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C6 Corvette ZR1 & Z06General info about GM’s Corvette Supercar, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Suspension Setup for Street or Track
I recently bought an 07 z06 with front end damage. So far I bought an OEM hood, fender, bumper & headlight but was wondering what else I'll need to put her back together. Does the impact bar look like it can be straightened or should I add that to the list also?
So if I take it to an alignment shop and everything lines up, should I even bother getting the frame checked? Is it possible it could be bent but still be aligned to spec?
You could very well get it lined up to drive straight BUT the body panels won't line up and the finished product will look like *****. It will stand out like a hooker on a street corner
You could very well get it lined up to drive straight BUT the body panels won't line up and the finished product will look like *****. It will stand out like a hooker on a street corner
there's a lot of slop for the alignment and they might be able to get that but nothing else is going to line up. Make sure the frame is straight that's the most important thing.
You must remove all the parts that can be can be screwed off in the front an take this to a body shop that have an frame alignment bench as mentioned by several people before you do something more. Its impossible to look at frame and see if its straight. Even if you are under the impression that the frame rails not been damaged you must measure it with proffessional equipment like somthing similar that seen in link.
That measurement and alignment system is bad-a$$, i just wonder how many shops in the country own one.
I sent him GM's repair guide for the C-6 aluminum frames. It will be interesting to here what he finds. My guess is he will find a kink someplace between the door pillar and the engine cradle. That said, the cradle is quite brittle and should be inspected for cracks.
Using the info I sent him, he could measure it out with a tape measure himself. Now if that car was sitting in my garage, I would put it up on jack stands and using my laser level, shim the jack stands so that the chassis was dead ***** level from the door pillars back. With the laser still set up, I would compare left and right frame measurements to find the kink. If I can find it, I could fix it.
I know, just an example. I just wanted all to see that sometimes it is not so easy or cheap to repair a car that other have given up.
OK, understood.
Last time I looked, the right side wheelhouse was not available. At that time, all the frame parts were available. That said, I don't think the frame damage requires cut and splice. I would make every effort to repair it first. That might even include slicing the frame for a stress relief, bend it back into position and tig weld it back together. GM's manual tells you to use "pulse mig" but I think that is mostly because it requires way less welding skills then tig. Mig is faster. Tig is cleaner and stronger.
Well, I finally got it in the garage and had a chance to look things over. I booked an appointment to have the frame checked and a new bar welded on. Unfortunately they are booked for three weeks since they're the only Chevrolet dealer that is certified to work on corvettes in my area.
There are a lot of parts missing from mine so I'm now in search of a complete front clip from a z06. If anyone knows one that's for sale or can keep an eye out, that would be great! I have found two, but they are for base c6's.
AutoWorks in Madison WI has a lot of used Corvette parts.
While you have it inside, closely inspect the wheelhouse where it is glued to the frame. Is that glued joint tight all the way back? If the glue is in tact, my best guess is there is a kink in the frame someplace between the engine cradle and the door pillar. Put it up on your lift and carefully inspect that area. Color me interested
20,000 and after you finish her you will be into it for around 38,000 i would of just bought one with 30,000 miles or so and drove it seems like a lot of work and i know you will not leave it stock
20,000 and after you finish her you will be into it for around 38,000 i would of just bought one with 30,000 miles or so and drove it seems like a lot of work and i know you will not leave it stock
No way will it cost me 18k to fix. The body shops estimate to repair the front frame is around $600, plus the cost of the impact bar itself, which is $450. After the frame is fixed, all I need is a front clip and I have heard they sell for around 5k. That puts me in the ball park of 26k total and I get a practically new car with only 8k miles. I'm not an amature when it comes to working on vehicles.
I got it up on the lift and started taking everything off the right side. I can't see any damage to the frame rail and it looks identical to the other side.
The passenger side wheelhouse looks pretty damaged, so that wouldn't surprise me if that is what's causing the door gap issue.
after you get the frame repaired have it put on an alignment rack and see if it can get back into factory specs without any major adjustments that may differ from the other side, basically see if the adjustments are similar on both sides of the car
Get a tape measure that reads in metric. Open the manual I sent you to page 2-3. That 1778 measurement is the one you are interested in and it should be the same left pillar to right front and right pillar to left front.
From your pictures, it looks like a small kink in the area of the dry sump tank. Look at the flat surface on the bottom of the frame. Only going by pictures so I could be wrong.
Can anyone tell me where these lines go? Looks like someone just looped them back and bypassed the cooler. Ones on the left and the others on the right side of the engine.
02-27-2016, 12:17 PM
there's a lot of slop for the alignment and they might be able to get that but nothing else is going to line up. Make sure the frame is straight that's the most important thing.
