Duntov 54

Try J&D corvette they have been making them for years. They are in Bellflower Calif.

Fred D. Zwiger

I just put an Eckler 1 piece front on a 66 and it went fine. Eckler has sold out their fiberglass mfg. to a former employee. The only problem I had was around the headlight openings.

F.Z.

tdishon

Thanks Duntov54
Just ordered the front end from J&D.
They told me they are the manufacturer for Corvette Central and Eckler's.
Price was a little more than Eckler's, but it will be to me in about two weeks. Eckler's did not have a clue as to how long it would take and asked me to call back in two weeks for a status.
The shipping was about $150 and $30 to crate it. The part was $1,250.
Not a bad deal. They have been manufacturing them for 30+ years. I'll keep this thread posted on the process.

wmf62

John
thank you, no value lost on my part; it's already a 'Heinz 57'...


Bill

mark6669

I have done this on 2 cars nobody has ever caught it just takes a little more labor time. Probably won't pass a NCRS judge but for a driver a great money saver.
Mark

65GTO

Hi Guys.. an old thread I know... but I just acquired my 3rd corvette, a 1962. Drives nice, good price for what I got, zero rust frame, non-original 327, but was rebuilt, runs strong, over-all a 20 footer look car, and a nice project. I will post some pics when I get some time.

At issue... needs a full front end. the one there is a grafted on 1961 front end from 'way back in time' when one used whatever parts one could find. My plan is to just make a presentable driver out of it. I am happy to use hand laid one piece and press molded inner skirts for my intended use

Sooo... To the question... anyone still recommending Ecklers or not ? Me and my brother bought a Ecklers 1 piece nose for his 67 vette must have been 15 years ago++. Installed it ourselves. We are still quite happy with it. Sounds like the old ownership and quality may be long gone.

Also... Looks like ACI does not do C1 parts. Corvette Image does c1 noses, but shipping from west coast to east coast could be sky high. I took a look at J & D website, it is unfort they seem to have no pictures of their products. i noticed earlier in the thread one posted that they just purchased a J & D front end. Any update on how that went ?

Any thoughts ?

Thanks much

Jim
59, 67, now a 62 (plus the GTO.. and a few more)

64Corvette

I put on an Ecklers one piece front end on one about 3 years ago and it was poor shape. The one piece had imprints of cracks from the mold in the gelcoat. A ton of wax pieces embedded in the gelcoat and I spent a ton of hours getting it to fit. It looked to me as if the mold was worn out. If I did another one I would buy from someone else.
Around 98 I put a one piece front end from Ecklers on my car and it came in with a very smooth gelcoat and did not take a lot to get it to fit and look nice!

65GTO

Hi 64Corvette:

Well... that is not good news at all. As noted, some 15++ years ago we got a 67 one-piece from Ecklers and installed it ourselves. Worked out really well, as I recall no issues fitting it, finish was nothing that some priming and block sanding did not take care of.

I guess times have change.

Update; I just spoke with Eckler's, and they reviled to me that for the 62 nose I am interested in that Stinger Fiberglass of FL is their east coast vendor. Their west coast vendor is Corvette Image.

I sure hope that they are not the same vendor as with the 64 nose that Corvette64 got. Who knows... as Eckler's is not doing their own noses any longer it seems perhaps they flip around vendors a lot under manufacturing agreements with various glass houses.

Thanks much; Jim

GCD1962

If you are getting one for a 61 make sure it's for a 61. Likewise, if it's a 62 make sure it's for a 62. Either one will fit the other, but there is a difference over the top of the wheelwell

65GTO

Yes.. correct nose is my project... the acquired 62 car has a 61 nose that has been on it for the last 25+ years. The owner I bought the car from had the car for 18 years and he said the previous owner had it for 10 years and the 61 nose was on the car when that owner 28-ish years ago bough the car.

Anyway... that ugly graft job of 25+ years ago,stress cracks all over, will come off the car, and I will replace it with the proper 62 nose.

That is the plan.. anyway.

Again... end game is to just take an otherwise nice non-original driver and make it a much more presentable non-original driver.

PS.. On the 'Stinger Fiberglass' website, they do not list a nose for a 62 vette. Just the lower panels behind the front wheels. Humm... makes me a little suspect.

So... i guess... anyone know of the quality of 'Stinger' ???

Or maybe start looking at J & D Corvette (in CA) instead of Eckler's

Thanks for any and all input.

Mr D.

I'm more interested in your Avatar

65GTO

Hi... that is my 59... looking longingly at my garage that it was just about to go into for the winter Drove it late into the season with the hardtop installed.

DUB

Sent you a PM.

And I 'feel ya' about the shipping costs....but sometimes I have to just shrug that off and say..."Whatever....I need the part I want and it is what it is."...and many times I pay more so they REALLY protect it when it is being shipped.

I CAN NOT afford a damaged piece of press molded fiberglass coming into my shop where I waited for it....so having them build crate out of 1" x 1" and 1/4" plywood is fine by me. And this is because I have gotten in MORE busted fiberglass and damaged cardboard boxes that I can remember due to the shipping company just can not seem to UNDERSTAND ..."TOP LOAD ONLY"...and "THIS SIDE UP^"

DUB

65GTO

Hi DUB. Thanks for the post. I feel like a dope.. .trying to fig out how to retrieve PMs I'll find it.

BTW.. .alll... for those that might be in same this vendor or that vendor quandary (so hard w/o actually seeing what one is buying)... I spoke with J & D Corvettes. Nice guys to chat with. On the phone the seem fairly proud of their product quality (for what it is worth.. again... could be salesmanship)... but their shipping costs were reasonable. West coast to east coast, approx $200. So that would pretty much take shipping costs as a factor out of the decision making equation... leveling the field to a) availability / lead time b). Quality. Current lead time was stated at approx 2 weeks, order to ship date.

So it comes down to quality. Seems Eckler's has been slipping over the recent years in a bad way as far as posts relate. Not a lot of info on the J & D product, but what is found seems good reports. Nothing worse than buying such a major component sight unseen and hoping for the best.

If the reports on Eckler's quality are accurate... that is really too bad. Hate to see a really good product take a nose dive. We had such a good experience with the 67 nose we bought from them 15 (boy getting old) if not 18 years ago.

Again.. thanks all. Any input is good input

wmf62

if you look at my original pix with the parts scattered on the lawn, you can see that the top is a 'one size fits all 58-62', the side panels change for the appropriate year (basically whether there was cove moldings, 62 is unique)
Bill

65GTO

Hi Bill: Thanks for the time and input.

Yup.. I had taken a hard look at your pics on this thread, especially because it a) was Ecklers and b) was a 62.

BTW... If possible, and you took some pics during your removal and install, I would love to get copies and see what I can learn from them.

Above said... Yes.. I am aware of the nose tops being the same and the side panels making the diff between the years. If the tops of my nose were also no as bad as it is I might have considered changing the side panels only.

So.. what I am finding is that Ecklers one piece nose (at least from their pics on the website) include the side panels and are thus year specific. The phone rep at Ecklers when pressed on 'are the side panels actually part of the one piece like the picture on your website or not' danced around the answer (i.e.: I doubt he really knew but concluded with a 'yes'). That would mean of course a custom mold just for a 62, vs a general one for 58 - 62.

I plan to call Stinger Fiberglass (in FL) and speak to them about what I would rally be getting (again.. .the Eckler rep sate that Stinger was their east coast supplier, Corvette Image the west coast supplier).

I will update the post with what I find out as others may find the info useful.

Thanks again - Jim

PS: I plan to open a new thread with some pics of the 62 'Ok to nice condition' driver that I just took on last week. Price I think was fair deal for both buyer and seller. As with any of these 'taking on a car that needs some work to be really nice', the car has its positive points (really strong driveline, rebuild from rear end to engine with all receipts shown, new replacement interior about 5 years old, no rust anywhere on the frame and decent old paint) to the negatives... a 61 nose with stress cracks all over it.

Jim

wmf62

Jim,

I have put 2 one-piece frontends on the car... the first was an ACME back in 76 when I first got the car (the car has a 'checkered history', I believe it was hauled out of a junk yard before I got it...). all the frontend pieces were glued back together like a jigsaw puzzle and looked like a burlap sack of potatoes (lumpy...). the ACME was a one-piece, including the side panels and was a POS; wavy, swaybacked, etc.... yuk

and then, the car caught on fire and I had to start all over again in 1980 with the Eckler glass. and to be honest, the Eckler glass needed some TLC too...

Bill

65GTO

Hi Bill: Thanks for the pics, and sorry for the delay. Swamped with work.. back to back about 7 weeks of biz travel starting... yuk.

Anyway, the project you did certainly did not intimidate you. And the end result looks sweet in that last pic.

All; I did speak with 'Arnie' at Stinger Fiberglass. They do confirm the supply the east coast for Ecklers.

Unfortunately, as 'Ecklers' is no longer Eckler's glass, one needs to know who the supplier was to Eckler's at any given point in time, both past and immediate current. So reports of 'good' or 'bad' quality from Eckler's is a difficult measure. When the experience was 'bad' that may have been when Ecklers was using a diff supplier, and when the experience was 'good', ditto.. they may have also been using a supplier that for whatever reason, they no longer have a relationship with that supplier now, so the quality may no longer be 'good' or 'as good' based on who the current supplier is.

So the short answer.... it is not if Ecklers is still 'good' or that have 'slipped on qualkity' and become 'not so good.. even poor quality'.. one needs to do the due diligence on the supplier that Eckler's is using, for the year and part you need, at the time you are placing your purchase, and if it will be shipped from Eckler's east coast or west coast supplier (which is not the same supplier).

Now... If I buy from Ecklers' it seems I need to choose between Corvette Image (west coast supplier) or Stinger Fiberglass (east coast supplier).

Also, J&D Fiberglass (also on west coast) stated that for a full nose, they do mold in the cowl section that crosses the nose at the windscreen area. Stinger says they do not mold in the cowl.. nothing is connecting the rear of the fenders across the cowl area. So something else for me to consider.

Hope this is adding to the knowledge on the forum.

Now I need to make a supplier decision. And it is tough... none of them can provide detailed pictures of the product (shots down the fenders, at bonding points, etc)... it is order it and hope it is good.

wmf62

2 things...

in my experience with one piece hand-laid.... the tops of the fenders can be 'swaybacked' and require some filling and straightening.

I would not replace the center cowl section, "I" think it's asking for trouble. I have done it several ways: a straight up cut either side of the cowl vent and diagonally from the corner of the hood opening back towards the door. I think the diagonal way is better.

Bill

65GTO

Thanks Bill again... Crazy few work days (and weeks) for me, so responses could be delayed.. .but thanks for your inputs for sure

I am traveling on biz this week. When I get back home on the weekend, I will take some pics of the 62 that I had just got. The issue is (and will look more closely and also post some pics) is that the entire nose is stress crack and multiple lousy repairs city. As I recall, the cowl area is no better off than the fenders and the hood surround. I may have to replace the cowl.

Some others (not seeing the car... Stinger fiberglass for example) also recommenced staying away from the cowl.. and that is their justification for not molding it in their one piece noses. My 1st thoughts were that if it is molded in, and I do not need it, I could cut it off at some juncture point. If I did need it, then it is there. But if the quality in that area is horrible, then that certainly changes the dynamic a bit.

Once home I will take some detailed pics and maybe gauge the input from you and other as to 'keep cowl' or 'yeah... that cowl area is also ready to to go'.

Thanks much !

Jim