63 Body/Chassis marriage

[Todd L.]

I am getting ready to marry the body and chassis back together on my 63 restoration. There are two rectangular rubber blocks that were in the Long Island body mount kit, and it lists them in the 63 AIM, but isn't clear on where these go. It appears somewhere on top of the rear frame rail over the shock area, but I have also seen them on another car under the body (trunk area) above the rearend crossmember. Can anyone tell me where these should be placed?

Thanks,
Todd

[Edward J.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Todd, I believe they go over the top of cross member where the shock area is. Those blocks are used to keep the fiberglass floor from hitting the frame in that area over bumps which causes a rattle. Not all cars had them if the clearance is ok.

[David H.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Todd

I believe those two rectangular rubber blocks are 1963 only Body Mount Cushions.

I believe they mount between the underbody and the differential crossmember.

Sorry, I can't find a photo to help.

Divide crossmember length by 3 and place cushions at 1/3 and 2/3 positions??????

Dave

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Thanks so much for the detail!

[Joseph S.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

If you Zoom in on this photo, you can see them on the crossmember right behind the Differential mount cross support. IMG_9102.jpg

[David H.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Joseph - Arrow correctly pointed?

Dave

1963 Rubber Bumpers.jpg

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Thanks for the detailed picture, Joe! This is where they are on my other 63, but I wasn't sure if they had been moved/replaced to the correct location after restoration.

[Joseph S.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Absolutely!!

[Joseph S.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Yes, They look like they are just chucked in there, but they are exactly where they were originally.

[Duke W.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

My SWC always had a "drumming" sound coming from the rear at about 2000 RPM that was annoying, but I got used to it.

I didn't know about those rubber "shims" that the plant was supposed to glue to the top of the #4 frame cross member to provide some support to the large flat floor luggage area until I stumbled across Fig. 72 on page 1-33 of the 1963 Corvette Shop Manual. So I decided to check my car and they were MIA.

Bingo, I knew that adding support to that the large flat area of the floor pan would considerably raise the natural "drumming" frequency, hopefully beyond the range of any other forcing functions that could excite it.

They were N/A from GM so I just made a couple out of two or three layers of thick rubber mat that I glued together, about the same plan form as what I estimated from the shop manual illustration (at the same locations) and slightly thicker than the gap. To install I pushed up on the floor pan and shoved them in, and when I released the floor pan they seemed secure an unlikely to come out.

A brief test drive proved that the drumming was gone. I don't know about later years, but I expect the problem is more of an issue with Coupes than Convertibles.

When I bought an AIM a few years later in the mid-seventies I noticed that they weren't shown, but why... just to save two-bits worth of material and labor at the cost of introducing an annoying sound to the interior? I don't know about later C2s, but I suspect this problem is more an issue with Coupes than Convertibles.

One other tip: If the shifter is installed figure out a what you can do to hold it all the way to the left against the spring. If you don't do this the body will hang up on the right side of the reverse lockout lever and possibly break it. Also, have a helper visually check that the lockout lever will clear the shifter hole as the floor pan approaches.

Duke

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Thanks for the advice, Duke! This is my first body drop, so any tips like this are much appreciated.

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Joe,

After your information, I looked closely at my frame and I can see a faint rectangle where the originals were. Thanks so much for your help!

[Joseph S.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Happy to help! Good luck with the restoration.

[Gerald C.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

Todd,

Do you have the cushions that go in the center of the frame just below the seat belt attachments? Those rubber discs should go there.

Jerry

[Con X.]

Re: 63 Body/Chassis marriage

I hope to drop my '64 vert body back on the chassis soon. Would adding similar "rubber bumpers" be a good thing to do?