Would like to get this rear damage repaired. The car is not a show piece, and I don't want to make it one. I would like it to be structurally sound and have decent paint. I have gotten two estimates, one is $12K to repair the fiberglass. Another is $37K for all new but separate panels.

Because of the high costs of repair, is a DIY full rear clip replacement feasible? I have watched videos on panel replacement with bonding strips but have not seen the replacement using a full rear clip. I have AIM and was trying to understand the attachment points and bonding strips. I am leaning toward full clip as I was thinking it would require less work trying to get the sculpted curves right with bodywork but it might be a problem to get it aligned and "glued" on straight then blend the seams at the door jam? I also would like to replace the under bumper panel as the prior owner glassed in the backup lights.

 

FYI:
This car has already been messed with in the rear. Where are your reverse lights ??? That lower valance is NOT from a 1968. If your going to fix & paint it, might as well do it correctly.

 

100% @427SIXPACK that was part of my motivation for the full clip replacement but that also could be cut in.

Watching all the videos of repair, if I wanted to repair this in a way that is show worthy to make it feel original, is there a preferred way? I have no clean fiberglass anywhere on this car (at least 4 different colors and clearly bodywork everywhere and a new front clip)

 

I have repaired several cars with similar damage. You have a 68 so everything is FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) and you can use polyester resin which is the easiest to work with. Hands-down, I would work with what you’ve got. With a couple of inexpensive hand-sanding tools (one being, no kidding - an “idiot stick”) you can restore those contours with ease.

The beauty of fiberglass is if you screw up, grind/cut/sand it out and lay up some new glass.

If you have the time, you can strip the car and address all of the bodywork and get it ready for paint. That will save you a ton of money. Having a decent air compressor will greatly reduce your effort. That will allow you to primer and block sand to save even more dollars.

 

From what little I can see, the damage in my opinion isn't that bad that I would entertain messing with a full rear clip replacement. Buy the correct lower rear valance, reverse lights & repair what you got vs a huge, costly, time consuming, undertaking.Any other pics / motor ? details ? interior ? curious what is your vin & pic of trim tag.

 

Im with 69l88 and 427SIXPACK, that's not all that hard to repair, give it a go, you can't make it any worse/uglier.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. Very helpful.

The car is an L36 4sp that shows a number match block and transmission. It has clearly had some front end damage. I have added Borgeson, replaced calipers, gotten headlights working. The car is a great 20' car and super fun to drive. The original color was British Green, but it has been blue, red and finally yellow from what I can tell by overspray inside the door.

 

That doesn't look that bad, looks like some cracks and the bonding seam popped at the damage site. the rear clip would have to be REAL bad for me to want to change it. both my cars needed work on that area and a block and following the contours, you cant tell. give the underside and back a good look before tearing original panels apart.

 

I'm curious about the trim tag & vin, there are a lot of 69 parts on this car from what i can see. The more i see, the less & less i would entertain a full rear clip. I would be more concerned about rust on the frame & bird cage. It looks like it's a North East car, do you know where she was born or lived ?

 

@427SIXPACK Here are the VIN and Trim Tag photos sorry prior photos and current car at body shop. My understanding is that the car was originally CA based. The bird cage and frame appears rust free as I have door jam photos in thread. The PO was trying to convert the items to 69 including door panels, rear valence (but no conversion to 69 taillights with backups) but the dash and doors are definitely 68.

 

Very early production car. Found it on the C3 registry offered for sale previously with California plates on it was being offered by Vintage Vettes in KC MO.

click here >>> 194678S402455 Unknown Vintage Vettes, LLC Convertible BB
390hp British Green Black (Vinyl) N. Kansas City Missouri

NOTICED:
pics from vintage vettes show wrong armrest missing seat belt holders ( cant see if i has map pockets or not or gauge cluster is smooth or grained )
smog should have a white finned fan
has 69 louvers
has 69 steering wheel
has what looks like 69 15x8 wheels vs 15x7
prob 69 seats because this is an early car it wouldn't have had head rests
shows 69 wiper pie can
should not have pass mirror
should not have an expansion tank
missing distributor chrome

 

There's no comparison of the work required to fix this damage versus what's required to replace the entire rear clip. I replaced the fenders and quarters on my 69 in the early 80's to get rid of flares I'd put on it in the 70's. Back then, you could go to the Chevy dealer and buy these parts, so the quality was equivalent to the original parts being replaced. Having done that job, I'd say repairing the damage in the pic would be less work and easier than replacing even one quarter panel, much less the entire rear clip.

You need to get the area down to bare glass to see the extent of the damage. There's a bond line across the back end about 2 inches down from the top, and it looks like the crack followed that seam once it reached it. You can strip most of the paint with a heat gun and razor blade and finish the remainder with 80 grit on a random orbital sander. Do not use any paint stripper as it will cause you problems down the road. There's plenty of videos online showing how to repair broken FRP using mat and resin, so no need to repeat that here. Use Evercoat 870 to reattach any panels to bond strips. The 870 acts both as a bonding agent and as a filler.

That lower panel definitely needs some attention too. There's a visible joint above the center of the exhaust pipe bezel on each side, and it looks as if that joint has been filled. If it hasn't already cracked, it will with time. Bottom line though, is that you can save yourself thousands of $$$ by doing this work yourself. It is far easier to get good results than you might think.