We can get into a pissing match on this subject like has been done in past threads.

It does not matter if it worked or not...it was how the car was built to the STANDARD for that year model.

Regardless of 5 mph impact resistance or whatever you want to comment on. The FACT still remains....NO ONE on this forum has contacted their insurance company and has an undeniable written statement proving the removal of factory impact components is APPROVED and the car will still be insured. I KNOW that will not happen due to it opens up the insurance company for liability.

Anybody can 'cut-slice and dice' their Corvette and make it a super bad @ss custom and do it how they see fit. I have been to shows where I have seen Corvettes like that. I would walk by and maybe comment on how awesome it looks...but if I got to looking at it REAL GOOD...I would not sit my backside in the seat and go for a drive on some of these cars I have seen personally due to how baldy they were sliced and diced up.

The ONLY reason I make this comment is that I was a part of a case where a Corvette was 'sliced and diced' by the owner and when it got into an accident. The INNOCENT passenger of the car who did not know what was done to it. Had a good claim when it was found out that when the car was being estimated (which was my part in this)...there was NO factory impact resistance parts on the car. Lets say...it got really crazy for a while for the owner of the Corvette. When i kinda got wind of what was happening to him...I paid serious attention to it and how critical the impact resistance parts are on a car when dealing with the insurance companies. Regardless if they are 5 mph or not.

So...obviously you all can do as you wish and I hope it all works out for you all that do it.

DUB

 

To me it looks strange without the additional Chrome sections that were on the 68 to 72.

 

Dub made some very valid points, and I`m in agreement.... if I were to modify any of the original safety features on a classic car, I would presume that in the event of an accident I would be "on my own" in regards to an insurance claim, once they found out about it. I have a very dim view of "insurance" companies, most of which are known to find any loophole available to get out of paying a claim...... and it seems that something as serious as altering, modifying, or eliminating factory original safety equipment would give them just what they need to deny a claim.
Now, I`m not saying I would never alter a vehicle, or customize one to my satisfaction, I`m only saying that if I did, I`d not have very high expectations of my insurance coverage.

 

Great thread...........and no bloodshed............................yet !

 

I think that is part of what makes it unique and appealing.

To me this looks like what Chevrolet would have done with a chrome bumper 1973.

I really like this look, and if I had the energy and money, I would do one just like this.

 

Some nice mods are hated by some for no other reason than "its not factory"
That thinking is short sighted and lacks fun for me,

I like the 73 but its still an oddball ( so am i )

It was such a huge jump from the styling of a 72 to the fastback styling of a 74, 73 didnt segway it well to me,

The new look, It lasted 74 to 79 but if polled the 74 to 79 front and rear bumpers seems to be at the bottom of popular 78 got the pc spoilers that help a lot and 80 to 82 by then even gm designers knew c3s needed a duck tail,

It would have been cool to see gm take several model years and make a smoother transition from a 68 to 72 style to the 74 to 77 style, a fastback or ducktail rear option would have been as easy as the bumper cap and chevy should have done that in the disco years...let the buyer pick the bumpers they like best,

 

What amazes me is how many people will go out and buy something that specifically states. 'NON-highway use'...or 'Off-road sue only'....and still plaster it on their car thinking that that statement does not apply to them. And yes. Many of the police officers I know have pulled people over that had drag slicks on their car and driving on the road. Just one example.

I have seen cars with a 5 point racing seat belt harness installed and it was not installed correctly. Because using a #12 sheet metal screw to hold down the rear straps to the rear body steel...will not hold them back if they get into an accident. Any person with half a brain cell would know that.

As for any other type of modification a person does to their car. A lot of it comes down to common sense. Regardless if it it tires, seat belts, suspension components, brake system, fuel system, steering systems, electrical system upgrades or even a huge 'bath tub' style hood scoop that impairs your ability to see well while driving. If a person is not doing it to the best they can...even if they need to employ someone who can do it better...then they MAY have a problem.

DUB

 

Growing up in the farm lands just outside of Detroit, we did EVERY mod you could think of, and some that would blow your mind! (Picture a Farm-All tractor with a 454 big block.... or almost any car body on a 4 X 4 frame!), stock was boring.
And yes.... when they pointed the rear tail light panel the wrong way, and went from chrome bumpers to plastic.... the Corvette sort of lost it`s luster for me. That`s not to say I wouldn`t own one, or don`t like them. I just like the 68 to 72 better. But I stand by my statement, if I were to seriously modify the steering, suspension, bumpers, or other safety equipment, I would not be surprised to find myself out on a limb with the insurance company if I had to file a claim.
So if insurance coverage is of any concern to someone, perhaps they should not do certain mods. Now.... where did I leave that sawzall?

 

Jim,

did you see my cl want ad for a 4x4 first gen mustang?

I saw that other remark the fiist time you posted it i took kind of at me and i kind of got side tracked replying,
You have met me in person, and i still need to trek to Orlando for that part if you didnt get bored waiting on me and gave it a new home so i will say this like im standing in your shop,

I have noticed on this forum that a lot of people do a hell of a lot of mods from mild like your 4 back up lamps to pretty darn radical with cars like neils or richards and countless others,
I dont see anyone getting all upset or scolding them about it.
I have zero idea or interest if builders call up their insurance and ask if a modifacation will float,

My point was every single time a bumper conversion thread is posted their are people who really loose it and seem to get super butthurt over the subject and go on long dull lectures,
It chased some great posters out of the priya build thread,

Focusing on bashing one modification is hypocritical at the very least moreso because these same people boast and brag about modifacations they do to engines, suspensions, brakes, steering etc that are changing how the factory designed those systems with factory safety in mind, doesnt matter if these modders believe they did a good job a change to the factory design is just that a change,
Be it a different bumper cover or an aftermarket steering set up.

Its hogwash to say one mod is okay but another mod isnt,
The fact is if we modify any part of any car we have to ask, can there be, will there be liability issues in some worse case scenario, weigh that and decide which path in life we will go down,
Im happy with my choice.

 

A friend went through something similar on a restomod Camaro. He had it covered / insured as Custom Car / Camaro , with agreed upon value. They had to pay, and did.

The insurance company had to cover the repairs including the "mods". (LS engine + rack / pinion..etc)

I like the cars some what stock, maybe an engine / trams upgrade. I make sure the insurance company knows if it's not stock, with a documented letter + I sent them pictures of the cars. .
This way they have no way out.

I would also get an UMBRELLA policy to cover the what if events.

I did , but that is just me.. being on the safe side.

 

This is the best bet!

 

I can not help that some people still cannot seem to realize that I do not care what a person does to their Corvette, It is their car. But if another thread like this comes up and I see it.....or anything dealing with safety modifications where they are being removed... I will be all in. So live with it.

I am all about someone building a custom /modified car for the street. But it sometimes does take someone with knowledge to put it together and still maintain integrity.

But it seems funny that some people who get hurt when a thread like this pops up and feel that if ANYONE tries to advise people from the POTENTIAL problems they run into...they feel that that comment it a long dull lecture. I never said to not do it...I just passed along something that many of you who do not deal with insurance companies may not know anything about.

And the reason that some people feel it is 'long dull lecture is that they still cannot comprehend that the comment... is just offering helpful advice. But as we all know when we were in school some students needed to stay after school so the teacher can give them dedicated tutoring because they were holding up the rest of the class learning and could not get it like the rest of the class did. Like the warden in 'Cool Hand Luke ' said: "Some people you just can't reach."

Clearly this isn't the first thread that this has been discussed on and still... the same reply that is not offering anything useful at all other than showing that they have their fellings hurt.

And YES it is 100% okay to comment on one type of modification and not another. I honestly do not think that someone putting bubble taillights on their 1980 warrants a serious comment. But it seems that some people can not realize that ANY repair work done to a car is the responsibility of the person doing it, to do it to the standards that make it SAFE to drive on the street....if those repairs are being done on the car that do deal with immediate safety issues for themselves or others on the road.

Because if a person did not tighten up the lower radiator hose on their new aluminum radiator installation and when it was driven...it got hot and piked out coolant and melted down their engine. That could have been simply found and repaired if they used a coolant system pressure tester. So THAT type of 'modification' does not apply. And it only hurt themselves.

For those that can grasp this...I am glad. For those who still can't...I honestly feel sorry for you.

DUB

 

Clearly you have the ability to consider what can possibly happen and not want to leave yourself hanging out to dry.

DUB

 

To lighten the moment......Is President Trump's hair a blend of fiberglass strands?

(OOOOPS.....I though I was in the Politics/Religion/Controversy Forum for a moment there )

Please don't close the thread....I need all the help on chrome front bumper mods that I can get.