C3 frame primer

[Joe L.]

Re: C3 frame primer

Corvette frames, made between 1963-1982 were made for GM by A.O. Smith Co. All frames were dipped in black paint, no under seal or primer was used by A.O. Smith Co. You can tell by looking at an untoched frame, all you will see is bare metal, with no primer traces. Chassis black by Eastwood Co. is a close match. Some guys have their frames powder coated semi gloss black. Most all of the early paint formulas are banned by the EPA today and not available to the restorer.

Richard-----


As I've mentioned before, I don't think 63+ Corvette frames at least through 1969, if not later, were painted (except, possibly, where paint from chassis blackout got on the frame). They were coated with some sort of asphaltic coating. On my 1969, when I restored the frame on-body, I removed the coating with mineral spirits and rags. Using this method, I removed the coating right down to bare metal. It would not be possible to remove paint in this manner. Plus, the material that was removed was dark brown, not black. The dark brown color is typical of asphaltic material.

Some contend that later C3 frames were painted. I suppose it's possible.

Quanta sells the asphaltic coating material and it's supposed to be manufactured by the same company that made it for A.O. Smith.