c5 twist?
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 590
Likes: 57
From: Aurora Colorado
You can find them by feel--more than sight. Run the finger right above the inside lip of the wheel well opening-the crack will feel like a molding line at first. Then use a flashlight to verify what it is.
I gave all of my perspective Corvettes "the finger" before I considered buying it.
These vintage Corvettes were the first to have bolt on rear fenders-and can easily be replaced or repaired.
I gave all of my perspective Corvettes "the finger" before I considered buying it.
These vintage Corvettes were the first to have bolt on rear fenders-and can easily be replaced or repaired.
Last edited by phoneman91; Dec 31, 2013 at 02:37 PM.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 590
Likes: 57
From: Aurora Colorado
I wonder if the fender opening couldn't be reinforced on the inside to prevent these cracks or to prevent them from migrating to the outside of the fender.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 590
Likes: 57
From: Aurora Colorado
If you could catch it and stop the progression of the crack from the inside to the outside-why not try? Check the INSIDE of the fender for cracks before it becomes a cosmetic issue.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
I have 177,000 miles on the car.....not ALL easy miles but not abused.Ican fix it as I said but did not understand this cause.....lol and that drives me NUTS!! LOL
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 804
Likes: 4
Just checked mine, no ridges or mold lines. What type of suspension do you have and was it lowered? Only thing I could imagine is the wheel hitting the fender. The Vert shares the same rigid frame as the rest of the models and with the cradle design I can't believe the cause would be a frame twist especially in the locating mentioned. Did you check around fasteners where the fender is bolted to the rest of the car. If there was any twisting then I would imagine these points would experience failure before any other part.
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Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 83
From: . New York
Definitly not an experienced track guy, but I have a friend who has a 98 vert with heads and a cam (says its about 550 at the wheels), stock sized tires with C6 Z06 shocks and C6 Z51 bars who had a crack similar to that on this right rear wheel well which he attributed to passes at the track.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Just checked mine, no ridges or mold lines. What type of suspension do you have and was it lowered? Only thing I could imagine is the wheel hitting the fender. The Vert shares the same rigid frame as the rest of the models and with the cradle design I can't believe the cause would be a frame twist especially in the locating mentioned. Did you check around fasteners where the fender is bolted to the rest of the car. If there was any twisting then I would imagine these points would experience failure before any other part.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 804
Likes: 4
allchevy, I will go out on a limb here but I think the damage was done by contact with the tire and not any type of frame twist. I'm betting your shocks are pretty worn out due to mileage. Second the bushings are equally bad and the spring itself is also week due to same age and mileage. All of this and perhaps a heavier load in the trunk could easily bottom out your suspension on a decent whoops do dip on the road at speed. It might also be you still have plastic end links on the rear sway bar and they are bad. Sways distribute centrifugal force between both wheels, without it all the compression weight would fall to the outside wheel in even light turns bottoming out the suspension on that side. Have an alignment shop check out your suspension, they should be able to determine the shape it's in.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,532
Likes: 79
From: pueblo co
allchevy, I will go out on a limb here but I think the damage was done by contact with the tire and not any type of frame twist. I'm betting your shocks are pretty worn out due to mileage. Second the bushings are equally bad and the spring itself is also week due to same age and mileage. All of this and perhaps a heavier load in the trunk could easily bottom out your suspension on a decent whoops do dip on the road at speed. It might also be you still have plastic end links on the rear sway bar and they are bad. Sways distribute centrifugal force between both wheels, without it all the compression weight would fall to the outside wheel in even light turns bottoming out the suspension on that side. Have an alignment shop check out your suspension, they should be able to determine the shape it's in.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
I am going to tend to agree I have been a judge at several corvette only car shows and been to a more then a dozen corvette only shows and this is the first I have seen of this issue...not to say that the frame is twisting because anything is possible, with that in mind the C5 was designed as a convertible first so if these cracks in the rear fender they would be present on bot the coupe and FRC cars as well..
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
Even if the suspension bottoms, the tire should not be hitting the fender unless the tires are non-stock sizes or the wheels have been replaced with aftermarket wheels with the wrong offset.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,423
Likes: 200
From: Atlanta GA
Another potential cause.
When was the last time it was on a rack and whose was it?
If it is on all sides, would not rule that out, that it was not lifted properly.
Many shops do not have hydraulic lifts that work on Corvettes well.
When was the last time it was on a rack and whose was it?
If it is on all sides, would not rule that out, that it was not lifted properly.
Many shops do not have hydraulic lifts that work on Corvettes well.