70s Vette Guy

Looking for some assistance to determine if a 1969 front clip is original. I’ve added a couple of pictures here and can take any additional if it helps on identifying the clip. Not sure if there is any numbers stamped into it somewhere.
Thanks for any assistance.
Jim

thatcorvetteguy

It looks like black glass to me.

3X2

reach inside the front wheel openings and run your fingers around the lip. it should be smooth. a common repair was from say, fender center forward. if it has this done, you would feel the repair. are the headlight washer squirters there? looks like it is missing the front spoiler. ride height look to high.

Easy Mike

What is the history of your car? Any reason to believe the clip is not original?

dmaxx3500

front emblem is re-drilled

and looks like grind marks in the first pic,and fiberglass resin

GM used the same ''black-black/grey'' bonding putty thru-out the car

org fenders had 2 ,1/2 moon notchs on the lips ''so the lift bars were located in the same place everytime,when putting on the body -to-frame

70s Vette Guy

Thanks for the reply

70s Vette Guy

I don't feel or see any repair in the fender wells. The car is sitting high because there is no engine in the car. I'll keep looking at it.

70s Vette Guy

The front emblem looks much larger to me than the one I have on my 72. Never seen one this large. I'll compare the bonding putty throughout the car. I know the rear panel behind the drivers door has a crack, otherwise I don't see any damage.

The car might be sitting high because it has no engine in it. I recently bought it and have no history on the car. I am trying to decide what to do with it. I knew the frame had rust, but the more I get into it, the more issues keep popping up. I don't think the frame is salvageable anymore. I just found some rust on the bird cage, hoping it doesn't go through the majority of it, otherwise it may not be worth to restore. I was thinking if the body is original maybe I still can have enough value to make the restore worth it.

I'll look at the fenders and see if I see the half moon notches are there. I assume this should be easy to find, if not, do you have a picture with the location of the notches.

I appreciate everyone's reply and look forward to any other comments on originally.

Thanks again everyone.
Jim

firstgenaddict

The emblem holes are redrilled because that is not a C3 front emblem.
Any competent glass guy can add notches or rebuild the lips and put in the notches.
From my understanding, GM-corvette plant/ originally sand blasted the bonding strip and the area of the panels which is going to receive bonding agent... they didn't grind it.

FWIW I believe I see a filled hole in the bonding strip which appears to have been a screw hole below the centerline of the strip. IMHO this is a tell tale sign of at the minimum RE-bonding, or worst case scenario the fender has been replaced, partially.
Do I think the complete front end is replacement? I doubt it as I figure most people doing a front clip would go one piece, however a close inspection is warranted if this concerns you.
Photo of notches.

70s Vette Guy

Thanks, I examine it further when I get home. I appreciate you taking the time with the info and picture.
Jim

20mercury

Thanks and good to know why those grooves were there.

GUSTO14

Yes it is definitely not a '69 front emblem. I can't find it anywhere in my C3 or C2 archives. Possibly from another Chevrolet of the era?



Good luck... GUSTO

Easy Mike

FWIW: replacing an emblem does not mean the clip is not original.

70s Vette Guy

Hi Easy Mike,
I agree, I was just pointing out that it was bigger and that is why there were additional drill holes in the front. I was hoping there were numbers or stamps on the clip somewhere to tell me if it was original. I am having a tough time deciding on restoring this car. I knew there was rust on the frame and it would have to be replaced, now I am finding it in several other places on the bird cage and other parts. Giving it some hard thought on if it would be worth the restore or look for another. Thanks to you and everyone else that answered this thread.

Hammerhead Fred

That's a mid-year 65/66 nose emblem

Chuck72

The front bumper-to-body gap is really bad.

I guess you knew that, though.

Sharp car!

210ken

When you say rust ON the frame do you mean rust THROUGH the frame? I ask because over the last 30 years or so I’ve found that the language used in the car hobby to describe rust damage has changed. Too many times I’ve found “rust free” now means no sign of rust perforation. To my mind rust/corrosion damage is a matter of degrees. Rust free means no rust period, not even surface rust or crevice corrosion. This rust free condition is obviously rare and drives a premium price. However, surface rust is very common and not always detrimental to the structural integrity of the frame or under structure/birdcage. Obviously more important is the degree of material loss due to the corrosion over time and in what specific areas of the frame it’s occurring. Cosmetic scaling and pitting, although unsightly, are not necessarily an immediate death sentence for the frame. I believe that many cars that exhibit this type of corrosion degradation will live for a lot more years without intervention providing they are protected from further water exposure and moisture entrapment. I think the rust Puritans are condemning many perfectly sound driver level cars while holding up unrealistic unicorn-like standards of perfection.
Just my two cents on rust. Carry on.

Regards,
Ken

jersey68l36

To verify an original front clip, with the hood open, on the ledge that acts as a rain gutter, there appears a circle or a dot impression that is lost when the a clip been replaced, They appear on both sides of the car, located about an inch from the cowl.

Sorry, don't know how to post a pic of how it appears on my '68.

Gale Banks 80'

My 69 has what appears to be factory press molded fiberglass that was sold across the parts counter. The glass is the wrong color lighter than the dark grey it should be and what is on the back 1/2 of the car. I noticed that the fender lips have what must be the 1/2 moon's dead center. So the replacement inner fenders must of had them . The right inner fender has the pass threw holes for the AC lines. Does anybody know if all the replacement Inner Fenders came with the Holes ? So that one inner Fender part number fits all. Did the inner fenders have a rubber seals on top where the meet the upper surround. One side has them stapled in and the other does not. The whole front end could of come off another car, but the way its put together is different from one side to the other so I think it was pieced together using GM parts. This was all done prior to 1985.

TPIShark

Another thing I've noticed is the screws attaching the side gill trim. Original would have had large holes with well nuts, similar to a luggage rack installation. Usually that's indicative of a '68 nose installed on a '69. I say that also b/c it seems to be GM 'glass from the photos. I don't recall if that gill trim was an option; I don't see it in the RPO list...