Schutz

What is the community's opinion on mildly flared fenders? Should I save my pennies and restore to factory specs? I think the car looks fine as is, but I would like to some day try to Top Flight this. I have had the car since last October and am slowing making other corrections, but as this piece is kinda expensive, I thought I would ask for opinions. Thanking you in advance

BTW - I have been clicking on the little gear to get link in photobucket, and i just mocks me. Sorry for the small pic.

Edit:
Thanks Larry for the tip!

J&D Corvette in Southern California gave a rough estimate of $8500. They said the same thing - drive it for a few years and then decide. It is a numbers matching 300hp 327 car with power steering, power breaks, power windows, over all just a very nice example, with the exception of the flared fenders. I try to remind myself that someone spent a lot of money to flare those fenders, probably back in the 80s.

@Vette65 - not sure. I think they actually fabricated the whole flared fender. Can't really tell from looking underneath.

@TCracing - Hi! We are practically neighbors - I work in Cerritos. Not sure what you mean? The previous owner spent slightly north of $50K, mostly cosmetic. I paid slightly less for the car and am very pleased.

Thanks for the feedback.

Larry21556

In photo bucket dont click on the gear. open the photo. on the right there will be some boxes click on the [img] It will automatically copy the image. then you go to your post and hit "ctrl c" and your image will post there. erase all of the [URL] stuff just leave the sentence between the [img] boxes.

ptjsk

If you like it...it's your car!

Myself, I like the flared fenders on the mid-years, but I think I may be in the minority on here.

Have fun with it as is. If you want to change later than you most certainly can.

Vet65te

Now there's an understatement. Taking off all 4 flares will mean a full body paint job and depending on the hourly rate in your area, that can crest $10K with ease and in my old area of Northern California would probably come closer to $15K. I also like flares but it depends on which kind of flares. I like the ones that are considered mild flares but as already mentioned, it's your car, if you prefer stock body lines then you know the drill. By the way, what's the condition of the original fenders underneath those flares? When I got my 65 Coupe back in 1985, it had flares and actually looked okay (well, barely okay but it was what I could afford) but once we took off the flares, the fenders underneath looked like they had been in the movie 'Chainsaw Massacre' and a complete new front clip got added to the mix.
Mike T.

Nowhere Man

if its a fully true born with numbers matching car then yes removing the flairs correctly I think is a great idea. if it does not have its born with engine then it really does not matter as long as the owner likes it

TCracingCA

And especially since you are starting with a flared car????? That doesn't sound like a working combination for the average Corvette guys budget!

Kerrmudgeon

I'm a flare guy from way back, and those are very tastefully done. Although now I think I prefer the wide fendered style that's out now to keep the original lines of the car. Too bad the picture is distorted. You can't really see what it looks like with out the stretch effect.

bosshog8

I would think you would wind up with a car that cost more than its worth. I personally would leave the flares and get a different car if my goals were to own a top flight car.

00fxd

If you have #'s matching deal and want it original you've got something to think about. For a hot rod those flairs are nice... fitting performance wheels/tires on these cars is problematic.

ptjsk

If I were to change anything....I would make em bigger!!

Schutz

Here are a couple of shots (without distortion, or decent lighting).

Schutz

I want to keep the wheels and tires the way they are.

Thorson

Top Flight and nut, bolt originality is getting overplayed these days. You have a great looking car. The flares look nicely done and give you options on wheels and tires. Not saying you shouldn't put it back to stock, just that it looks pretty good as is.
I bought my car mostly because I like the flared look. Someone else can try to top-flight it.

alexandervdr

Questions about style preferences have no good answer, none better than the preference of each of us.

I like both styles. Still, the uninterrupted pannel edge of the original, going from back to front in a continuous swoop, is no less than a design masterstroke.

It will cost a fortune to change yours back to original. If you drive it long enough and get used to the way your car looks, you may not even want to change it any longer

ifitgoesfast

It doesn't make sense to spend all that money to restore to stock fenders. And, the flares look really nice, I like them a lot. Would rather take the hit at judging for the flares and spend that $10k on the other parts of the car. As far as worth, I think it's more important to have born with engine. If I were a buyer, the fenders would only make a difference if I were looking for a investment purchase, but then I'd look for original factory assembled bodies, not a restored to stock example. I'd leave the flares.

427Hotrod

I like flares.....but I would swap wheels/tires to fill them up.

Every car came off the line the same...owners personalized them so they wouldn't have a "belly button" car. Same as they do to day with new wheels, engine mods etc.

You can restore it at great expense to look like everyone else's...or you can keep it special and enjoy it for being a great "Day 2" car! The ones on mine were done sometime before '71...and I've had several buddies measure and duplicate them on their cars. We're the only fools adding flares to midyears it seems like! The yellow one even kept the 6 taillights when he re-did it. It had some big ugly flares...and he was going all stock..and then changed his mind and did the smaller ones. The white car was a frame off and going all NCRS...also changed his mind...and has LOTS more fun with it these days! We've actually got a friends '66 being worked on right now. It has some big ugly ones now...we're building the smaller ones.

JIM









I always loved this car! It's got the perfect stance, wheel size to fill the fenders etc.

chevahaulic

What is it about " top flight " "spinner award " " Duntov award " that spins an owners head into outer space ? Why did you buy the car.... to rebuild or enjoy ? To tear apart a nice looking vehicle ( like the one you bought ) to add another 10k in the buying value is totally insane. Your going to add new glass quarters which is adding to the non original part or grinding down the flares adding mat to duplicate the original opening ( this would be a great under body finish maneuver to try and hide ).
Here's a flash. Enjoy the car ( you already paid the price ) and look for a replacement that is unmolested ( the term some fanatics use ) to start your heavenly journey to the status club. The reason you bought it at a discount was the added flares. If you continue to add thousands to an already road worthy car, that journey rests totally on your shoulders ... not onlookers with their own dreams. Don't let possible paper awards cloud your future. When you made the purchase your mind was fully engaged. Follow that thought. Enjoy a beautiful roadster.

mark6669

Most people have no idea what it costs to Top Flight a car. I would take the car to a meet and have it flight judged with the flares and see what else you would have to do to make Top Flight. Most cars with flares have other problems in the NCRS judging process so the money spent on the flare removal would only be a start down a very slippery slope. You may want to just enjoy a very beautiful car instead and invest your money elsewhere.
Mark

Nowhere Man

What's about you say. Well out of the millions vettes made only a select few have won thoes awards. To get them is a very challenging process To some that is the only reason to own a old vette.

biggd

I'm an old fart! I actually love the old 70's flares. I even added them to my 67 Coupe which had a stock body already but it wasn't a matching numbers car, far from it. I'd leave it be and drive it. You have plenty of time to make up your mind. What's the rush?