Bubba Once Owned My Corvette
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,557
Likes: 9
From: Oquirrh Mountains
St. Jude Donor '09
Bubba Once Owned My Corvette
Well, I worked out a trade with a local chrome plater I know to get my bumpers redone. Trading the exterior chrome work for an old 5 hp boat motor I don't use anymore. 
All's right with the world so I proceed to pull off the bumpers and grills today.
At some point, one of the two previous owners decided to repaint the car. It turns out he LOST about half the bumper brackets, the center grill & it's mounting brackets, screwed up both L & R grilles. Cut one of the front bumper guards with a torch to remove a nut. Lost the outer bumper bracket extensions so he just bolted the front bumper DIRECTLY to the fiberglass - which is now screwed up. And stripped one of the bolt holes on the front bumper
FREAKING idiot! Not that I'm terribly surprised though. I should have known when the interior was redone with **** house carpet!
Looks like I'll be paying a visit to the local specialty welder to get some stuff fixed. BTW are the front grills magnesium?
If anyone has a line on a center grill, shoot me a PM or email.
All's right with the world so I proceed to pull off the bumpers and grills today.At some point, one of the two previous owners decided to repaint the car. It turns out he LOST about half the bumper brackets, the center grill & it's mounting brackets, screwed up both L & R grilles. Cut one of the front bumper guards with a torch to remove a nut. Lost the outer bumper bracket extensions so he just bolted the front bumper DIRECTLY to the fiberglass - which is now screwed up. And stripped one of the bolt holes on the front bumper
FREAKING idiot! Not that I'm terribly surprised though. I should have known when the interior was redone with **** house carpet!
Looks like I'll be paying a visit to the local specialty welder to get some stuff fixed. BTW are the front grills magnesium?If anyone has a line on a center grill, shoot me a PM or email.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,042
Likes: 1
From: Greensboro NC
There's a country song about it
....
Bubba Was A Vette Man.
Lyrics went something like:
Bubba was a Vette man, worked on them all,
Wood screws, super glue, used no tools at all.
Sell it real quick before a broke,
Sorry for the next sucker, that bought the joke.
....Bubba Was A Vette Man.
Lyrics went something like:
Bubba was a Vette man, worked on them all,
Wood screws, super glue, used no tools at all.
Sell it real quick before a broke,
Sorry for the next sucker, that bought the joke.
Last edited by KTKelly; Aug 15, 2010 at 09:31 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
The front grillework [mesh] is pot-metal. If you apply too much heat to that stuff it just melts. It is nearly impossible to weld on it; only the most experienced [with pot-metal work] even attempt it. It is also very brittle...it won't bend, so if you put too much force into it the metal will just snap.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
The front grillework [mesh] is pot-metal. If you apply too much heat to that stuff it just melts. It is nearly impossible to weld on it; only the most experienced [with pot-metal work] even attempt it. It is also very brittle...it won't bend, so if you put too much force into it the metal will just snap.
Mind you, the car in question has chrome bumpers, so is not a '74, and therefore the grilles might well be pot metal.
Hope this helps.
Regards from Down Under
aussiejohn
