Im thinking about replacing the front end on my 65. It recieved replacement panels in the past and things just dont seem to fit very nice. I was looking at the PM assembled front ends. The price from CC is 3100 and the price from corvette image is 3900. Why the difference? Is one better then the other??

Thanks!

 

65ZR1,

I must confess I've slept since I replaced my front end on my '5 (was done in '98. I opted for a 1-piece front clip from ACI Industries in Sylvania, Ohio. 1-800-822-8020

Here's their website: http://www.acivette.com/miscimages/traderad.jpg

I paid less then $1,000.00 for my 1-piece front clip delivered to my door. My interest was not NCRS or Bloomington Gold for this '5. The end result of going this route is an excellent fit with real good factory character lines. I do have to acknowledge that the successful fitting is primarily due to a Corvette owner and body repairman who owned a shop in the '70s. Without Dave Egle's knowledge and insight, my '5 would not be looking the way it is.

I'm sure, because of price, I've got PM. Dave Egle made this '5 stand out as an excellent driver.

Just my experience and .02.

Jim

 

There is a great deal of difference in the overall quality and construction.

 

Which is better?? :confused:


[Modified by 65ZR1, 2:57 AM 9/12/2002]

 

The one piece press molded front ends sold by CC are manufactured by Jim Semersheim. I have one on my '67 now and am quite pleased with it. The front ends manufactured by the Corvette Image may be better, but not having one to compare with, I can't say for sure. :cool:

 

I think you guys may be mixin' up your terminology a little. One piece front ends, like those manufactured by Eckler's for years, and several others now are hand laid glass and rough on the backside. PM (press molded ) front ends are those made from the same process the factory originally used and by the shape of the parts, must be made in sections and assembed. Press molded front end components are made form molds that are both sides of the part, so the finish on the back is the same as the outside. That's why it's called press molded, the glass and resin is literally pressed between two mold halves. One piece front ends are those made from the external part of the mold only and the inside of them is a rough fiberglass finish if not ground and sanded after it's removed. The front ends sold by Corvette Image and others that are press molded would be more accurately referred to as "pre assembled" if bought in one assembly, as opposed to components which they offer also.

As far as the true one piece hand laid up front ends, there's little question that they seriously affect the value of a car in a negative way. I think the pre assembled units are an excellent alternative to factory glass, giving the average guy access to a factory correct assembly without requiring the knowledge/experience to properly assemble a front end from individual components, which frequently results in improper panel alignment, not the least of which is hood height problems, discussed here lately in a couple of different threads.

 

One more thought on pre assembled, press molded front ends. In the 70's when I first got interested in mid year Corvettes, the replacement panel options weren't good. There were the hand laid one piece units like Eckler and others were selling, I think most all made by Eckler. There were still some GM replacement parts available, but they were almost all SMC (sheet molded composite) like the 73 and newer stuff and were noticeably incorrect from the backside (actually both sides, but paint hid the outside) to anyone who knew what they were looking at. There were also bonding problems with the SMC since we didn't have the materials then that we have now. Somershine made some replacement parts that were a very good fit and to the best of my memory at the time, he was the only one offering an alternative to the above 2 options. The only problem with the stuff he was making then was, it seemed to all be gel coated black on both sides and this of course was incorrect also. Along came Corvette Image and started making original type press molded panels in the original colors, without any gel coating, just like the factory had made em, and even offering completely assembled front ends, which I don't believe Summershine was doing at that time. The first time I remember seeing a CI front end was at Knoxville, and I think it was 88 or 89, but I don't know exactly when they started. Since this time, there have been some allegations of CI fronts being contaminated by a mold release agent, which soaked into the glass and tried to get out later, causing thousands of small bubbles in the final paint. I assume this problem has been corrected since they're still in business several years later. I've also been told that Summershine now manufactures correct, non gel coated components in the three midyear shades.

The point of all this background is, if I were in the market for an assembled front end tomorrow, I'd research these two brands. I think if you look in most of the major Corvette parts vendor catalogues, these two brands pretty well cover everything being sold as press molded. (If that's not true I hope somebody corrects me.) I'd decide on the brand and then look for a vendor with the best price. If you lean toward the Corvette Image brand, I'd want to know more about the mold release rumor and how/if it was corrected. If the Summershine is the choice, I'd want to ask if he is in fact doing non gel coated original colors now. I wish I had the firsthand knowledge of the currently available stuff to make a stronger recommendation, but my buying experience with them now is at least 10 years old and I'd guess both product lines have changed.

Whichever way you go, I strongly recommend press molded as opposed to hand lay up.

 

Thanks for all the info!! :D :D