Frame off?

I just decided to start this blog. Caught a nasty cold and am staying home from work as I hate sick people at work. I am sitting by the fire and playing catch up with the blog as my son and I are well on our way to a skinned knuckle broke future with this car.

The 1969 Chevelle Malibu would have taken just a bit of work to get it drivable.It did start and run.  Some brake work, new tires and a few other odds and ends would have made the car driveable.

I asked him what he wanted to do with the car and told him I was game for what ever he wanted. He thought about it for a few days and decided to do a "frame off". For those of you not knowing what that term means - a complete overhaul of the car; stripping the car all the way down to the frame and rebuilding.

My son, other than being able to wrench on a bicycle, has no automobile skills at all. Mine are very limited. I've owned lots of clunkers in my time so changing alternators, power steering pumps, belts, brakes and other odds and ends I can handle. "Frame offs" are way out of my league.

Three things are on our side.

1. I am surrounded by bro-in-laws and friends who have done this. They will be indispensable during this process.

2. The internet, specifically chevelles.com. Good lord you can find everything there. From rebuilding the carb, to how to replace bushings in the upper and lower a-arms.

3. I rarely back away from an interesting challenge especially one that I can learn from. I've had this attitude since being a teenager and I'm not sure how I got it. Maybe it was from growing up poor and having to work really hard at getting the things I want, maybe it was luck - who knows. This attitude has helped my obtain a college degree, race bicycles at a high level, learn to play the banjo and work in the Technology world. I'll use it now to help my son build a really nice car.  - I have also screwed up quite a few things with this attitude :)
Frame off it is.