a disaster and a beginner welder is not what it needs. It already had plenty of that. The looks of the chop indicate they did not know what they were doing there either. I am moving this to the off topic forum as frame swaps are off topic. again sell and next time look a car over closely before handing over your hard earned money
Thanks! I definitely need to hear this! It's hard earned money for sure, but its not the end of the world to lose out on ~$2k.. I would have paid that anyways to ship a car here.. I got lucky in that this one was local.
The tombstone is not the machine to weld on the frame with. Get a wire feed mig with gas and learn that way. Nobody ever learned nothing by not doing. Learn to weld and fix it. It’s a cheap project to learn on. You can’t learn by not trying!
I vote for giving it a go, you already have it, how much worse could you make it well ok maybe Doing means learning, I’d suggest taking some lessons or find someone who knows how to weld to teach you, and practice, practice and practice some more, which ever process you choose, lots of frames have been welded with stick, or mig or tig or even gas, all it takes is figuring it out and understanding limitations
Other wanted , So has value. All can be fixed , Cutting ,grinding needed. Body panel's use sand disc , cut off wheels , control heat not to warp . Cheap body dolls Harbor Freight. Mig or tig would be better then stick. Need heat control . Have a few fire exhumers on Hand all times & water . There are multiple ways to improve ****es in frame Use card board paper for templates. Watch some Videos , read some books , tech artical, Most of us all started with not knowing or a mess .
San Deigo is a pretty big place. There must be a dozen welding shops with a lift that could tackle repairing/plating your existing frame. Do some research and knock on a few (shop) doors. I live in rural upstate NY and think of at least 3 welding shops in my area that would/could handle that job.. It might cost you $2K or more, but probably could be done in few days...and make it safe to drive.
Having actually owned and operated a real welding shop that has had to repair jobs unqualified welders have created, please take this to heart. I agree with @Moriarity, Take the 2g hit, move on, and learn. The areas that need to be fixed on that car needs to be repaired by someone with experience. That car, in its current condition, is not the place for a beginner to start. You were correct in by p***ing the guy that wanted $800 to fix it with his 30Amp flux core welder, that may, or may not have some experience, but you are somehow willing to buy a used welder (of unknown condition) and expect to quickly learn how to do it yourself??? You learn how to weld on a floor pan, or a fender patch, where a failure doesn't usually result with an injury, without some kind of warning. You DO NOT learn how to weld on an already screwed up frame that can fail with an instant, catastrophic, and potential deadly, failure. If you can store this ride someplace out of the way, and you are willing to go balls deep in the purchase of a real 220v Mig, and the other required equipment, then take a few beginner cl***es on welding processes (that usually start with stick welding), then spend 5 years perfecting the art of out of position welds, then MAYBE you will be prepared drag this one into the equipped shop and take a shot at fixing the screwed up frame. Or hire a real welder, with real equipment, and real experience, to do the job for you. Does that clear things up for you?
Coming in hot. Haven't read the rest of the posts yet, but imma thrown my 2 cents anyways. Im a welder by trade, and if I were in your situation I'd run. Not because its unfixable, but because your going to have to blow the whole car apart to do it right, and invest a ****load of time. Do not buy that tombstone. Go buy a cheap 110v gas mig. Teach yourself how to weld sheet metal. Take the car to a competent welder to fix the frame welds and have it plated. Nothing a bit of grinding and a good welder can't fix. That being said, was the new frame welded on straight and square? I had a 48 Ford come in years ago with a nova subframe welded on offset 1", one side looked good and sat flush with the stock frame, then the otherside not so much... All depends on if your willing to cut and run, or how much more your willing to invest in it. Gonna be alot harder to sell in pieces when you get in over your head
I would be absolutely stoked to get $8,500 for that, and would grin all the way to the bank. Even if it meant losing $2k.
Are you looking for a project and you like the car then you might (as others have suggested) invest in some coaching and a mig welder and have at it. The frame has significant flaws that need to be addressed. I would double check what has been done and correct as needed. The chop looks like **** on the inside but if it has been welded thoroughly on the outside should not cause significant problems. Its not ideal but probably looks like most chops out there. You could cut out those areas and rework as your skills improve. If your not in love with the car and not looking for a big project then cut and run.
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