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From: Pottsville, PA. USA Home Of America's Oldest Brewery Yuengling
Nose Pimples?
What is the best way to repair the pimples on the nose of a 1971 Corvette? Do you have to remove the brace were the rivets are pushing up? How did you fix yours?
I don't know what the best way is, but when I did it in my 68 I removed the bar by drilling out the rivets from the bottom without coming through the top surface. Took the bar out, (after marking its exact position) and then used C clamps and wood strips to flatten out the bumps in the glass which really worked well. Next I re glued the bar back in position with Lord-Fusor adhesive. Came out solid as a rock.
edit: Contact forum member "DUB". He has plenty of experience in Corvette bodywork and is very helpful. Good luck.
Those are aluminum rivet heads which hold parts of the nose section together. As the aluminum oxidizes, the heads swell a bit and cause the paint to bulge.
If the paint is not broken thru, it would be best to leave well enough alone. Those 'bumps' do a good job of validating that your paint job is original...unless it was painted previously without the painter sealing those rivet heads.
But, once the paint separates, there is risk of additional water damage over time.
Hi,
The oxidized rivet heads are under the fiberglass, not just under the paint as 7T1's post indicates.
Therefore it's very possible to repaint a car and still have the bumps if the fiberglass bump isn't dealt with.
The bumps aren't an indication of original PAINT, but rather original FIBERGLASS.
Regards,
Alan
I don't know what the best way is, but when I did it in my 68 I removed the bar by drilling out the rivets from the bottom without coming through the top surface. Took the bar out, (after marking its exact position) and then used C clamps and wood strips to flatten out the bumps in the glass which really worked well. Next I re glued the bar back in position with Lord-Fusor adhesive. Came out solid as a rock.
edit: Contact forum member "DUB". He has plenty of experience in Corvette bodywork and is very helpful. Good luck.
Same way I do it.
And we call them "dimples" instead of "pimples", sounds a lot nicer
It is possible to NOT have 'nose bumps'; but only if the car lived inside or in a very dry environment for most of its life. 40+ years is a long time for aluminum rivets in steel members not to have significant galvanic ation take place.
P.S. "Dimples" sounds better, but dimples are depressions....aren't they?
Last edited by 7T1vette; Dec 29, 2015 at 11:55 AM.
Here are some pictures of the flat rivet heads on a new member as well as what they can look like as they rust and swell causing the dimples. As mentioned Dub instructed me how to fix them with his tip that I am not at liberty to share, sorry! PM him!
ZIO
From: Pottsville, PA. USA Home Of America's Oldest Brewery Yuengling
Thanks for all the feedback. I am repainting a 1971 War Bonnet Yellow coupe. Also I just got a 1972 Coupe with 66,000 miles Mille Miglia Red with Black Interior. The car has 98% of its original paint which is very nice. This car also has the dimples. Would you leave them alone or repair them?
I was lucky... my car needed a front clip anyway, and the one I bought (from another 71) had the "rivet bumps"... so I was able to fix them before I put the clip on the car. Made it easy.... upside down on the garage floor.
Grind the rivet heads off the metal header. Pry the metal header off with a flat scraper or putty knife. LEAVE the fiberglass bonding strip in place. Now you can dig the rivet heads out of the bonding strip, but DO NOT penetrate the top surface.
Now you can glue the metal header back in. I used a 3M glue for metal & fiberglass (same as Lord Fusor type).
Get a bunch of clamps.... (Harbor Freight) and a couple pieces of wood..... and there you have it!
(Notice in the pictures below that I did the metal brace in the nose at the same time, as it was rusted in half)
Easy to do like this!
Metal header is off, I dug out rivet heads with a razor knife
All heads dug out of bonding strip, top surface still in tact!
Ready to flip back over and glue header in
Glued & clamped. (note the clip is back on the car before I glued the header back in.... I was too excited & couldn`t wait to have it look like one whole car again!
I was lucky... my car needed a front clip anyway, and the one I bought (from another 71) had the "rivet bumps"... so I was able to fix them before I put the clip on the car. Made it easy.... upside down on the garage floor.
Grind the rivet heads off the metal header. Pry the metal header off with a flat scraper or putty knife. LEAVE the fiberglass bonding strip in place. Now you can dig the rivet heads out of the bonding strip, but DO NOT penetrate the top surface.
Now you can glue the metal header back in. I used a 3M glue for metal & fiberglass (same as Lord Fusor type).
Get a bunch of clamps.... (Harbor Freight) and a couple pieces of wood..... and there you have it!
(Notice in the pictures below that I did the metal brace in the nose at the same time, as it was rusted in half)
Easy to do like this!
Metal header is off, I dug out rivet heads with a razor knife
All heads dug out of bonding strip, top surface still in tact!
Ready to flip back over and glue header in
Glued & clamped. (note the clip is back on the car before I glued the header back in.... I was too excited & couldn`t wait to have it look like one whole car again!
You can see the ugly rivet bumps.... UGHH!
No more bumps!
Your process as well as the clamping is how I did mine also. I think you posted a few pictures to my main post. All of it worked.
ZIO
If your car doesn't see water much, nor stay in a very humid environment, I'd suggest just leaving them alone until you got some paint separation or until you decide to paint the car. Now that you know about them, you can just tell folks those 'bumps' prove you have original paint.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Dec 30, 2015 at 02:33 PM.
Does anyone have an idea of what a reputable (?) shop would charge to fix this, assuming that they did not have to do any paint work as some have indicated might be possible?
Even my desert car had them. Those soft aluminum rivets thru steel cause dissimilar metal corrosion, and thats why they will corrode and bulge. Regardless. I fixed mine and figure they are good for another 40 yrs. Maybe more. Now whether Im still alive to worry about it is another matter. Lol.
My 70 has the infamous rivet bumps as well. Its funny at car shows, Corvette guys will look at them and say "look a no hit body"while non- Corvette guys say"what is wrong with that". Mine will get fixed someday.
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Nose Pimples?
Same way I do it.
