I would steer away from solid isolaters because it will probably rip the tanks off the core due to vibration and frame twisting. There's a reason that they are called isolators.

 

I'm keeping the radiator supports and sway bar bushings all rubber. Next weekend I'll pull the Rad up , slip the new bushings in, and if necessary space the sway bar frame mounts down 1/4 inch

there's a dent on the outlet pipe but luckily no hole

 

It sounds like you are making great progress! Keep us posted, we're all enjoying the ride!

 

So disaster today, i cleaned the engine top, snugged up some leaking valve covers, feeling pretty good about everything so far


then disaster struck. in anticipation of getting the title soon and putting tires on it i pulled a wheel off to check brakes. Brake pads are fine, they look pretty new, hoses are soft and pliable with no cracking, no leaks everything is dry.
then i saw this , from the outside


from the inside even worse, chunk of frame missing,


another chunk stayed with the bracket when I unbolted it. Really thin metal, only 14 gauge. What happened here? Judging by the grease and dirt it looks like it was actually driven like this?
At first i though towing damage, some gorilla hooked his 2-ton come-along while securing to a flat bed and ripped it off, but now I'm not so sure. The threaded end of that hydraulic piston (power assists unit?), is snapped off . Is it possible this broke and someone kept driving it, repeatedly ramming the rod into the bracket until the frame gave way?
Is this a common failure? IS there a repair option other than patching the bits and pieces back in? This really sucks, i just knew things were going too well. Luckily i weld for a living, not every day but often. I think i can get a TIG torch into those tight spots and fix this but need some advice please.

 

oh for goodness sake, they built them like this for 15 years with no re-design?

1968-?82 C3 Corvette Safety Alert: Check Your Steering Now!

 

Ok this does happen, sorry it happened to your car. At least you can weld. I would put a new piece in behind the little pieces that have to go back in. Deep breath, you got this!

 

The hydraulic cylinder provides the power steering assist
I've never heard of the rod end snapping off.

 

problem is i weld on a bench, and i don't own a lift, so i would be welding laying on the ground. Never done that before

Not sure this is worth doing, The more i look at the pics, and the more i read about how the cracking is also common around the entire steering gear box mounting area, the more I think it's not even really safe to repair. You can see the gearbox mounting bolts on the left, the area directly underneath is busted out. The crack on the right goes halfway up the rail , Shocking they built them like this for 15 years

 

I wonder if it's possible that there's been some kind of accident damage that was straightened out. I wouldn't see a problem with welding it and adding a reinforcing plate on top of the crack and weld it.

This is the first time I've heard of this being a problem with C3s. The C2s used essentially the same frame. I've got over 70,000 miles on mine and auto-crossed it for about 8 years and haven't seen any damage like that.

 

I looked around, i don't see any signs of a previous crash. Only thing i could find is someone speculating that the pressure relief valve on the pump is stuck and over-pressuring the ram. Who knows?

I've got some e-mails out to places to see if anyone sells a U-shaped patch panel for this area that can be slipped over and welded in place, one that extends out far enough to grab the gear-box bolts since the crack is extending up into this area. Barring that, i will have to dump it as a running parts car for someone who wants to rob parts off it to get a different car going.