Look closely

[Al E.]

20120201_213608.jpg20120201_213716.jpgcar. Is this a big deduction from the judges? The other 58-60 cars have their molding riding the edge of the wheel well.

[Jorn J.]

Re: Look closely

Hi Al
Thats why i choose a Snowcrest WhiteDSCN0334.jpgsorry I,m always hungry Gisselfeld 1.JPG

[Al E.]

Re: Look closely

I see that yours is very close to the wheel well edge. My is off by a bit have you seen any other cars with this problem.

[Jorn J.]

Re: Look closely

Hi Al
Maybe you can drill a new hole nearby and move the bolt a little bit.
The "bolt" which hold the Fender Moulding is possible to move inside the moulding.

/Jorn

[Thomas H.]

Re: Look closely

Al,

Mine is closer to the wheel opening then yours. It was probably not an exact science in 1960 when it came to mounting these moldings.

I seem to recall a thread a while back discussing where the cove painting started and ended. For some reason I don't recall it extending along the fender lip as yours shows. It might be worth soem time spent in the archives. Plus I'm sure someone else will chime in here. My coves are body color so I'm no help...........

Tom

[Roger W.]

Re: Look closely

My 59 had body work done on both front fenders by a previous owner and myself. The moldings had been removed and the holes filled when I got it. Because of the body work I had to drill several new mounting holes on the left side and all of the holes on the right side. The cove molding on the left side fits pretty close. I played around with the holes on the right side to get th molding as close to perfect as possible, evan bending the molding slighly. The molding is still off by about 1/2 inch on the right side.
I looked at every photo that I could find and there are a few 58-61's that have the cove molding off a bit. Refering to the book that was discussed recently,"The Complete Book Of Corvette" By The Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, look at the 58 on page 87.

[Al E.]

Re: Look closely

Thanks Roger. I will have to go out and buy that book. I have the Noland Adams book and they are all dead on the edge of the wheel well.

[Loren L.]

Re: Look closely

There was a time ('90s/early 2000s?) when one of the reproduction suppliers of these pieces apparently had ABSOLUTELY no idea of quality control. We had to order the RF long piece 4 times; one was 1 1/2" short; another was 2" too long; a 3rd had three dents in the surface on arrival; the 4th was not bent correctly but had to be used to meet a show schedule.

[Al E.]

Re: Look closely

Well.. these have never been replaced. The previous owner in 1978 had the car repainted at the GM body shop to clean up some cracked paint. I do not see where they drilled new holes in the fender. From under the fender there are NO additional holes on either side. So I would assume these are able to slide back and forth to get the correct fit. If not somethin' ant right from the factory. I just want it to be factory correct.

[Bruce B.]

Re: Look closely

Al,
If I remember correctly the white paint should stop at the top center of the wheel well.

[Donald H.]

Re: Look closely

Al,
If I remember correctly the white paint should stop at the top center of the wheel well.

I have a 60 currently being painted by a guy who has been doing strickly vette body/paint for 35 year and he also said the cove color (white in this case) stops at near the top center of the wheel well. Al, from you first picture, looks like whoever painted it back when recognized that the molding didn't fit right so they continued the cove color all the way around the wheel well. We had to replace the front end on my 60, and had a hard time getting the molding to follow the edge of the wheel wells, but by adjusting and a little bending we were able to get them pretty tight. Depending on your paint line, you may be able to adjust some by elongating the mounting holes.

[Al E.]

Re: Look closely

Don,

I too have seen it where it stops in the center of the wheel well. However, you are correct. This guy did realize that it was not a clean fit. So i will just assume that this is factory. Since no other holes exist, just wonder how was it painted at the factory. I will try your suggestion and move it around to see if it will hug the edge of the well.

Thanks everyone!!

[Loren L.]

Re: Look closely

You don't need NEW holes to replace mouldings; if your car was so untouched after 18 years that the side fender stainless did not have dents and bends, you are fortunate indeed - especially when all of these pieces could be replaced at a list price of $50/60; if NEW mouldings that are improperly bent are put into original holes, they are not going to fit correctly.

Well.. these have never been replaced. The previous owner in 1978 had the car repainted at the GM body shop to clean up some cracked paint. I do not see where they drilled new holes in the fender. From under the fender there are NO additional holes on either side. So I would assume these are able to slide back and forth to get the correct fit. If not somethin' ant right from the factory. I just want it to be factory correct.

[Tom D.]

Re: Look closely

Al: My 60 had quite a gap, and I believe it was factory. NOS replacements fit as poorly as repros.

[Al E.]

Re: Look closely

WOW thanks for this information. This helps a lot, I was told today that some of these cars were rushed down the line during the build and it is common to expect some shotty work.