Convert my 79 to chrome bumpers or put a 79 interior in a 68/69
#1
Le Mans Master
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Convert my 79 to chrome bumpers or put a 79 interior in a 68/69
This is a continuation of a conversation I started with 13bats in this thread:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1588016457
Yes, I'm not concerned with investment or resale value either. I can't buy the car I want (purple, or hot pink) because the factory never made it and I can't afford to pay someone to fix it to my liking.
No, I don't have a lot of money although I expect to inherit a significant (to me) sum at some point in the not too distant future. Its unfortunate that this didn't occurr to me back in 2009 because I paid 12K for my 79 and it would have been a lot smarter to get a car needing interior, paint, and drivetrain rather than paying top dollar for a car in great shape that I intend to all redo anyway.
Yes, I'd keep the bubble window, I've seen a couple bubble window cars converted to chrome bumper and may even like that better than the 68/69 body. Its a bit of a toss-up as to which I like better though. I see press molded 69 clips for $4000 and hand laid fiberglass ones for about $1400. I understand the hand laid ones are harder to fit but for the difference in price I think that'd be the way I go.
There was a 69 coupe needing paint/drivetrain/interior for sale on the forum in Texas claimed good frame and birdcage and ready for paint when the customer decided he couldn't afford to finish it. That one was for sale for 6k, sold, unsold, and is now for sale again. Unfortunately I'm not in any position to buy it. I also saw a 70 Texas car for sale for 8k supposedly rust free needing int/paint/drivetrain. The price of the cars is good but the kicker is I figure it would cost me another 4k to travel to look at it, stay in hotels, taxis, etc. and to ship it back (assuming the car is as described and not a rust bucket) If I convert my '79 I'm already 4k ahead of the game.
Yes, the standard advice is "Buy the best car you can afford" and that is what I did but in looking back I should have bought a project seeing as I want it purple or hot pink with a silver interior, 5 speed, fuel injected, etc. I have just as much work ahead of me with my 12K 79 as I would have if I had bought a 6k C3.
Yes, I was thinking probably not too much of a big deal to change the 70-72 side vents to the 68/69 style so if I decide to go the early C3 route I'll look at 68-72 cars and have a better shot at finding a good base for a good price. I also like the square exhaust openings on the 70-72 better than the round ones on the 68/69.
Well, which way I go will depend largely on what my husband agrees to. Off the top of my head I think it will be a lot cheaper to modify my 79 than it will be to take a loss on selling it, spend 4k on travel and shipping to get a 6-8k 68-72, buy 79 doors, hood,interior. It might be less work to do the 68-72 but a lot of that work would be in converting 78-82 gauges/ac/heat/vent, etc. to work in a 68-72 and I'm not strong on that sort of thing, body work is much more my thing. If I have a choice between doing 2 hours of electrical work and 5 hours of body work I'll take the 5 hours of body work and the 2 hours of electrical work would probably take me 5 hours anyway. But ultimately I'll need to put down some cost and labour estimates for both routes, discuss with my husband and I'll go whichever way looks like the best combination of cost/labour.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1588016457
.
While some will have different opinions to mine I love the idea of you taking the 79 that you are already happy with and making it more personalized to what you believe the perfect vette is.
It will have the engine, drive train, etc you desire the dash you dig, in my case I never liked the 68-77 dash much either then with the 76 and on to this 69 it grew on me, not saying I like it better than the later dash but it has a classic old school feel I love.
Me, I have to build on a budget, I look long and hard for good deals. your wallet might be deeper..
While some will have different opinions to mine I love the idea of you taking the 79 that you are already happy with and making it more personalized to what you believe the perfect vette is.
It will have the engine, drive train, etc you desire the dash you dig, in my case I never liked the 68-77 dash much either then with the 76 and on to this 69 it grew on me, not saying I like it better than the later dash but it has a classic old school feel I love.
Me, I have to build on a budget, I look long and hard for good deals. your wallet might be deeper..
Priya, I feel that you would be better off changing a later Vette like your 79. The 68,69 cars were meant to road race and have solid aluminum body mounts. They ride extremely rough, but they do not lean at all in a hard corner! Besides, we keep losing stock looking ones every day. Lou.
Last edited by Priya; 10-11-2014 at 07:29 PM.
#2
Le Mans Master
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Ummm! Pretty cheap. I'm liking this idea of converting my 79 to chrome bumpers.
Priya,
We pretty much highjacked this poor OP 's thread, I love your idea and topic why not start it's own thread,
But in the meantime,
http://lakeland.craigslist.org/pts/4702038873.html
We pretty much highjacked this poor OP 's thread, I love your idea and topic why not start it's own thread,
But in the meantime,
http://lakeland.craigslist.org/pts/4702038873.html
#4
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I think I've seen Brent's (76?) chrome bumper conversion, that's part of what led me to think about this. I googled cic chrome bumper conversion and it gave me a bunch of stuff for British MG cars conversion to chrome bumper.
#7
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2023 Restomod of the Year finalist
2020 C3 of the Year Winner - Modified
Here's an 81 at cic - bubble windows- bumpers, flares & gills-
Hey Brent- you beat me to it!!!
Hey Brent- you beat me to it!!!
Last edited by Richard454; 10-11-2014 at 08:59 PM. Reason: great minds think alike....
#8
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Oh, yes. I've looked at Custom Image's Corvette stuff. I don't care for the look of the bolt on chrome bumper conversion they have. They sell a mold on rear fiberglass tail panel with 69-72 rear quarter panels that isn't too bad but its a little different than the factory C3 69-73 rear and I prefer the factory one over theirs. I think they took the mold for it off of Brent's car. Its got the molded in (c6?)Corvette script whereas I prefer the factory push in chrome letters.
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Priya,
I believe I recall you putting a fair amount of $$$ into the 79 and I admit I have no idea it's current condition or the going rates on 79's but we both know you would take a hit if you sold it, just the way this is.
You and I think alike on this mod, the chrome bumper kits out there do not look anywhere near as good as the rear parts and if I was gonna do it I wouldn't think twice about a front clip swap and then a rear end swap,
I know of a Ecklers one piece front clip 68-69 new for 950.00 I can't afford it right now , wish I could, I would use it to pull a mold to make a one piece tilt clip, then flip it...
Point is if you hunt around this project while radical to some would not be that heavy and just think of the cool car you would have when done....
I believe I recall you putting a fair amount of $$$ into the 79 and I admit I have no idea it's current condition or the going rates on 79's but we both know you would take a hit if you sold it, just the way this is.
You and I think alike on this mod, the chrome bumper kits out there do not look anywhere near as good as the rear parts and if I was gonna do it I wouldn't think twice about a front clip swap and then a rear end swap,
I know of a Ecklers one piece front clip 68-69 new for 950.00 I can't afford it right now , wish I could, I would use it to pull a mold to make a one piece tilt clip, then flip it...
Point is if you hunt around this project while radical to some would not be that heavy and just think of the cool car you would have when done....
#11
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Great price! The cheapest one I saw when I was looking was around $1400.
Last edited by Priya; 10-12-2014 at 01:07 AM.
#14
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I can appreciate the classical appearance of chrome bumper cars...having owned three of them, and now two..a 68 and a 70.
First of all realize these two points..
(1) The chrome bumpers offer no ...NO...collision protection. In a front end collision, the front steel bumper will be forced backward to damage subsequent body structure. Rear End Collision? The REAR BUMPER EDGES ARE BOLTED TO THE REAR QUARTER PANEL FIBERGLASS. An extremely small collision force is guaranteed to damage the rear quarter panels.
(2) The chrome bumpers are subject to corrosion..rusting. To get them replated today is extremely expensive due to Environment Protection Agency regulations. 74 and up no chrome has a lot of advantages.
First of all realize these two points..
(1) The chrome bumpers offer no ...NO...collision protection. In a front end collision, the front steel bumper will be forced backward to damage subsequent body structure. Rear End Collision? The REAR BUMPER EDGES ARE BOLTED TO THE REAR QUARTER PANEL FIBERGLASS. An extremely small collision force is guaranteed to damage the rear quarter panels.
(2) The chrome bumpers are subject to corrosion..rusting. To get them replated today is extremely expensive due to Environment Protection Agency regulations. 74 and up no chrome has a lot of advantages.
#15
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The chrome bumpers offer no ...NO...collision protection. In a front end collision, the front steel bumper will be forced backward to damage subsequent body structure. Rear End Collision? The REAR BUMPER EDGES ARE BOLTED TO THE REAR QUARTER PANEL FIBERGLASS. An extremely small collision force is guaranteed to damage the rear quarter panels.
I think I can make room for the rear crash bar in the 79 after a chrome bumper conversion if I remove the hydraulic cylinders that provide rebound for minor impacts and mount the crash bar directly on the frame. If I go this route that is certainly what I will try to do.
I'm not worried about corrosion on the bumpers as the car is stored for the winter, garaged in the summer when not being driven, and I so far have only put about 300-600 miles a year on my '79. I would like to drive it more than that but I really don't have many places to go that require a car. I guess its time to start taking drives for the sake of driving.
Last edited by Priya; 10-12-2014 at 11:16 AM.
#16
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I've always liked the appearance of an upturning spoiler on sports cars (78 firebird, etc.) but I never liked the look of the rear bumper on 80-82 C3s or any of the other body mods made after 79. I think the pace car spoiler on a 78/79 looks pretty good, maybe not quite as good as a 68-73 rear but pretty good nevertheless.
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I've always liked the appearance of an upturning spoiler on sports cars (78 firebird, etc.) but I never liked the look of the rear bumper on 80-82 C3s or any of the other body mods made after 79. I think the pace car spoiler on a 78/79 looks pretty good, maybe not quite as good as a 68-73 rear but pretty good nevertheless.
I doubt a single 68-72 owner will sell their car on the grounds, "it's not safe"
Rear ends, the 68-73 duck tail is to me the perfect vette rear ...but Ecklers did a spoiler for 68-73's that was a bond on make it fit idea, this was carried onto a rear bumper sold by Ecklers and made more fame being on the rear of a few Motion cars, but Ecklers gets credit for it...
Here is the one I had, it's basically a 78 pace car spoiler made to fit a 68-73 rear...
#18
Safety Car
#19
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As far as safety the mod can be as safe if not a little safer than a 68-72 was, I guess we differ here, I have built too many kits and customs that safety as far as collision goes did not dictate what I built.
I doubt a single 68-72 owner will sell their car on the grounds, "it's not safe"
I doubt a single 68-72 owner will sell their car on the grounds, "it's not safe"
#20
Melting Slicks
I doubt a single 68-72 owner will sell their car on the grounds, "it's not safe"
My sentiments exactly. All the old classic cars are vulnerable to collision damage. The vettes just crack the glass. I was surprised at just how much damage was hidden under the paint of my 72 once stripped. No fear though. 4 months of effort resulted in a solid car again. I can tell u this, there was some hack body men who did the old repairs.
Even if you find a solid chrome car, mine was $8k, installing all the new parts, rebuilding original pieces, and updates, will set u back more than a pristine already done car will. At least mines bought and paid for.
My sentiments exactly. All the old classic cars are vulnerable to collision damage. The vettes just crack the glass. I was surprised at just how much damage was hidden under the paint of my 72 once stripped. No fear though. 4 months of effort resulted in a solid car again. I can tell u this, there was some hack body men who did the old repairs.
Even if you find a solid chrome car, mine was $8k, installing all the new parts, rebuilding original pieces, and updates, will set u back more than a pristine already done car will. At least mines bought and paid for.