I would dare say that is going to take a little bit of work. You can see why they removed the Fan as I am sure it would have torn the Radiator up....The Radiator looks to be pushed back as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-1976-19...3D232208685788

Above is still needing the front frame, A Arms and what not.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Corvette-196...3D331722387567

If you are thinking about fixing it know that when you are done it still wont be much more than a mixed match Corvette that probably should have been sold on a Salvage Title. Sad to think anyone would have cobbled this back together in a such a way to stick someone else with the problem.

Good Luck.

Karsten

 

To the OP,
Did you ever try to contact the seller or report him to Ebay? At least get some satisfaction and let ebay know this seller has misrepresented a major item, and ding his feedback rating!!

 

Mike.....

I think I read he has had the car for 4 years sitting in storage.....A little past time to file a claim with Ebay now.

Karsten

 

D125

I'm going to be the bad guy and say what no one else is saying because I'm old and don't care.

You screwed yourself. You bought a used Chevy off eBay sight unseen not having any idea about cars or how to work on one. You live in an area of the US that is costly when it comes to automotive repair.

By the time you pay to have this wreck repaired you will have more money in the car than its worth. Cut you losses and sell the car as is for whatever best offer comes your way.

Use that money to take your family on a vacation.

Dennis


Or you can do what Leadfoot said in post #46

 

It was a total "Bubba" but about 35 years ago I was involved in a minor accident that bent the frame of my then car. Frame rail was pushed in about 2 inches so the steering shaft rubbed against the rail and the wheel alignment was way off. Insurance didn't want to give me enough to find another comparable/functional car so I took the "keep it" option and $600 from the insurance. I was poor and it was my only car, needing it for work/school. So I proceeded to dig a trench in the back yard to keep the passenger side tires planted, then attached the frame rail in a strategic spot to a tree with a big chain and a large come-along. Loosed then body mount bolts and proceeded to pull the frame back into eyeball shape. I then bolted in a 1" hollow bar to each side as a cross member to keep it there. Redid the alignment (eyeball with string and a bubble level to get it to track down the road close to strait). I drove it as a work car for two years like that and fully disclosed it to the next buyer (who paid a whopping $250 for it)

While no one will endorse that method it might get you at least drivable as a weekend low speed cruiser so you can enjoy that nice bodywork while you save up for a frame replacement.

 

At the risk of "over simplifying" some of the issues, here, let me add my $0.02 worth......"Bubba" took a couple of "swings" at the car. Having said that, yeah, the belts rub, because it's an aftermarket belt set-up, NOT made for a Chevy engine, in a Corvette chassis.

The "right front wheel is in an inch and a half", as well as "the caliper is ground down", is actually just ONE effed-up problem. C-3 Corvettes have WIDE calipers, and American Racing made special Torque-Thrust wheels to fit these cars. That RF wheel is NOT a Corvette Torque-Thrust wheel, so A) the offset is wrong, so YES, it "sits in too far"; and B) the azz-hole who put it on the car, didn't know about the correct wheel that was needed, so he ground down the caliper (UNSAFE!!!), so the wheel he had, would fit the car. Replace that wheel with the correct one, and replace the caliper with a good one, and that mess goes away.

The alignment shims don't look all that excessive, to me, ESPECIALLY on a 40 year old frame. Before writing this off as a "lost cause", get it on a frame machine, and see how bad it REALLY is. Maybe a couple hundred dollars at the body shop, a new wheel and caliper, and a different belt set-up, and MAYBE you'd have a drivable car....

 

 

Hey Dennis

You are no bad guy. I appreciate the honesty. I made a boneheaded decision and then compounded it with more boneheaded decisions.

I just need to sell it for parts and not make such purchases with emotions rather than logic.

-Damon

 

Thanks for the Torque Thrust info. I knew that they were Torque Thrust but didn't know about Corvette Torque Thrust.

The mechanic I took it to had a Body Shop guy take a look at it. The body shop guy estimated $7k to get it straight.

 

Yes, you previously mentioned that.....BUT, what did he want $7K to do? Did he give you ANY idea of what he THOUGHT was wrong with the car?

The first car I ever bought, for $500, in 1970, had an oil leakage problem, that I didn't notice, before making the purchase. I took it to the dealer, because my father knew a couple of mechanics there, and THOUGHT they'd be honest with us. All I remember is that they gave us some outlandish estimate for the "repairs", but then called us a day or two later, and offered to buy the car. H-m-m-m.
(had I know the issues I would have with that car later on, I should have sold it to them....)

My point is, maybe the "body shop guy" you've spoken to, is trying to scare you into selling it off, and he may step up and offer to buy it from you. Not saying it's a definite thing, but you never know.

One other thing about your concern on the front end a-arm shims. Several suppliers sell "spreader bars" for C-3 Corvette frames. It's a part that stiffens the frame, side to side, between the a-arms, as well as helps to correct a "droopy" fame. It's a known Corvette issue. If you know for sure, the car has been hit, that's one thing, but if it's only conjecture on your part, based on the shim difference, a spreader bar could address that issue.

 

Yet to see any pictures of the actual frame damage.

Its all conjecture on the level of damage or what it would take to repair or if the repair shop is trying to take you until seen. Can you take a pic of the frame rail where hit and the welded cross member.

 

The wheels are Torq Thrust "D", the "D" is for disk brakes.

 

 

I frankly would look for an old timer that is familiar with pulling frames on old cars. I had a very similar situation in a 68 GTO convertible. It was hit so hard it even pushed in the driver's side cowl.

The old timer was able to pull, tug, pull some more and get the frame back to within spec. He did warn me that it may not work. Well it did work. Most folks today are only familiar with unibody cars. Cost me $600! Frame was out more than 2" left to right and 1-1/2" vertically. Here is the kicker. He did it with the suspension intact. All he did is pull the front wheels off. The front end of a Corvette is nothing more than a Chevy, Pontiac, Buick,.. you get the idea.

I bet an old timer could get the frame to the point where it is useable for a fraction of the $7k quoted.


Bill

 

OK...my opinion...and here it goes.

I completely read this entire thread and there are a few posts that I agree with....mainly 'leadfoot4', 'Dynra Rockets', 'Mr D.'s' post #44 and I believe a few more but I am not going back throguh this entire thread to list them.

Bottom line is we all know hat has happened her so no need into getting into it....BUT...Without very good photos of the areas of concern and or a read-out of the frame being measured....all of this is complete speculation.

I have worked on Corvettes that were seriously messed up and YES...they were repaired and painted with a bent, twisted and off-set frames. It happens. Not everybody gives crap....or what often times happens... the owner does not want to put any money or has any money to put into it and slap it together and get it as close as possible....or 'good enough'. And keep in mind that many people here on the forum will comment in some heated discussions on some threads.... 'that there is more than one way to repair something'...and here is a perfect example.

Without a really good series of photos...of the welds in question on the frame and anything else. Nothing here at this point has me concerned ONLY because I have seen it numerous times and the car being put up on a frame machine and pulled....even with the body on it but bolts loosened.....which can be done....the frame can come out extremely close to factory specs IF the frame guy KNOWS what they are doing. Yes I agree.... the body being off would make it easier...but it is NOT required. So ...having it measured out will tell the story on what needs to happen to it.

As for the wheel being set-back on the right side...that can all be in the lower control arm....only because I have dealt with that on several cars. That can be determined when it is measured....because the lower ball joint location is fixed.

I would be more curious if the body is correctly indexed to the frame. Do this by removing your door sills and remove the orange plug on the front of the left side and the orange plug on the rear of the right side and look down though those holes and see it they are lined up with the corresponding holes in the frame that GM used to set the body to the frame and get it 'square'. That also will tell a lot. becasue IF those holes are perfectly in line....then of the frame issues are in front of the number one body mount and can be pulled back. But like I wrote...running tram gauges on it will tell the true story. Body/frame shops do this and it is called 'set-up and measure'....and only take a few hours to get it set-up and measured.

I understand that with your family dynamics...you can not do the work on the car ( but you can learn if you want to)...and as previously mentioned...it depends if you really want the car or not. So many people constantly comment on the 'value' of the car and getting 'upside down'....BUT...IF this car is something that you want and you do not plan on selling it....and you want to do it in stages...then it can be saved and the amount of money you spend does not matter.

Because if you think about it...if you go out and buy a new car and take it out on the road and take it right back and did not even put a half a mile on it....you just lost your backside because the dealership is not going to give you ALL you money back...and it is a NEW car. So it is a matter of perspective and what is important to a specific person.

What you choose to do with it or not with it is up to you...but as mentioned...without specific information...all of this is just simply pointless.

And...lastly..as for the shop giving you a quote....because I do the same thing when I estimate something. When estimates are given like that....from what I have learned...go high on the estimate to cover the UNKNOWN...because if you give them a 'low ball;' estimate and things are discovered that will cause the price to drastically climb...the owner freaks out and feels that I should have used my Superman x-ray vision and been able to see it all.

And THEN that is when they may feel I am gouging them. When that subject begins to rear its head in a conversation...I have them come in the shop and work with me and then they can see what it takes so they know that I am NOT gouging them...but simply charging for the time it takes to fix the problem....and then.... we are right back to where it all started. Meaning....HOW much they want to put into the repair costs to make it RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny how that works.

DUB

 

I had a few minutes so I took a close look at the pictures of your front wheels. They are not even the same wheels!

The drivers side wheel is about as wide as the 225 tire so guessing 7.5-8", The passenger side wheel severely pinches the sidewall so guessing that wheel is only 6.5-7"

I speculate the impact broke the original passenger side wheel and the previous owner picked up a single replacement wheel. When they went to mount it they had to shave the caliper to get it to fit since it is the wrong width and offset.

So in recap. The track issue is just from a different wheel. The belt issue is because the aftermarket bracket system used is not for a Corvette (probably a truck) and the extra shims in the control arm is really just about normal. Please post pictures of the frame if you want a genuine assessment.

 

Some information regarding wheels....


https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...race-cars.html

 

And some more reading material:
http://www.roadsters.com/wheels/#TT

 

I agree with leadfoot. The pics tell a different story. The wheel is the problem with hitting the brake caliper, it's just a wheel. I've seen that many shims on one side before, and this area of the frame is a weak spot on vettes anyway, the shock towers tend to tilt with age (adj crossbrace is a good idea on all of 'em) so this area may not be nearly as bad as it looks, and it can be pulled back fairly easily. But 1 1/2 inches back farther than the driver side? May be just bent a-arms, easy fix. And the motor being moved over 1 1/2"? Are you sure? I'd definitely get another couple opinions before making a decision. Can you get a pic under the car of the crossmember/frame and a-arm mounts?

 

That frame may not even be bent...
Also if it were that bad I don't think the door/fender gap would look that good. Find a local vette club with some guys that can look at it.