Front Clip
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Front Clip
Has anyone here bought a one piece front clip from a corvette vendor such as ecklers? Are they impossible to fit on the car...or do they fit like a glove? I need to replace the front clip, whether it be an original from a salvage yard or a reproduction - what do you recommend?
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
..Are they impossible to fit on the car...
...or do they fit like a glove?...
...I need to replace the front clip, whether it be an original from a salvage yard or a reproduction - what do you recommend?
Been there, done that.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,991
Likes: 3
From: Piscataway NJ
At some point in time my 73 was replaced with a one piece front clip. I had to remove it because it wasn't set right. It is now on correctly. Given that these cars were trimmed to fit a used clip won't fit another car right off the bat. Some trimming or adding will be required. Dimensionally body wise these cars are all over the place. A lot of time is spent setting a clip up properly.
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Instructor
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
From: Clearwater Florida
There are basically 2 kinds of aftermarket front clips available. 1 piece handlaid and PM jig assembled.
From memory, the handlaid type is the least expensive at around $1K and the PM type is $3-4K. Check your catalogs for current pricing. Expect up to six months lead time for the PM type.
Several vendors offer the handlaid type but there are only 2 vendors that make the PM jig assembled type . Corvette Image and Siemershiems are the only vendors manufacturing the PM type, no matter who you buy them from.
The PM type is made of individual panels manufactured using the press molded technique and glued together with bonding strips on a jig. This is how the factory originally built them and they look like the factory built them on the non paint side.
The handlaid type is fiberglass mat and resin applied to a mold. They do not look factory built on the non paint side.
Both types require hand fitting, trimming, and additional glass work especially at the door gaps. There are recent threads on the NCRS site about paint bubbles and other quality problems with the Corvette Image products.
Do your homework on this project.
From memory, the handlaid type is the least expensive at around $1K and the PM type is $3-4K. Check your catalogs for current pricing. Expect up to six months lead time for the PM type.
Several vendors offer the handlaid type but there are only 2 vendors that make the PM jig assembled type . Corvette Image and Siemershiems are the only vendors manufacturing the PM type, no matter who you buy them from.
The PM type is made of individual panels manufactured using the press molded technique and glued together with bonding strips on a jig. This is how the factory originally built them and they look like the factory built them on the non paint side.
The handlaid type is fiberglass mat and resin applied to a mold. They do not look factory built on the non paint side.
Both types require hand fitting, trimming, and additional glass work especially at the door gaps. There are recent threads on the NCRS site about paint bubbles and other quality problems with the Corvette Image products.
Do your homework on this project.
