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I think I've read every conceivable thread on this repair. My 68 frame off build has this going on and would like to get it fixed. Reading all the threads the repair can be done with the front clip on the car. Although the hood, lamps, bumper and perhaps the radiator needs removed.
The paint on the car is absolutely beautiful and I'm really not sure why the builder overlooked this part of the build. I've read some threads that as the bar is glued in, clamping boards to the top side should push down the bumps? Is this for real? I would rather not get into painting the front clip as we do not have the paint formula/code. If a repaint is needed, I would think our high end shop in Denver has a Spectraphotometer machine that can match the paint with 99% accuracy.
I do not want to attempt this myself as I'm no where near qualified. I estimate the job to cost around 5k, if the front clip needs re-sprayed. What do you guys think?
Here is a pic of the front. Cant really see bumps but they are there.
I removed the one on my 72 from the bottom. Grinded down on all the rivets , once all were flush with the brace, I was able to work a chisel between the brace and the fiberglass. Very easily work the brace off. One the brace is out the way I grinded the rest of the rivets out. The head of the rivets are about the size of a dime. Once you get to th heads you can pop them out with a pointer or small screw driver. I used some sem co panel adhesive to reattach the support, using pcs of 1x4 and clamps. You will need to remove the hood and radiator support for access. Paint was not effected.
Having just done this on my 68, I'm not sure I would be doing this to such a beautiful car. My car was in need of a full paint job anyways, so doing this work was worth it.
That said, it really was a straightforward process. I could see it working and fixing the issue without damaging the paint if the shop knows what they are doing, but that $5k bill if the paint gets messed up would scare me away from having the work done.
Good luck with your decision whichever way you go.
I think I would fix this now instead of later. At this point, with a little luck you just might get away with no painting needed.
If you saw prior post's you probably saw the little hole saw I made to remove material and get the rivets out. About an inch and a half by three quarters.The center pilot drill has been pulled back and flattened out so it didnt come out the top of the car. Sorry for the lousy pic but here it is:
Some spring clamps from harbor freight and a bunch of wood slats made all the bumps vanish on my 68 years ago. I used a double tube gun and applied Lord-Fusor adhesive. Mark its exact location prior to removal so no surprises later. I remember using some thin spacers so upon clamping it back on it wont allow for all the glue to be squeezed out.
Solid as a rock. It's very doable for the do it yourselfer. Good luck
I've read some threads that as the bar is glued in, clamping boards to the top side should push down the bumps? Is this for real?
Yes, it`s for real. When you remove the rivets, there will be a hole in the bonding strip. Put a little extra glue in the holes when you bond the metal header back on, and the boards & clamps should flatten it back out. I used clamps from Harbor Freight... note the different depths and types.
WOW! I think you are expecting a lot if you think you can get rid of those rivet bumps without messing up the paint. That's going to be a hard color to match.
This reminds of a dime sized rust bubble I wanted to get rid of in my early years when I didn't have much experience. It turned into warped quarter panel with a poorly matching spot repair nightmare.
The car is just too gorgeous to leave the bumps. Not a huge eye sore but they are there and to be a show stopper, they must be removed.
I got a hell of a deal on this car, even though I have to put some money in it I wont get hurt. I plan on keeping this one for a long time.
It's currently at a shop that builds pro mods for Bandimere getting set up for my high altitude. They found a problem with the steering shaft where its binding going into the rack and pinion. That in turn is over heating the PS pump fluid which is puking out the seep hole, not the PCV breather like I thought was the problem. The geometry is wrong and they had to order a coupler from Speed Way.
The shop did say the PO has a lot of money in this car and a damn nice suspension
The car is just too gorgeous to leave the bumps. Not a huge eye sore but they are there and to be a show stopper, they must be removed.
The shop did say the PO has a lot of money in this car and a damn nice suspension
I do see the rivet bumps in your photo and they do look bad. Top and bottom rows of rivet heads are clearly visible. That would bother me as well, to the point where I would be willing to repaint the entire car need be. Thing is I paint my own cars and have the time.
My doubts lay in the disbelief that the bumps will go down by simply removing the offending rivets. Clamping and panel adhesive helping, let's see.
Keep us informed, I'm sure there are plenty of us here curious to see if this will work on a finished car.
My doubts lay in the disbelief that the bumps will go down by simply removing the offending rivets. Clamping and panel adhesive helping, let's see.
You would be right.....the bumps won`t go away just by removing the rivets. They have to be pushed down with the boards & clamps. The extra glue in the holes helps keep them down.
Well you guys convienced me to have it done. I know of two high end rod shops in town and I'll take the car there next week and see what they say.
I would appreciate hearing what they tell you if you wouldn't mind sharing it. I have the same issue on my 72. The paint is nice but the rivet bumps really bother me.
I would appreciate hearing what they tell you if you wouldn't mind sharing it. I have the same issue on my 72. The paint is nice but the rivet bumps really bother me.
Thanks
You bet...I'll let you guys know what the shops tell me.
Unless the bumps end up cracking the paint, the bumps just show that the car is in "as built" condition. No real problem caused other than appearance.
BTW, 99% accuracy is not enough for a fine metallic paint color...especially on the top surface of a car. Leave it alone until you NEED to repair it.
Totally agree with this. I still look for the bumps to make sure it is a no hit or modified front end myself. The '68 does have a unique issue in this area (surprise, surprise, huh). The lip under the fender surround area at the hood edges stopped short of going fully into the radius at the front and they didn't have a little support bracket that sort of helped support this bar I assume. Consequently this year is prone to some nose drooping. I do not see any evidence of this on this car however. I did have it on my '68 and an extensive repair on this area including new header bar, beefing up the nose 'glass, adding the supports and modifying the lip to replicate the later design cost me a little bit under 2k at a top notch Corvette shop that is nationally recognized. There are some photos of the repair area in the album in my profile.
Haven't had a chance to get by the 2 shops that I want to have the car repaired at. I will get it there this month though and will let you all know what they said.
I think I've read every conceivable thread on this repair. My 68 frame off build has this going on and would like to get it fixed. Reading all the threads the repair can be done with the front clip on the car. Although the hood, lamps, bumper and perhaps the radiator needs removed.
The paint on the car is absolutely beautiful and I'm really not sure why the builder overlooked this part of the build. I've read some threads that as the bar is glued in, clamping boards to the top side should push down the bumps? Is this for real? I would rather not get into painting the front clip as we do not have the paint formula/code. If a repaint is needed, I would think our high end shop in Denver has a Spectraphotometer machine that can match the paint with 99% accuracy.
I do not want to attempt this myself as I'm no where near qualified. I estimate the job to cost around 5k, if the front clip needs re-sprayed. What do you guys think?
Here is a pic of the front. Cant really see bumps but they are there.
Your not going to pull this off without painting the front end IMHO...
My write up was designed to inform you and others on how the job is done in my shop.... but the likelihood of the paint not being distorted from the bulge and just laying down are very low. Possilbe.. I don't want to say no, but unlikely. You could try it... worst case is you spray the front end again.
Now on the flip side of this.. it's also likely that the guy that painted the car ground off the bumps.... and then painted the car. But that won't stop them from swelling, in fact if he did this it makes the fiberglass bulge even faster when the rivet swells. (less material to hold it back).
I spoke with the body shop who painted the car body off the frame and he told me the prior owner drilled out those aluminum rivets from the top which is a no no. That shop told me the prior owner filled the holes with fiberglass mat/kitty hair. When the body arrived at the shop they ground out all the glass the PO put in and the shop filled the holes with lord fusor. This car was painted 8 years ago.
Yesterday I took the car to C4 Hot Rods, a well respected and qualified car builder to assess the issue. There are 9 little bumps showing up. If you run your finger across the bump you really cannot feel it. They advise since the car was painted 8 years ago it will not get any worse or better ,they suggested to leave it and enjoy the car as is since the paint is so beautiful.
They did say however if I really want it fixed they feel that the bumps can be sanded out and then reclear the front end without having to get into the basecoat.
Even though it's 9 little bumps which is not a huge deal since the overall appearance of the car is so gorgous, I'll have it fixed in November.
I spoke with the body shop who painted the car body off the frame and he told me the prior owner drilled out those aluminum rivets from the top which is a no no. That shop told me the prior owner filled the holes with fiberglass mat/kitty hair. When the body arrived at the shop they ground out all the glass the PO put in and the shop filled the holes with lord fusor. This car was painted 8 years ago.
Yesterday I took the car to C4 Hot Rods, a well respected and qualified car builder to assess the issue. There are 9 little bumps showing up. If you run your finger across the bump you really cannot feel it. They advise since the car was painted 8 years ago it will not get any worse or better ,they suggested to leave it and enjoy the car as is since the paint is so beautiful.
They did say however if I really want it fixed they feel that the bumps can be sanded out and then reclear the front end without having to get into the basecoat.
Even though it's 9 little bumps which is not a huge deal since the overall appearance of the car is so gorgous, I'll have it fixed in November.
Unfortunately, once you drill them from the top you'll always see them. I made the boast one time that if I could find a body man that could hide a hole when displayed under florescent lights in a Corvette Hood, Top surround panel or rear deck, I'd pay him 100k a year.... That was 20 years ago and I've still not found one that can do it.
What happens; the repair will look fine at first then it will shrink. The reason it shrinks is that filler material continues to dry after painting. To compound the issue is the fact that the expansion and contraction ratio of the filler material will be different from that of the original press molded fiberglass.
It's not a good spot to be in, because anyone that try's to repair this will have success for a while, then the car will get hot, it'll get cold and then the spots will show again. Light colored cars tend to do better than the darker color cars because light colors hide stuff...
Good luck on fixing this.
Willcox
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Sep 21, 2017 at 04:55 PM.
Wilcox header bar repair method
