1969 at Barons auctions

[Letank]

Some rivets were showing around the headlights is that expensive to fix? I don't care about perfect paint and this paint sure isn't perfect especially with a crack near one headlight.

I believe rivets showing is normally a sign of rust on the bracing beneath the fibreglass. If you plan a full respray then it would be something you get repaired then, but extra metal work and bodywork will all add to the bill.

 

[James Vette]

I believe rivets showing is normally a sign of rust on the bracing beneath the fibreglass. If you plan a full respray then it would be something you get repaired then, but extra metal work and bodywork will all add to the bill.

Thanks and I don't mind the paint but those rivets do look ugly so will need doing.

 

[antijam]

The pimples on the headlamp area are due to corrosion of the rivet heads securing the front header bar. It's simple enough to flat them and repaint but they'll undoubtedly come back again. A preferred solution can be found here.

 

[James Vette]

The pimples on the headlamp are are due to corrosion of the rivet heads securing the front header bar. It's simple enough to flat them and repaint but they'll undoubtedly come back again. A preferred solution can be found here.

Thanks!

 

[Chuffer]

James , none of us want to pour cold water on your dreams but don`t let your heart rule your head on this car . Imperfections in paint finish and blistering caused by corroded rivet heads can be lived with and the car driven and enjoyed until time and funds allow for a full body prep and respray . ( which won`t be cheap ) . But the big concern should be the condition of the chassis , trailing arms , control arms etc etc as per your photos . What about the mechanicals such as engine , transmission too ? As the other guys pointed out there is a lot of bad stuff going on underneath , and that is just what you can see . What about what you cannot see ? Those trailing arms look ready to break up where the drop rods and cushions go through . All the bushes throughout will need replacing too by the look of it . Sure any 52 year old car will need a lot of work if it hasn`t had a recent resto , but then it would command a higher asking price . With a guide price of £14 to £18K you will need to have a big spend just to make it safe and road worthy and prevent further deterioration unless you do all the resto yourself . If you go for it you might find yourself living at home a while longer yet unless you have a shed load of money to spend on your own gaff plus a big Corvette restoration bills .

 

[Roscobbc]

Visibility rivett positions are indicative of corrosion underneath - possibly in a good way in as much as the car may not have had substancial body restoration or repaired crash damage. (They show on mine too) This would normally be addressed during a total paint strip-off and re-finish. Others may disagree with me?

 

[Roscobbc]

I've had a closer look at the images James posted - most of the corrosion shown on the images is purely surface rust - nothing more than one would reasonably expected from a 50 year old car that hadn't been subject to a full frame and running gear resto. And, yes the front-end appears in better order - but there again it would with perhaps oil and other fluids and vapours present plus the heat from the engine. The front cross member is damaged from being jacked-up carelessly, not a structural issue, just untidy.
The trailing arms also shown surface corrosion, this time perhaps more extensive requiring closer inspection perhaps internally. Worried? - replace them with new ones and overhaul all the rear suspension bushes at the same time. I'm sure Gavin at EMC or Scott at CK will be happy to quote your for new assemblies......

 

[antijam]

Indicative of corrosion underneath - possibly in a good way in as much as the car may not have had substancial body restoration or repaired crash damage. This would normally be addressed during a total paint strip-off and re-finish. Others may disagree with me?

The nose pimples can pop up on '68 to '72 cars only. All the C3's have the steel header bar but from '73 on they were bonded directly to the nose section without being riveted to a bonding strip. As Roscobbc points out, their presence is usually a good indication that the front of the car has not at some time been repaired and therefore has not had frontal accident damage. Many owners wear them with pride as an indication of the originality of their car. My own car has them, although not as apparent as appear on the car under discussion.
Chuffer makes a good point James. Worry less about paint blemishes and make a very careful assessment of work needed under the car. A pretty car is nice, a pretty car that doesn't go is not.

 

[Mr. Cricket]

It's the headlight support frame on the underside. It is bonded and riveted and it's the rivets rusting and expanding showing through. A clear indicator of rust! Fix is to grind out the rivets and just bond the frame back in place with modern bonding agents. The dimples will settle back somewhat but will likely still show.

 

[Letank]

Picture courtesy of Fantomworks season 3 episode 2 where they restored a ‘70 with the same issue. Gives you an idea of what is going on under there. They cut away the section of GRP, ground down all the rusty rivets and bonded a new section in.

 

[Daytona Vette]

Picture courtesy of Fantomworks season 3 episode 2 where they restored a ‘70 with the same issue. Gives you an idea of what is going on under there. They cut away the section of GRP, ground down all the rusty rivets and bonded a new section in.

View attachment 10309

Unbelievable - My Header Bar devoid of rivets was replaced with a new one, which was bonded in from underneath without cutting the fibre glass of the Apron, I may be missing something, but did these people take out the windscreen to refit the interior - James don't get worried, this looks like using a 250 ton press to crack a nut, or may be I am the Nut.

 

[Letank]

Unbelievable - My Header Bar devoid of rivets was replaced with a new one, which was bonded in from underneath without cutting the fibre glass of the Apron, I may be missing something, but did these people take out the windscreen to refit the interior - James don't get worried, this looks like using a 250 ton press to crack a nut, or may be I am the Nut.

I thought I was missing something when I saw this too tbh. I thought surely it’s a lot easier to replace from underneath. Even if they have to drill out the rivets, I’d rather fill umpteen tiny holes than refit an entire section of the body which butts upto the headlamp and hood lines. These guys apparently do a lot of Corvettes so assumed it was the standard method. Glad to hear it isn’t and proves you shouldn’t always believe what you see on TV

 

[James Vette]

Unbelievable - My Header Bar devoid of rivets was replaced with a new one, which was bonded in from underneath without cutting the fibre glass of the Apron, I may be missing something, but did these people take out the windscreen to refit the interior - James don't get worried, this looks like using a 250 ton press to crack a nut, or may be I am the Nut.

As soon as I saw cutting fibreglass I thought hell no! Glad to hear it isn't the standard method and probably done for entertainment.

 

[James Vette]

James , none of us want to pour cold water on your dreams but don`t let your heart rule your head on this car . Imperfections in paint finish and blistering caused by corroded rivet heads can be lived with and the car driven and enjoyed until time and funds allow for a full body prep and respray . ( which won`t be cheap ) . But the big concern should be the condition of the chassis , trailing arms , control arms etc etc as per your photos . What about the mechanicals such as engine , transmission too ? As the other guys pointed out there is a lot of bad stuff going on underneath , and that is just what you can see . What about what you cannot see ? Those trailing arms look ready to break up where the drop rods and cushions go through . All the bushes throughout will need replacing too by the look of it . Sure any 52 year old car will need a lot of work if it hasn`t had a recent resto , but then it would command a higher asking price . With a guide price of £14 to £18K you will need to have a big spend just to make it safe and road worthy and prevent further deterioration unless you do all the resto yourself . If you go for it you might find yourself living at home a while longer yet unless you have a shed load of money to spend on your own gaff plus a big Corvette restoration bills .

Good points. It would be a fun project with my Dad as he got me into classic cars and we are working on a different car together (before lockdown stopped us) but yes it all depends on money. Straight off I have to buy new exhausts which are £900 from Corvette Kingdom but in the end these cars won't fall in value so I'm not too worried if I ever did need to sell it. If I can get it below £17000 (includes auction fees) then would that be fair? I might let the auction pass and contact them with an offer so I don't have to pay the fees but then again it might sell. I don't mind fixing it up as my Dad has good car knowledge and I see that as a bit of fun but I wouldn't want to exceed the market value.

 

[James Vette]

Even £17000 seems high in my opinion but it is chrome.

 

[James Vette]

Restoring a car is learning experience I'm interested in which is a plus.

 

[Letank]

Even £17000 seems high in my opinion but it is chrome.

Not that it matters much now, I know it sold for less than that 2 years ago. Considering the owner has put some money into the car, and prices have risen, I expect they will be hoping for at least £16-17k.

 

[Chuffer]

As soon as I saw cutting fibreglass I thought hell no! Glad to hear it isn't the standard method and probably done for entertainment.

You are probably so very right there James about the entertainment value . There is a lot of truth in the old media adage " never let the truth spoil a good story " .

 

[Chuffer]

Another classic truism is that you rarely make money on a restoration project and the market place can be a fickle thing .That applies be it an MGB or Ferrari or a Corvette . At the end of the day it`s a choice between either a car you can drive and enjoy from the get go and gradually improve bit by bit , or buy a resto project to enjoy doing up with your dad . Going back to other posts in response to your underside photos , those trailing arms are toast ! They are delaminating at the seems with rust . Not the end of the world as replacements are do able but one more thing to add to the shopping list . I sure as hell wouldn`t drive it in that state as one good thump on a pothole and you could end up sitting on the tarmac ! I had also noticed the damaged front cross member plating that someone else pointed out and probably caused by using it as trolly jacking point . That is a big no no so check for stress cracks in the welds where the cross member joins the front chassis rails . These can be a week point as too are the lower control arm pivot point support brackets . I had the welds crack on my 1980 and I know of at least one other club member having the same problem.

 

[Adtheman]

Another classic truism is that you rarely make money on a restoration project and the market place can be a fickle thing .That applies be it an MGB or Ferrari or a Corvette . At the end of the day it`s a choice between either a car you can drive and enjoy from the get go and gradually improve bit by bit , or buy a resto project to enjoy doing up with your dad . Going back to other posts in response to your underside photos , those trailing arms are toast ! They are delaminating at the seems with rust . Not the end of the world as replacements are do able but one more thing to add to the shopping list . I sure as hell wouldn`t drive it in that state as one good thump on a pothole and you could end up sitting on the tarmac ! I had also noticed the damaged front cross member plating that someone else pointed out and probably caused by using it as trolly jacking point . That is a big no no so check for stress cracks in the welds where the cross member joins the front chassis rails . These can be a week point as too are the lower control arm pivot point support brackets . I had the welds crack on my 1980 and I know of at least one other club member having the same problem.

yes Chuffer cracks in welds indeed only just got away with not having engine out as these can be difficult areas to get to.