Any corvette knowledge out there? Fiberglass questions
 

I'm looking at buying a vet. Its a 1973 coupe. Seems to be a very solid car with some minor bodywork and TLC needed.

Needs a nose cone, and I saw a couple of oddities in the fiberglass that I wanted to ask about. Can someone help?

Just wondering if its major problems, or minor, but par for the course when dealing with vets.

I can send pictures if so... would be easier than trying to explain.

Thanks in advance.

You might just post the pictures on here, as there are a number of people like myself that have worked and a lot of them and then some real experts like DT196 and Shine. One of us should be able to help.

Gotcha... here they are. 2 are on each side near the outer top / side of the back glass. Its like a seem where 2 fiberglass parts are bonded together and u can see through the paint that the seem is there.

THe other is on the very back lip of the subtle fin that the 73's have. On the rounded part of that fin you can see some cracks running parallel to it.. kind of hard to see. I can't tell if its the fiberglass itself that is brittle or dry rotted or just the paint.... Known problem? Hard to fix for a novice? I haven't bought the car yet and I'm trying to research BEFORE i spend cash on a mess!

Forgot to add, that the rest of the car really seems pretty solid. A few places here and there, and it needs the nose cone, but bumper and all seems good, straight, and intact.

fiberglass defects
 

My brother's 57 vett and my 56 cameo pickup with the fiberglss box sides had all sorts of defects and checking showing I gues that's what happens if they are driven hard and the body flexes

I did not see nothing in the three pictures that would concern me at all.
Normal corvette with too much paint on it, is all I saw with maybe a little shrinking on some filler work over the years.

Seems like you have a normal vette. I wouldn't be to concern about the bonding seams as they all do that .but I would feel and look to make sure they are all there and every thing is in correct order(bonding straps and such) to make sure it isn't hiding past major glass work. But as for as you pics go seems like a normal vette. Tim

Thanks Tim... new to the older vet scene. Used to own a C5 buts that all different.

When you say bonding straps, what do you mean? The back glass looked like it had a bead of silicone maybe on it.... don't recall for sure.

Can you cleanup minor body imperfections with plastics or mud like you can a steel body? How do I clean those areas up the right way since they are fiberglass.

What would you say a 73 is worth in that condition. its complete, all original 68K miles car. 350 automatic. missing the nose cone.

Just needs some TLC.

C1(53-62),c2(63-67),and c3(68-82) corvette bodies are made of many different smaller panels bonded together to make the whole corvette body. To hold them together the a strips of fiberglass that are bonder behind the two adjacent panels.(bonding straps) If these are missing from a previous repair it can make the body weaker and crack prone. Or if you have a car that has been wreck it may have a "one piece clip" which is aftermarket and will not have any bonding straps and may have a rough fiberglass texture on the back side of the panel. I just alway look for these straps when I get a old vet as they can shed some light on what it has been through. I have attached a pic that show a 80 or so vette in the raw to give you an idea of the seams.

If you have crack in the glass you have to repair it with glass not filler or it will crack again. As for as the value I not sure about that, I usually cut up my cars so value to me is not important. Check a website that can give values like a nada site.

so how do I view or check the onding straps? is there a way and where are thry located?

Look under the car with a flash lite. Here is a diagram if the back bonding strips. Just look to see if they are there and have not beet tampered with and not crack or any thing like that. The pic is just the back strips. I don't have a front pic but they run long ways with the front fender ,if you reach in side the wheel well straight up you should feel them.

Ahhh, got it. Are there any around the back class that attach at the sides and go across above the glass? Also, the nose cone is off..... bumper behind it looks find. Anything I should check for there and are the nose cones hard to replace / put back on?

And how exactly would i do a repair such as the very round edge / lip of the dove tail in the rear of the car? When you say glass, I think of the resin and the sheets of fiberglass..... is that what is done and then sand it down, or???