Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

[Joe M.]

I searched the archives for photos and only found one photo of a 1957 eyebrow and it may be different than what a 1960 should have.

I would appreciate a couple of photos posted that show a side and front view of the eyebrow so I can have one created on my trunk. What is the approximate thickness at the top center of the eyebrow?

[Russ S.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

It stands out from the trunk lid about 1/8 inch and is about 3/8 inch high(top to bottom)

[Richard M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

I had to rebuild it on the '59 here. I found this thread in the archives then and posted my results too. Not perfect, but better than it was.......Rich

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...=eyebrow+trunk

[Richard M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Found some pictures of what I did to build it up. To fix the crack I used matt & resin after grinding to a Vee. Chopped matt fibers and resin to build the eybrow, then lots of sanding and detail. I also used some Evercoat "vette bond" as the filler for better strength.

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[Clem Z.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

reason for the lip ??? to keep the key from sliding up and scratching the trunk paint ???

[Joe M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Thanks for the photos Richard. Since I have never done any type of glass work where it was in a high visibility area, my gut tells me that this would not be a good place to start. I outlined the area that bubba made a crude patch job in a small area. Not sure if it is visible, but if you look at the side shot, fiberglass mat is visible just under the paint. The lock hole is somewhat crudely fashioned as well.

I would not know how to start the repair in this area. Cut out the area where the crude patch was made? or, Sand the area smooth so the fiberglass mat is not visible? If I sanded the mat, wouldn't some of the fibers come loose?

[Joe M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

My quick answer is that is was there as a diversion from rain water; ineffective at best. Or, just to add a little character to an otherwise boring slightly concave area. We will never know for sure.

[Richard M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Joe,

That is actually FG cloth, not mat. Mat has a irregular fiber pattern. Cloth has rows of full length fibers. Mat is much stronger than the cloth. Whoever did that repair just laid cloth & resin over the damage, sanded a little bit and painted it. My guess there is a crack under it, or even worse, was a hole.

After sanding the resin impregnated mat, it stays smooth. Just minimal body filler is needed typically. The FG cloth on yours would fray if you tried to sand it smooth. And if you did, it may show more problems and weaken it at the same time. IMO, I would dig it out back to original glass and repair it right with mat. Repaint is a given.

To repair a crack properly a beveled edge is required to increase the surface area of the bond. I did that on the trunk above as you can see. Prior work was just some mat & bondo!

You also have to make sure the area behind the lock doesn't get too thick. The trunk lock retainer that slides over the lock inside is a tight fit. Whoever does this work on yours needs to be aware of that too. I had to grind quite a bit on the inside after build up to make sure the lock still fit properly.

Can you get a clear photo of the inside area behind the lock? I'm thinking it may reveal some more past secrets too.

Rich

[Roger W.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Is Mat stronger than FG cloth? I had read some place years ago that the FG cloth was stronger than mat. Is there a reference that I can check?

[Joe M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

This repair is over my head. I was able to snap a few photos behind the lock. Crude repair and it shows front and back. The entire trunk will have to be repainted because in the center, I sanded two spots down to FG where someone closed the trunk on an ice chest handle (won't reveal who that was!). I just hope the glass/paint man I am taking my car does a good job of matching the new paint to the 1979 vintage lacquer paint job. I was told by Tom Ames that modern paint can be shot like lacquer if the proper technique is used. I opened up a large can of FG worms with this situation. Richard, after the bad area, including the FG cloth is cut out, will he lay FG mat behind the lock area (which will no longer be there) and then build up the area from the back to the front so to speak?

It sounds like a several hundred dollar repair on top of the $1,000+ repair I already had scheduled. That base 1967 Vette that sold on Mecum Friday for $33,000 is looking good right about now.

[Russ S.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Is Mat stronger than FG cloth? I had read some place years ago that the FG cloth was stronger than mat. Is there a reference that I can check?

NEVER use cloth on a corvette. Cloth is for boats but even if I was doing a boat I would use mat.

[Bruce B.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

When I restored my 57 I looked at and took many pictures of the trunk "eyebrow" on NCRS judged cars.
As usual they ranged from very slight to very heavy with no consistency.
I believe it is a subjective call.

[Donald H.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Joe, I was told by a 35 year plus corvette body/paint guy that the only way to do a correct glass patch is to clean the back of the area down to glass, apply a patch to the back side. Then grind from the front down to the new glass before applying the outer patch. If you look at Rich's pictures you can see his inner patch.

i did a lot of patching on my 60, but as you said they were not in high visibility areas.


Don

[Richard M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Yes, Don's bodyman's assessment is correct. That's what I did.

The final repair HAS to be the same thickness as the original FG in that area. The only way that can be acheived is to grind out the old repair, bevel any cracks or holes, and build up with layers of mat & resin, filled in to the beveled areas outward. Do not use bondo for any structural repair, it will crack. The finished area MUST be just like the original glass in this area or will be a problem later. This is not a "easy" repair. It takes thought and planning.

In my example, I had to open that crack to about a 1/2" wide area. You can see the shadow of the width in my photo above. I beveled the edges of both outer sides of the opening. I layered in mat/resin from the backside and let it cure. I then scuffed the outside new mat, then layered in more chopped mat & resin to build up the area above the original surface. I then added more chopped mat/resin to build the eybrow. Then sand the area down carefully to the original contour. Then much sanding and detail work to get the eyebrow finished. I had to grind and sand the backside(inside) are to get it as close to the original flatness as possible. I test fit the keylock and retainer. This was a trial and error process until it fit right.

Joe, those backside photos tell more as I suspected. They used BONDO and mat. Not good. That's what they did on mine too. You can see the long stringy fibers surrounding the area. All of that mess has to be dug out and sanded to original glass for the follow on repairs to be made.

I also see they cut the pushtab of the retainer off, and appears it's installed backwards. Notice the big notch in the retainer. I think it should be lined up on the opposite side of the lock. See this for reference....Here. Also look at the help diagram on the page.

Rich
ps will reply to your PM also

[Richard M.]

Re: Eyebrow over trunk lock - 1960

Joe, your PM mailbox is full. PM me your phone# and I'll call you.....Rich