Whats peoples thoughts on buying vintage corvettes with body modifications? With the understanding that the car was going to need restored either way? I am trying to determine if this would cause most of you to rule out a normalily desireable car if it werent for these modifications. I am looking at a car with owner history to new, solid paper work, great colors, and rare options sound like the perfect car right, well someone decided to flair the fenders in the early 70s. Thank God thats where the modifications stopped. It has mild fender flairs on all four corners.
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Re: Thoughts on buying Corvettes with Body Modifications!!!
if its a midyear, and the flare cuts don't go beyond the bonding strips up front, then its not too tough to repair. the rear quarters , when cut for flares, don't approach the bonding strips so simply replacing the rear quarters solves the rear clip flares. mike -
Re: Thoughts on buying Corvettes with Body Modifications!!!
It depends on what you want to do with the car and what the price is. If you want a Top Flight car, then you'll want to make sure that what you pay for the car leaves you enough margin to make the repairs and not go upside down. And remember, if someone put flares on it, there will be other parts that are not correct, most of which you will not find until you start taking it apart.
If you want a driver and like the look of the flares, that's fine, but you'll still need to keep the price in mind. Especially if you're going to put more money into it by "restoring" it.Comment
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Re: Thoughts on buying Corvettes with Body Modifications!!!
Matthew,
I'd wager to say that 75% of the top flight cars on record today, were once modified to some extent by a previous owner. Don't let that scare you off! If your goal is Top Flight, just jump in with your eyes wide open and have a realistic estimate of what it will take to get the blue ribbon. And for the record, most who have been there before you will tell you to multiply that "realistic estimate" by a factor of 2...
To quote a great engineer friend of mine... " It takes vision to reach for the moon..and it takes revision to actually get there! " And as any PMO puke can tell you... "revision" cost money.
Good luck with your search.
tcComment
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Re: Thoughts on buying Corvettes with Body Modifications!!!
I'd take having to rehang panels anyday over trying to find paperwork. Glass work is an art and you need to find the right person to do it if you want the repais to be undetectable. But with that being said if you took your time and did some reasherch you should be able to hang a fender or 1/4.
As a side note the cars that don't have body modifications have had thier bodies put through the wringer and need just as much work. It is very rare that a corvette needs minimal body work. Of all the cars I have done the bodies on I can count on one hand the ones that were truely unhit.
RichComment
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Re: Thoughts on buying Corvettes with Body Modifications!!!
Who is the best place to get fiberglass panels if NOS isnt avaliable? I have used Sermersheim Corvette Inc before and really liked there products are they still the best?Comment
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Re: Thoughts on buying Corvettes with Body Modifications!!!
Rich,
How do you define late 66?
JoeComment
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Re: Thoughts on buying Corvettes with Body Modifications!!!
Joe, I have seen Balck glass on several late 66's I have worked on. I don't have the serial #'s in fornt of me for the late cars. I remember them in the 24-26,000 range. I am doing a body on a 66 serial # 18,XXX and it has all dark grey glass not black.
Matt Seremeshins still makes panels I don't know the quality of them the last time I used them was in 1991.
RichComment
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