I picked up a 1982 for a specific application and I need a little advice. We needed a a C3 to fit up a variety of header configurations to and being a real Corvette novice, I thought I would just pull the front clip off and go to work. Well, of course it doesn't work that way I am finding out. We have a lot of hours of tube fitting to go and I need to gain convienent access somehow. Would it be easier to pull the body or to seperate the front clip? It looks like pulling the body is fairly straight forward, but time consuming. Taking the front clip off looks like it could be a real deal. Am I missing the mark.

 

Right, removing the body is not that much of a problem, just tedious. I'd imagine there'd be a lot less labor removing the front clip. However, reinstalling the front clip may require someone experienced with body work to get it exactly realigned. (Removing the front clip and the inner wheel wells is usually the ultimate solution to get a custom hood to fit also.)

Maybe you should say where you're located. Right now there are probably a good many body off restores in progress where a rolling frame with engine, front suspension, steering, etc would be available, especially if you throw a good deal on a set of custom headers! You just might luck out if one of these projects is nearby.

 

Neither is an easy task, are you planning on reassembling it when you're done? If so I would recommend the whole body. The clip (unlike steel cars) is bonded to the cowl and sometimes removing it will cause a lot of damage, but if you remove the whole body, you won't have to deal with that.

My 2 cents.....

 

This is what happens when some of us get towards the end of the job and start getting careless/frustrated. In my case I was replacing the front clip but still wanted to save it as much as possible. At 48 years old, my Dad still told me to go sit in the corner and drink a Coke!

 

In regards to the suggestion of finding a shop that has a rolling chassis in progress, that truly would be the best idea. I would be miles ahead by using someone else’s in progress project. The only problem is that we need it in our shop for production reasons. As far as the decision of removing the front clip or pulling the body off, after spending some time researching the process, removing the front clip looks like it could lead to quite a few problems. The car is in real nice condition and I am afraid we may bite off more than we can chew when putting it back together.. We built a set of stainless big tube headers with sidepipes for a big block and we need to dial in final fit. Easy access to everything just makes the job so much easier.

 

If you have a shop, especially one with a lift, you should be able to get the body off in less than a day. Find a checklist online of things to remove/loosen and go to it. I've done it twice in my narrow single car garage, once using old-style car bumper jacks and ratcheting tie-downs, and once using a chain hoist and the same tie-downs. Note that I don't recommend either of these methods to anyone else!



Rick B.

 

This is a no-brainer. Let us know where you are located. We collectively have these cars in various states of completion or disassembly; based on our interpretations of "progress", literally across the globe!

Almost inevitable that someone will be close enough to your "shop" to offer a vehicle, or pieces thereof; for trial fitment. Let's have a picture or two of what you have so far!

Dan

 

If your end result will be producing stainless steel headers for Corvettes, instead of purchasing a late C3 as a development mule I might have spent those funds to acquire a set of each competitor's products to measure, evaluate and study. After prototyping a set, or range of products I'd advertise here to have forum members do product evaluations for you and save all that trial and error fitting headers to a 1982 which might not fit a 1969 without power steering or a brake booster.

 

Never mind a 1968 with a 427 and 4 speed, or a 1974 454 auto and true duals. Also, you are aware that there were no big block Corvettes produced in 1982? So your mule is inappropriate for big block header fitment?

 

Never remove factory installed panels if you don't have to. Leave the front clip alone.

 

A lot of great advice. As far as using another set of currently manufactured headers to use as a template, that is exactly what we did. The customer supplied us with a set that he wanted us to basically duplicate except to modify to meet his needs. He is running a 700+ cubic inch big block. He required a set of stepped headers that were 2 ¼” to 2 3/8” to 2 ½” final primary size. Followed with a set of merge collectors and a set of 4 ½” side pipes all in 304 stainless. These parts were all custom made. Since he occasionally road races this car and uses it on the street every once in a while, he want 4 ½” sidepipes so we could put internal mufflers in one set. Where I am going with this is that when there is that many mods to an existing design a small amount a variance can lead to a very good possibility of a miss fit. I put a link below of our first article and as you can see, if the front of the header flange is off by just a thumb nail thickness, the tip of the side pipe can be off a few inches. As far as using someone else’s in progress project, undoubtedly, that would make the most sense. The only problem is in order to do a project like this it takes a multitude of specialty equipment and our fabricators are used to having them at their finger tips. In regards to the 1982 not having a big block, correct me if I am wrong, the chassis were similar enough that if we were to drop a big block in our chassis, we could basically simulate close enough to meet our goals. I may be way off on that and any input about this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone’s input, I can see taking the front clip off was not a smart option. I guess that is why these forums are so valuable.

http://www.stainlessheaders.com/corvette

 

A 700 inch engine did not start life in any passenger car or truck, these mountain motors are a purely custom build, and are dimensionally dissimilar to production engines. Powertrains built to handle the stress of this engine will almost certainly require significant modification to the frame and body tub of the car they've been installed in. I suspect the only way to truly fit your exhaust to this particular car requires having that car in your shop. It's quite a monster, and I guarantee it's one of a kind.

 

Friend of mine used your service for headers on his 427 powered Galaxie.
I planned on giving you a call when I get to that point. Great to see you'll be ready for me.

 

Got the body off and set the big block in place. As previously stated in this thread, pulling the body off wasn't that difficult, but tedious. Quite a few little details to take care of before the body is completely separated from the chassis. Once it was off, it really worked great. We set it back into place and pulled it back off several times to check header fit up. To gain access like that is priceless. The 2 1/4" stepped to 2 3/8" primary tubes were tricky to get by things like the steering box among other tight areas. If anyone else wants to do the same, let me know. I can give you a bunch of input on how to sneak them in there.

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/a...tteHeaders.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/a...hSidePipes.jpg