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Hello,
I am having my 64 corvette coupe restored. The front end has suffered a lot of damage and it needs to be replaced. I am looking for a quality front end or even an original undamaged 64 front end. I see in a few corvette parts catalog that the Pre-assembled press molded front ends are all roughly the same price, about $5500 plus/minus a few hundred. I don't want to go cheap and slap on a 1 piece front end. I am sure the automobile will be devalued since the front end won't be original. I'm pretty sure with a one piece front end it will really loose value.
Does anybody have a suggestion where I can get a new or an undamaged original front end? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
I can almost guarantee that you are wasting your time...the only way a usable, original hood surround would be available is on a car that was demolished in the rear and being sold for parts...good luck with that.
You can go with Corvette Image, Sermershiem or an original GM later SMC replacement surround.... I wouldn't do a one piece surround...
I've installed several of these front ends the best ones I found was sermershiem it's best to buy it with the side panel is loose. No one makes a front end that is undetectable as being reproduced. All the headlight support bars are incorrect for 63 to 66. The last original 64 front and I saw complete in perfect condition sold for 10,000 so finding One of those will be very hard and expensive. Be aware it might take months to get the front end.
Last edited by 65 Pro Vette; 01-18-2017 at 03:32 PM.
This is what 65 Pro Vette is talking about...the holes in the repro header bar to access the nose emblem speed nuts on heavily repaired fronts are drilled with sharp edges; originals are stamped and have curved smooth edges -- an instant giveaway that front end work has been done; detectable by merely reaching in front of the open hood and feeling the headlight header bar under the nose emblem... "Top Tip" as Edd China would say...
Original is shown...exposed side in first pic, hidden side in second pic...
This metal piece is bonded to an attachment strip that's bonded to the hood...any 'hit' serious enough to require a front clip destroys this...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 01-18-2017 at 04:10 PM.
If you go with the repro front end, I believe there are advantages to purchasing the front end with the quarter panels separate.
Having done it the other way - I think you would be able to align the doors a whole lot easier if the front quarter panels are bonded after the front is aligned with the doors and bonded. Also, there's less boding area to worry about all at once.
Here's mine from Sermersheim's installed on my '63 vert. I'm doing a mock-up with bumpers, grills, etc. to make sure everything fits prior to final finishing. Don't have much "garage time" so my progress is very slow.
If it's me, I'm considering whether the car "deserves" a $5k front end plus labor to install. If it's my project I mean. Properly painting a midyear alone puts many people hopelessly in the red versus market value. I'd consider how many labor hours you can put into the damaged one for a fraction of what a new high end front end costs.
I'm not being negative, just practical. If you are building real black/red fuel injected car- maybe you do the front end replacement. If you're taking a driver 64 hydraulic lifter car and making it better- still to end up with a driver- maybe you work with what you have.
On the other hand, if you have the high option car, keeping your Original panels at a high cost can be well worth it too.
If you go with the repro front end, I believe there are advantages to purchasing the front end with the quarter panels separate.
Having done it the other way - I think you would be able to align the doors a whole lot easier if the front quarter panels are bonded after the front is aligned with the doors and bonded. Also, there's less boding area to worry about all at once.
Here's mine from Sermersheim's installed on my '63 vert. I'm doing a mock-up with bumpers, grills, etc. to make sure everything fits prior to final finishing. Don't have much "garage time" so my progress is very slow.
IMO, you have done a excellent job and the mock up is VERY important during bonding prior to any paint. The 63 cars actually had the front end installed then the side fenders, it's shown in the Noland book. Your car is going to be nice.
I just completed a front end replacement on my 65 and I agree with the idea of getting it with the side panels off. I did not do that and I was able to get everything to fit, but the actual installation with all of the adhesive applied at once was exciting. I used the Corvette Image front end for three reasons. It was the choice of three really top level Corvette restorers in my area. The wait time was shorter by about 6 months. It still took about 4 months to get mine. The third reason was price. Corvette Image will discount the price by 20% if a body shop orders the part. For me, that was over $1,000 and my net cost was about $4,500 delivered. I had a friend with a shop order the part and CI was fine with that. In terms of quality, both companies sell essentially the same part and both will require a lot of work to install. In my case, I was determined to make the part fit with no stress on any area. It took me months to get it right, but I installed it without using screws to hold it in place. I know that most shops use the screws and then fill the holes after the adhesive cures. My experience is that the holes tend to show up years later. I also learned from the guy who did my 67 that "no stress means no stress cracks" is a good motto. That does not always work, but forcing two parts together and bonding them will usually end up with a stress crack later. Replacing a front clip is not for the weak of heart. I spent 6 months on my 65 before I was happy with the fit and finish. (I have heard others say that I may be a bit ****.) If you have a shop do the job, make sure that they are good at it and that they have done a few before. Good luck with your car and post a few pictures of the progress.
If you go with the repro front end, I believe there are advantages to purchasing the front end with the quarter panels separate.
Having done it the other way - I think you would be able to align the doors a whole lot easier if the front quarter panels are bonded after the front is aligned with the doors and bonded. Also, there's less boding area to worry about all at once.
Here's mine from Sermersheim's installed on my '63 vert. I'm doing a mock-up with bumpers, grills, etc. to make sure everything fits prior to final finishing. Don't have much "garage time" so my progress is very slow.
If it's me, I'm considering whether the car "deserves" a $5k front end plus labor to install. If it's my project I mean. Properly painting a midyear alone puts many people hopelessly in the red versus market value. I'd consider how many labor hours you can put into the damaged one for a fraction of what a new high end front end costs.
I'm not being negative, just practical. If you are building real black/red fuel injected car- maybe you do the front end replacement. If you're taking a driver 64 hydraulic lifter car and making it better- still to end up with a driver- maybe you work with what you have.
On the other hand, if you have the high option car, keeping your Original panels at a high cost can be well worth it too.
Benton
All that might be true if front end work wasn't so devilishly hard to do properly. I judged a SWC, black/red fuelie last year that was wonderful except the "over-the-wheel-arch" front clip repair was printing through the paint on both sides....a sad situation.
As a corollary to your premise....doing a nasty front end fix will kill the value of your car by taking short cuts
All that might be true if front end work wasn't so devilishly hard to do properly. I judged a SWC, black/red fuelie last year that was wonderful except the "over-the-wheel-arch" front clip repair was printing through the paint on both sides....a sad situation.
As a corollary to your premise....doing a nasty front end fix will kill the value of your car by taking short cuts
my original post was written almost as if I was drunk - though I wasn't. I think I made the assumption that the front end of the car was currently together but has some poor repairs. If it's wrecked now I would understand replacing it.
I think I i my poorly worded point was simply that from a financial perspective a $5k front end plus labor to properly fit and install it, added to the cost of paint and restoration is often a bad financial proposition.
Im never one to look at these things as money makers, but I also consider how deep I'm getting into any old car. The OP owns the car, may have a deep attachment to it, and money may be no object. Awesome! I'm only pointing out that a driver 64 (my favorite year but always the underdog) of no special providence is probably a car where spending labor to save a front end beats labor AND parts to replace it. Financially.
There are are a lot of small block driver 64-66 cars that have enough ready market value in decent shape such that the cost to professionally paint alone makes that exercise a losing proposition. Do they get painted? Sure.
Again- I get all the excellent technical comments the OP is getting here.
If it's me, I'm considering whether the car "deserves" a $5k front end plus labor to install. If it's my project I mean. Properly painting a midyear alone puts many people hopelessly in the red versus market value. I'd consider how many labor hours you can put into the damaged one for a fraction of what a new high end front end costs.
I'm not being negative, just practical. If you are building real black/red fuel injected car- maybe you do the front end replacement. If you're taking a driver 64 hydraulic lifter car and making it better- still to end up with a driver- maybe you work with what you have.
On the other hand, if you have the high option car, keeping your Original panels at a high cost can be well worth it too.
Benton
Thanks for the advice, It's not a fuel injection model, its a 300hp with leather, power windows and ac and I think power steering (has one now). It is going through a frame off, everything is new or rebuilt, original engine rebuilt, transmission, rear end, wiring, interior, disc brakes all around and so on. It is almost completed except the damaged front end. The body shop already prepared the rest of the car for paint. I believe the car deserves a new clip even though it is not a highly collectible model. I don't plan on showing it but I plan on keeping it forever.
Mark- I completely understand. I kept mine after an accident when the financially sound thing was to sell it and buy another. There are times when one particular car just "does it" for you!
Mark- I completely understand. I kept mine after an accident when the financially sound thing was to sell it and buy another. There are times when one particular car just "does it" for you!
benton
Sometimes you get to the point of no return, take a loss. But the glory thing is with these midyears is the value keeps going up. So if you live long enough....
I've seen one piece front ends with bonding strips added to approximate the factory look.........
That's seems a bit extreme. If I couldn't afford the bonded front end then 1 piece could be an option. I wouldn't put the strips on, unless I was a shady businessman.
Thank you everyone for all of the great advice and installation tips. I will be trying to purchase the front end from Serersheims' or Corvette image. I called Semersheim's and the voice recording said they are behind 6 months on complete front ends. I can't seem to locate the contact info for Corvette image. I get to their website but their contact link seems to be a broken link. Does anybody have contact info for Corvette image? Again thank you all for the help.
Hello,
I am having my 64 corvette coupe restored. The front end has suffered a lot of damage and it needs to be replaced. I am looking for a quality front end or even an original undamaged 64 front end. I see in a few corvette parts catalog that the Pre-assembled press molded front ends are all roughly the same price, about $5500 plus/minus a few hundred. I don't want to go cheap and slap on a 1 piece front end. I am sure the automobile will be devalued since the front end won't be original. I'm pretty sure with a one piece front end it will really loose value.
Does anybody have a suggestion where I can get a new or an undamaged original front end? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
What damage has the front end suffered? I know of a fellow who thought he needed to replace the front clip on his 63. His old front end sold immediately and was put on another car. Ironically, his replacent front end was never right.
01-18-2017, 12:51 PM
64 front end replacement
