New guy from Chicago
- Thread starter 80_lemans
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welcome and just remember to be clean and organized label everything. i learned my lesson went from restoration to nut and bolt if you get what i mean
Welcome aboard and congrats on your project! Been here less than a week and it's been a great experience, with a boat load of great people. I had an 80 LeMans 4 door years back. Loved it 
Greetings & Welcome; From one sloped "C"pillar owner to another. We're one of the minority fringes here. And of course I'm bias, I'll attach a LeMans photo I shot over at Car Caft Nat's just to give everyone a taste until you can get up your own photo. I tried to order a Grand Am with a chevy engine at the time, but no deal so I ordered the cop (9C1) car instead. Just in case no one told you the LeMans was the fastest car at Daytona , LIke Way FAST that February way back then (1980 or 81?). So fast that NASCAR outlawed the sloped "C" pillar cars (Malibu & LeMans). If your a NASCAR fan look up the #28 car from that time, one fast engine from Robert Yates donated speed weeks. Come on up to the Beloit auto-rama in early September. What parts are you going to be looking for? Enjoy the build, Bob Jr.
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hey guys been away from the computer for a few days. Pics will be posted soon as i need to take some with my new iPhone (i ran over the old one with a cat 963b) whoops! A bit of background info- I bought the car a year ago from a kid in NW indiana for 800. 200 trans didn't shift and had no brakes but body was clean (at least thats what i thought until i got it off the frame) After body was removed from frame and frame rolled out I wire brushed, cleaned, welded on drivers side rear frame rail then POR 15 ed the frame. All was good. then ordered 4 "frame repair washers" from gbody parts but the two body bushing holes under the A pillars were far too egged out for the washers i bought so i had been looking for a frame to just cut out those mount locations and weld in the good ones. However looking for the good donor frame on craigslist i scored a CLEAN monte ss frame for 375$!! good bushing mount holes AND rear frame rails clean! So i decided this was a better plan overall as i don't have the "if i hit the gas too hard my rear bumper will fall off" worry in the back of my mind. So here I am basically back at square one but am doing things a bit differently this time. Im sandblasting instead of spending hours and hours wire wheeling. then por 15 top coated with summit chassis black aerosol cans. Thats this weekend as in renting the blaster tomorrow after i get off work at 3. next big step after that which I'm taking my vacation for is to do is the bodywork. I need to replace drivers side inner rocker, outer rocker and put a small patch on the drivers floor but may end up just replacing the whole drivers front floorpan. Sorry about the looong winded post but Im pretty excited about this fresh start to a project that has gone on for too long. I want to be driving it by next summer if all goes well.
First one is the lemans on its original frame after I refinished it. Other two pics are of my other and first g body a legit 1987 olds 442. that one had a serious rot issue and was sold about two weeks ago.
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Sandblasting your new frame right from the start is definitely the best way to go if you can.
It will not only do a much better job of getting down to clean metal but it will also get into all the little nooks and crannies that you'd never be able to get to by wire brushing. Just be sure to coat it with your POR15 just as thoroughly.
Helpful word of advice: if you can, stand the frame up on an end with a couple of buddies near an air compressor and blow it out thoroughly when your done blasting. This will ensure you get all the sand out of the enclosed areas of the frame and you're not carrying around some extra ballast down the road!
Sounds like you're off to a good start. Welcome to the forum, keep us posted, and good luck!
It will not only do a much better job of getting down to clean metal but it will also get into all the little nooks and crannies that you'd never be able to get to by wire brushing. Just be sure to coat it with your POR15 just as thoroughly.
Helpful word of advice: if you can, stand the frame up on an end with a couple of buddies near an air compressor and blow it out thoroughly when your done blasting. This will ensure you get all the sand out of the enclosed areas of the frame and you're not carrying around some extra ballast down the road!
Sounds like you're off to a good start. Welcome to the forum, keep us posted, and good luck!
Greetings; I'd just be guessing, as I haven't done any body work on mine other than a little paint touch up. I have many of my original parts, rotors ( near perfect condition) iron drums, front "A" arms, lower rear control arms & cross member for a 700 R4, a stock drive shaft shortened for a 8.5 Buick diff plus a Coleman aluminum drive shaft for the 700R4 & 8.5 diff combo. Sorry just can't help with body work info as mine still has OE paint. I'm a engine guy, Bob Jr.
Ps: I just 7 miles West of Beloit, Wi.
Pss: Consider attending the Beloit Autorama Sept 20.
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