When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Can anyone tell me what it means when you see rivet's popping through the paint in the nose just forward of the hood. I have heard it is due to corrosion, is this true? Is it a difficult fix? What does it entail? I looked at a 71 today which had this problem.
Can anyone tell me what it means when you see rivet's popping through the paint in the nose just forward of the hood. I have heard it is due to corrosion, is this true? Is it a difficult fix? What does it entail? I looked at a 71 today which had this problem.
Thanks
It is a fairly difficult and complex repair, if done right. It includes separating the header bar bonding strip from the underside of the hood surround, reconditining the header bar, bonding strip, and rivets; rebonding the header bar to the hood surround; and then doing body work and paint on the topside if necessary.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
This is what a C3 that was lucky enough to live it's entire life dry looks like without the rivet issue. 31 year old paint. If GM had used a treated rivet that never rusted & expanded all of this never would of happend..................
...I have heard it is due to corrosion, is this true?...
Possibly corrosion, since this area can get wet, but more likely galvanic reaction. Over time, the aluminum rivets holding the header bar to the bonding strip react with the steel in the header bar and begin to back out. When they back out, you are likely to see quarter-size bumps in the hood surround panel.
Common problem with the 68-72's. They used a steel reinforcement/support and had the bonding strip riveted to it with aluminum rivets. Corrosion pushes them up and pops the paint. grinding them down or drilling them out may lead to reappearence after a while. Same holds for luggage rack repairs. I removed the support from under the nose. removed the rivets and used a 2 pt epoxy to bond the support to the NOS bonding strip. The aftermarker replacements and the 73-82's eliminated the rivets and went to bonding the support in place.
Here is the original bonding strip with the rivets still in it