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Topic: I never make things easy, either

in Forum: C3 Body

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I never make things easy, either (1/27)
4/10/10 9:44am

manget1

Lifetime Member
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Indianapolis, IN - USA

Vette(s):
Silver 1974 Convertible - L82 4 speed Low miles (was only 8,900 when I bought it in March 2006) - Now 54K miles. Original owner bought it as an investment for son's college expenses. 2008 Jetstream Blue Convertible

Joined: 9/3/2006
Posts: 2418

I fear I may upset some purists here, but the over-riding view on this site has always been "build it the way you want it," so here goes. And I'll apologize up front - I'm not known for my brevity

When I was looking for a Corvette to buy, I looked for a 74 because I wanted a convertible, but I always loved the 80-82 body style and my thought was that with the rubber bumpers, and not chrome, a conversion to the 80-82 style (nose and tail) would be much easier. Once I got my car and it was so original, I thought that I shouldn't mess with it. Over the years, the word "yet" has often slipped into that thought.

I've had some chips on the nose of my car since I got it from it being pulled in to something too close. Nothing too bad, but last year, as I was washing it, a bigger chip came out. I decided then that I would get the nose re-painted this year. I've taken it for a couple of estimates, and one shop said they wanted to remove the nose piece to repair some stress cracks all around it before painting. That made me nervous, but it also got me thinking.

I reviewed all of my catalogs, and I've found one - Corvette Central - that has a 80-82 Style Front Bumper that is a direct fit for a 74 (if you're aware of other vendors, please let me know). I don't need a new nose piece, but again, I've always wanted that style and I'm now thinking that if I'm going to spend the money on painting the nose, why not make it look like I want - otherwise, I feel like if I make the changeover decision later, I've wasted the money on this repair. And judging by e-bay, once I replace the nose, I can sell my current one to re-coup some of the cost.

Now that I'm going down that road (of thinking - no decision has been made), I'm also wondering what to do about the "spoiler" look of the 82 (just nose - not worrying about the rear end just now). This piece from CC (143102 if you want to look) is just the nose - not the spoiler. Could I go with the "Indy" 78 style spoiler? I've always thought those looked cheap. No offense, but after seeing the smooth lines of the 80, that bolt on spoiler just never looked clean to me. I don't think I want to do that. Even if I could get a shop to blend the line, it's still not the same look as the 80. What to do...? By the way, the direct fit piece for a 74 is about 10% more than the whole 80-82 tru-flex bumper they sell. And the direct fit is just the nose - no spoiler effects down the front or side.

Three more things. The nose, tail and front fenders on my car are not original, so I'm not destroying history by changing any of them. While I've dreamed about taking the car to Bloomington Gold to get Survivor judged, I just don't see doing that anymore. I've made some changes and I'd like to make more. Plus, with that idea of making changes down the road, what good would a Survivor award do then? Plus, Survior judging is EXPENSIVE! Lastly, I'll throw in the fact that I recently came in to some money from a bonus at work and while I was hoping to keep most of it for some "mad money" down the road, I think I could take care of the front end with it at this point and still have some left.

So, here are the options as I see them

1. Just get the darn nose painted as the car sits and down the road do something else if I like

2. Go with the 80-82 nose for now and nothing else (except paint, of course) - ie, no spoiler changes (I like this idea but just don't know how it will look)

3. Go with the 80 nose and an Indy spoiler glassed in to the fenders to eliminate the line (I think this is my least favorite option - I just never liked those add on spoilers)

4. Try to find a body shop with fiberglass experience that can take a true 80-82 nose and either

a. Cut that nose to fit around my fenders and 'glass it all together (eliminate the lines) or

b. (you may want to sit down for this) cut my fenders to let the 80-82 nose slip in and look like a true later model front end

I know many of you will say - "do what you want," but I'm still interested in your opinions. Have you seen (m)any cars that have done a true conversion like this? Any pictures? I've been going through my pictures from shows and I'm not seeing anything. I know what I want the car to look like, but finding a shop that can make that happen is also a concern.

Thanks for taking the time to read my manifesto. I'm looking forward to your responses.

manget12010-04-10 06:54:22

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I wanted a Corvette my whole life, but I never dreamed of all the wonderful people I would meet because of it!

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