the frame with a VIN.
Decals (such as the frame prefix code, coil spring, shock, power steering gear, rear axle, and many others) should be documented for future replacement. The color and part number on the decal and location should also be noted. This is also a good time to do a preliminary documentation of the colored-paint inspection marks commonly found throughout the front suspension and rear differential components. These are vitally important to replicate on a highly valuable collector car to bring the degree of the restoration to a higher level. A more in-depth documentation can be done during the individual-parts-cleaning process as well, which will be covered later in the reassembly part of this chapter.
You will always find the manufacturer’s information on the driver-side rear framerail aft of the rear tire. This information provides the manufacturer (in this case Parish for Parish Pressed Steel), the part number 3960733 (a coupe), the date code (4 14 70 or April 14, 1970), and the shift (in this example, second shift).
This particular Atlanta Chevelle had the frame stamped with its VIN in three different locations. One was in the conventional location on the top side of the driver-side rear rail; two additional stamps were on the top side of the passenger-side rear rail. Make sure to look everywhere for the possible VIN stamp, but do not be alarmed if one is not found.
An example of one of the many decals that might still be on your chassis is shown. It may be found with careful disassembly. This particular rear coil spring decal is actually from a 1969 Chevelle for example purposes and denotes code GV and part number 3952817. It can be found under a variety of Chevelles.
Once you have documented everything that you can, very carefully try and remove all of the decals. You will likely not be able to save them, but you can use them later as a reference and replace them with decals that closely resemble the ones you removed and documented. If you are only doing a driver-quality restoration, you may not be concerned with these items, so use your own judgment.
Save all the decals you can from the car and chassis as you find them. This is just a small selection of decals you might find on your Chevelle during your restoration. They can be helpful in replicating them and also confirming and documenting what your car was originally.
Inspection Markings
You may also find many paint or grease pencil markings throughout your chassis and even in places on the body. These were placed there for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, it helped the assembly line pick the part that went on that particular car based on color markings. Other times, the independent supplier marked the items as they were being manufactured or assembled to denote things such as bolts that had been tightened to spec, if heat treating was performed, that machining was completed, the placement of welds, inspections that were done, etc. In a lot of cases, such as front-suspension paint markings, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to their application, and seldom are any two alike in either color or placement.
Your best bet is to replace what you found exactly as you found it, backing it up with photo documentation of where and how it looked. Restoring one of these cars is much like what an archeologist goes through when unearthing a treasure. The utmost care and patience needs to be used to preserve and document everything that was found to help solidify your car’s roots and provenance.
Just one example of the many paint or grease pencil markings you might find on your Chevelle is shown. These particular yellow paint markings are commonly found on Chevelle 12-bolt differentials as well as others to denote the placement of the pocket welds that held the axle tubes into the center carrier. These were done before the welding took place, evidenced by the burned paint around the weld.
Keep all old parts in a separate tote during the restoration, even if they are not salvageable. There are many small pieces off these components that can be reused if the replacement component parts are not to your liking or don’t fit. You can also use the original parts for comparison to the replacement ones. If you are restoring a car for a customer, let them decide what gets thrown away and what they may want to keep.
Save Those Old Parts
As with most areas of the restoration and with rare exception, save all old parts that you know you will not be using in separate marked bins. This way, you can refer back to them if you are having fitment, function, finish, or design issues with replacement parts. Sometimes comparing the new to the old will solve a problem. Just as importantly, you can sometimes take pieces off your old parts and use them along with the new parts. Even completely unsalvageable parts such as weatherstripping can provide you with little things like the small white push pins if you come up short or they went missing from the new weatherstripping package.
If you are restoring a Chevelle for a customer, it is a good idea to keep all of their parts until the car is ready for delivery, thereby allowing them to make the final decision to throw parts away or to keep them. In the case of a highly valuable collector car, these original parts can also add to the sale and story of the car if or when it comes time to sell it. Broken parts—such as a transmission case or exploded differential housing—can round out the picture in a story of how the transmission came apart just as you slammed second gear while being a car length in front of your opponent. It will also prove the beginnings of the car since you will still possess the original part with the car’s VIN number on it even if it cannot be used. In most of the do-it-yourself restorers’ cases, you just need to keep them for reference and parts salvage.
Suspension Disassembly
Now it is time to start the disassembly in earnest. First, make note of any shims located in the front upper control arm area. This is one very good way to determine if your frame has been involved in any significant damage. If the car was ever in an accident where the frame was knocked out of alignment, the frame and body shop would have to compensate for that alignment issue with the use of shims and/or a replacement offset cross shaft, assuming they were not able to pull the frame back to its original state. If you notice significantly more shims on one side versus the other or a lot of shims on both sides, this is a likely sign of a pending frame alignment issue.
Another sign of severe damage is if the upper control arm shaft has been replaced with an offset shaft to make up for more needed camber or caster. When the frame is totally disassembled and with a GM frame dimension sheet in hand, this would be the time to have the frame brought back to its original form.
Suspension Failures
Also look for any obvious wrinkles, tears, or broken welds on the frame. This is also an indicator of extremely hard usage or damage. These issues will need to be addressed during the restoration to ensure the car will sit and ride according to the manufacturer’s specifications. It is rare that a 50-year-old Chevelle would not have been involved in an accident or drag raced in its lifetime, so this will more often than not be the norm.
