cduemig

So I need some direction. I got a line on a good deal for a one piece front clip, but don't know if that's the way I should go. I've got the usual cracks at the top of the fender wells. I took off the nose because I saw cracks where the nose met the body. I found that the glass for the body is in pretty bad shape at the bonding surface. I wouldn't imagine that it would cost all that much to have fixed, but I want to body to be straight. When I put the hood down it seems that the hood is too low, but if you push down on the body in front of the hood, it meets the headlight support bar (honestly, I have no idea what these parts are called) and the hood lines up correctly. I can see that the bar looks solid, but it is rusty. Do I need to pull the whole front clip to clean up the rust and bond it to the body, fix the glass and then replace it? Would it be better to just replace the front clip and fix the metal after they remove the old one? I have no idea what body work costs for this type of work... I'll post pictures tomorrow...

crf311

Whatever you do make sure you put your hood on first when you go to put the front clip back on. It is easer to have to raise your hood than it is trying to get it to go lower. jusy my .02

cduemig

What do you mean? Do you mean just to check the fit? I just don't really see how it would make a difference putting the hood on first or after, just seems it would let you know of a problem before reattaching the clip although that would def be nice to know...

Fuelie74

You just asked a mouthfull. First thing that is needed is some pictures for us to see what you are looking at. Hear are a couple pieces of advice.

Search for "birdcage" after reading the threads that come up you will have a good idea of you are getting into with the rust repair. There is a very good tread about replacing the bird cage that shows the removal of the front clip and cowl (firewall).

Search on the one piece front clip and read the threads before laying down money for one. There are good points and bad points to it and you will need to deciede what is right for you.

You may also want to check out www.vettemod.com. There is some really good information on the birdcage and front clip.

Alan 71

I think you need to find a local person who does EXTENSIVE Corvette bodywork. They need to be recommended to you so you can trust their evaluation of your car and what needs to be done to it.
Look for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the NCRS, contact them and describe your situation to their contact person. There is probably someone near you since there are lots of members in VA.
Regards,
Alan