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Topic: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

in Forum: C3 General Discussion


Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/12/23 9:47am Message 1 of 9
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Cana, VA - USA
Joined: 7/3/2016
Posts: 376
Vette(s): 1975 Stingray 71 350 engine Flat top pistons Sniper fuel injection Hyperspark ignition Vintage Air air conditioning Borgeson power steering box

I had my '75 at the shop for some minor work that I'm too lazy to crawl under to do myself.  When I picked the Corvette up, I noticed it was parked nose-in close to another car.  Upon closer inspection, I found the paint was cracked where it had actually hit the other car.  The mechanic offered to pay to have it fixed, but since I had done all the paint work myself, I fixed it myself.

I'm just wondering how many others have had similar experiences.

I really can't blame the mechanic too much, the nose on these cars are long, and you can't even see the forward 3 feet or so of them.  When I park I'm still surprised how close I get sometimes to a curb.  Funny, when I park my wife's RAV4 Toyota, I think I get plenty close, but when I get out and look, I'm 5 feet out.

 




   

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Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/12/23 10:32am Message 2 of 9
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Grapevine, TX - USA
Joined: 8/26/2006
Posts: 1525
Vette(s): 1972 LT-1 convertible with factory air. 2017 Black Rose Grand Sport convertible.

In the first month (April) after I bought my '17 Grand Sport, I crunched the front spoiler on a curb twice, and it even has a front camera. 

That was this year by the way.  Never was a problem with the '72.




   

Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/12/23 12:41pm Message 3 of 9
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Overland Park, KS - USA
Joined: 7/9/2003
Posts: 914
Vette(s): 1973 Orange Metallic Coupe (orig owner), L82, 4 spd (WR), PS, (A/C & PW (I installed from wrecked 73)), leather, AM/FM Stereo, ran with '65 FI unit earlier & will again some day. 2023 Accelerate Yellow HTC Stingray

Fortunately my C8 has a split screen front camera with one view looking straight down displaying the nose.  The front of the C8 is shorter than the C3 making it even harder to judge how close the nose is to the curb.




1973 L-82 4 spd

Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/12/23 3:42pm Message 4 of 9
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Waterford, MI - USA
Joined: 9/13/2002
Posts: 1754
Vette(s): 1973 Red coupe

When I first bought my 73 in 93 it had spider cracks from someone hitting it. I ended replacing it a few years later and so far I have not hit anything. I find it hard to believe that.

One of the things I had to learn was how to park when you can’t see at least 2 feet of the front end because of the long nose. 

Never could figure why people pull up to far to the curbs even with the new cars. You always see the spoilers twisted up on the curbs




Brian - NCM Lifetime Member

73 coupe L48, Flat-top pistons, Performer RPM Heads, Crane Cam and roller rockers, Holley 650 vac sec. Performer intake,
3.55 gear BTO 200-4R trans,
Leather seats, Seatbelt Plus 3point seatbelts, Pioneer CD player
Magnaflow Exhuast System

Dewitt radiator and dual electric fans
Borgeson Steering box
 


Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/19/23 9:19am Message 5 of 9
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Germansville, PA - USA
Joined: 1/28/2010
Posts: 859
Vette(s): 1974 Coupe 358ci 4 speed Black w/Medium Saddle interior w/79 custom leather seats. . 1999 C5 Convertible, 6 speed, Atomic orange, Oak interior.

Proof in the adage for most Corvettes...BACK IN WHEN PARKING! 😅




   

DanT

Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/19/23 11:52am Message 6 of 9
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Cana, VA - USA
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Vette(s): 1975 Stingray 71 350 engine Flat top pistons Sniper fuel injection Hyperspark ignition Vintage Air air conditioning Borgeson power steering box
danascar said:

Proof in the adage for most Corvettes...BACK IN WHEN PARKING! 😅

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a hard time judging distance when backing in the C3.  I added a back-up camera which helps, but I'm still not that comfortable backing into a tight spot.





   

Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/21/23 3:24pm Message 7 of 9
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Pasadena, MD - USA
Joined: 6/16/2004
Posts: 311
Vette(s): 72 Coupe L48 4 sp Air Tilt Leather

The first month of ownership in 1975  I smacked the front bumper in like fashion. Pulling in to a garage with cinder block walls and metal edge protectors, I hit the bumper along the edge - pushed it in frontwards and bent the end outwards. Too hard for the newbe to see the front. Ugly. I left it that way for a few years until someone slid into me head on ( not very fast though) in a snow storm. Then it got replaced 😄 Seems that's the way it goes with new stuff, all the damage happens the first month.....

 




Bruce
72 Coupe L48 4sp
Custom Blue/Silver/Pearl

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Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/21/23 4:09pm Message 8 of 9
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Cana, VA - USA
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Vette(s): 1975 Stingray 71 350 engine Flat top pistons Sniper fuel injection Hyperspark ignition Vintage Air air conditioning Borgeson power steering box
blu72 said:

The first month of ownership in 1975  I smacked the front bumper in like fashion. Pulling in to a garage with cinder block walls and metal edge protectors, I hit the bumper along the edge - pushed it in frontwards and bent the end outwards. Too hard for the newbe to see the front. Ugly. I left it that way for a few years until someone slid into me head on ( not very fast though) in a snow storm. Then it got replaced 😄 Seems that's the way it goes with new stuff, all the damage happens the first month.....

 

One advantage of buying a used car -- someone else has had the benefit of the first scratch. . .





   

Re: Anyone get too close and dent the nose of your C3?

Posted: 7/26/23 12:35pm Message 9 of 9
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San Diego, CA - USA
Joined: 11/10/2013
Posts: 64
Vette(s): '73 L48 Coupe, 383, M20, A/C, Electric Windows. Matterhorn White Jet-Glo w/ Dark Blue interior. Rochester, Edelbrock, Blackjack Ceramics, Borlas w/ 2.5" mandrel X over, Cooper Cobras on both OEM Steel and Aluminum Wheels.

Yup!

In parallel parking my '73 one morning, I got too close to the front car (Jeep, Element, ??) With a hitch on it. Made a perfect quarter-sized hole right in the very nose of the fake-urathane fiberglass bumper. Didn't feel/know it at the time either 'till I got home 🙃.

Steve




 

 

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