Guys!! Im in need of some major help. I rolled my late fathers 1980 Corvette and damaged the body really bad. What options do I have to get this rebuilt without it costing me 10x what the car is worth?? Any help would be appreciated. This car has a lot of sentimental value to me but I also don’t want to stick $20k into it. Thanks!!

 

Imo
you will need every bit 20g..
what’s the story? How rolled? Everyone ok? How many miles?
manual 80…good parts car..

 

My rear tires hit gravel and my rear end started sliding, I over corrected and head first into a ditch. Flipped the car rear end over nose and landed t-tops first. My old man was watching out for me that night. I climbed out with barely a scratch.
Its got 71,000 miles but it does need motor work also. Either to be rebuilt or a new crate motor (its a stroker).

 

Glad to hear you are OK but sentimental value aside, IMO the car is toast.

 

That’s what I was afraid of.

 

If you went into a ditch, the frame is likely bent, as well as all the broken body panels you see.
It's worth more in parts.

 

done.

 

You can't fix that correctly for anything less than $50K. The car is a total. Hopefully you had an Agreed Value policy on it... (and not a Stated Value). Pre-accident, that car was worth about $18,000 on the high end. Let it go and buy another one.

 

Ill have to check on my policy. The first offer was $13,900. But the comparables were $14,995 so I questioned them on it. Waiting to hear back.

 

Current value on the 1980 Vette, in running condition, ranges from $6,800 ("Runs fine, but could use cosmetic or mechanical attention") to $17,700 ("Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable by passersby. The most common condition"). Sounds like your offers are right in the ballpark for the car. The difference between $13,900 and $14,995 is chump-change. Unless you have an "Agreed Value" policy for a higher amount (and it sounds like you don't since they're offering you an amount lower than your expectation - they would not do that if you had an Agreed Value policy), you're going to have a tough time proving a value above the current offer. This is why you don't get a standard indemnity policy or a "Stated Value" policy on these cars, which is obviously what you have. Take the money and run - you'll spend more than $4K trying to prove the car is worth $17,700, and attempting to repair it is a losing proposition.

 

Have you considered learning how to do body work. If you do all of the labor including learning to paint you can save it. You could replace the entire nose and repair the rear. That is all contingent of a frame shop checking the frame out...pole vaulting a car isnt easy on it if you were traveling at a high rate of speed. If your velocity was fairly low and you flipped more because of the depth of the ditch and momentum, then the frame could have survived. The top and windshield doesnt seem collapsed that leads me to hope for the latter

 

I believe the frame is obviously tweaked, but not horribly.
I see a broken windshield and have to believe the w/s corner is bent down. The right rear door edge does not align. And the left front door gap is too large. Mine was bent under the front bumper upward about an inch, after landing in a ditch, like it had been given an uppercut punch.

It can be straightened on a frame rack. Your challenge will be finding one that will work on these old antiques.
I had mine straightened for $400. I had to give him the frame specification sheet, it wasn't in his machines computer.

The whole front clip "pops off" and glues on if you are not afraid of fiberglass. Easier to fix than a metal car, at home, no welding, just gluing. An entire front clip can be had brand new for 2500 ish. Just glue it on. Eazy-peazy LOL! (Just grab a broken fender piece and pull hard with your bare hands and that will give you an idea of how easy it comes apart). You certainly can't hurt it anymore.

Seriously if you want to dive into it and do the work yourself I say it could be saved, but for sentimental value, not for any value the car has. Take the $14k, add another $6k, and that will get you pretty far along. But you are basically looking at a long repair job. FYI I am budgeting 45K in parts for my frame off restoration project, and mine is a complete nut and bolt restore and frame-off, including a 13k engine, Tremec and Vintage Air, but I am doing 95% of it myself. You could easily spend 20k. Maybe more.

 

Anything can be saved. If the car is sentimental, set it aside and chip away at it when you can. I'd order a front and rear clip, and have the frame checked for straightness. Slowly work on it. Installing new fiberglass isn't that difficult. Locate parts you need second hand from Facebook or Craigslist, and just go step by step.

Glad to hear you're OK. Roll overs can be nasty, especially in t-top cars.

 

If you are seriously considering going down the repair path, think very hard about how much of your time will be devoted to the car, all at the expense of family, friends, work, and life in general. There are countless stories of folks who get in deep in these kinds of projects, only to become disillusioned, disappointed, and ultimately disinterested. For this to be even remotely manageable financially, you’ll need to do most of the work and you will need a place to do that work, the tools and equipment to do it effectively, and the requisite skills and knowledge to do it right.

Don’t underestimate the task and do consider all of the variables.

 

And significant amount of labor and time. That is the price you pay = "sweat equity"

A friend of mine had his recently completed vette totaled recently by a minivan. Insured for 24k value. Took the money and bought a new car. He was up and running again in just a couple months vs "x" years. He kept the car (only worth $750 at salvage) and pulled the brand new 400 mile 383 and dropped that in his new one. Done. And rather quickly. He found one that had recently been cosmetically restored / painted etc but still needed a couple things. The last thing he wanted was to fool around with the old car for a couple of years before he could drive it.

That is your decision. How much is the sentimental value worth to you? In sweat equity?
How many years will go by until you can drive it again?

It was insured. Your dad's car now becomes $ you can roll over into a different one. It is still something he helped you with. Keep the undamaged interior stuff, etc. White is cool!

 

First off, really sorry this happened - but glad you are okay. Pretty amazing. I also understand the sentimental attachment. When possible, try to look at this through a 'reality' lens', and not a 'sentimental' lens. Lots of good advice given already. If you decide to repair it, make certain your immediate family is on board and that you're really committed because you'll be spending thousands of hours and dollars on it. Even if you can do the work yourself, the materials for paint alone will set you back $5k.

But, if you decide to go another route you can still honor your dad. Look for another red '80. Try to find a stick car because that's one of the reasons your dad bought/kept that car. Keep looking, you'll find one. Then decide what you want to keep from your dad's car. Maybe the whole drive line? The interior or parts of the interior, steering wheel and shifter - those are the parts your dad always had hold of anyway.

This car will never be worth the time and money it will take to rebuild it unless you decide the sentimental outweighs all of that. You'll figure it out. Best, Paul

 

Glad your ok !

Take the $14K offer. Buy it back from the insurance company. Part it out, put all the money together you might have $20 - $25 to work with to buy another one !
I know she's sentimental, but it's NOT an L-88. It's time for Corvette heaven............................ Sorry for your loss

 

Glad you're okay.
I like looking at Facebook marketplace. Sometimes I'm looking for something specific, other times out of boredom. But every now and then you see stripped Corvette body shells for cheap. Something to consider.