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How does a Corvette fair?

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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 01:03 AM
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Default How does a Corvette fair?

I have a question to any Corvette owners that have had the misfortune having their car beat by heavy hail. I live in hail alley but have never had my Corvette in a damaging hail storm. I have seen the results of metal cars with sever damage and conversation came up on how would a Corvette fair being it is made of an entirely different material. How would a vert roof fair. Has anyone been through a real bad hail storm with their Corvette and how did it do compared to the conventional metal car? If you have any pics you could share it would be appreciated. I am really curious. Greetings, Rob
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 01:09 AM
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I don't even want to think about it ...
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 01:43 AM
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I haven't as we don't have hail storms like some... so I'm only guessing; but metal dents, our cars break. I can't imagine hail large enough to cause anything other than perhaps paint damage. A rag top should flex. Just guessing...
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 01:53 AM
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Originally Posted by grantv
I haven't as we don't have hail storms like some... so I'm only guessing; but metal dents, our cars break. I can't imagine hail large enough to cause anything other than perhaps paint damage. A rag top should flex. Just guessing...
Fiberglass wouldn't do so well.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 01:57 AM
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Originally Posted by grantv
I haven't as we don't have hail storms like some... so I'm only guessing; but metal dents, our cars break. I can't imagine hail large enough to cause anything other than perhaps paint damage.
Hail big enough to crack a Corvette body panel is the kind of thing that would break windshields.
On a metal car, that size hail would probably cause enough body damage to total it.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 03:21 AM
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I'd invest in some heavy duty cotton moving blankets. If hail is eminent, whip those babies out and lay them over the car. I'd rather have some scuffs to polish out than the alternative.
If the hail storm is coming with rain, the rain will keep the blankets heavy and hopefully on the car for the duration of the storm.

I did this on my Monte Carlo with T-Tops years ago, and never had any damage throughout the midwest and Texas.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by El original
I have a question to any Corvette owners that have had the misfortune having their car beat by heavy hail. I live in hail alley but have never had my Corvette in a damaging hail storm. I have seen the results of metal cars with sever damage and conversation came up on how would a Corvette fair being it is made of an entirely different material. How would a vert roof fair. Has anyone been through a real bad hail storm with their Corvette and how did it do compared to the conventional metal car? If you have any pics you could share it would be appreciated. I am really curious. Greetings, Rob
end of may 2014 i left for indianapolis to pick up my daughter to take a lap around the speedway (community day...). sun was shining, perfect day, no weather predicted but as i got to the north side of indy the sky started turning ominously dark. 10 min. later golfball size hail is raining down. it was like somebody was shooting a machine gun at my car. i still cringe when i think about it. i just had to ride it out, lasted about ten minutes ( i was on the open road with nowhere to go). water was everywhere, i was worried about stalling too. got to her apartment and amazingly there was no damage at all still, i never want to be in that position again.....
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 09:02 AM
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That had to be scary as heck. Good to hear that there was no damage. Hopefully I will never run into a situation where the car is out in a hail storm.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 10:46 AM
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I got caught in a nasty, unexpected hail storm a few years ago. It didn't leave any blemishes whatsoever on my car but I was nervous as hell when it happened.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 10:55 AM
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I was at a car meet at one of our Chevy Dealers last Sat. the sky to the west was as black as I have ever seen,two people said they just came from the west and it was hailing. I closed my hood and got the H out of there !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 10:56 AM
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I live in CA. What's hail?
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by imlowr2
I live in CA. What's hail?
OH Hail, is when your earth opens up !!!!!!
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 11:13 AM
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My car has been through a hail storm in OK. Tons on damage to other cars, not even a mark on this car. That fiberglass was pretty resilient, there were cars (saturns) that had their rear windows smashed in.

Even a friends lotus had slight damage, one of this carbon fiber scoops cracked.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 02:47 PM
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My '95 Camaro convertible went through a hail storm, nothing I could do as it was parked outside at work. It wasn't bad enough to break any glass, but there were dents. The top had no damage, only to the hood and trunk. The quarter panels were fine, was told the quarter panels were not the same material (steel) as the hood and trunk, they had all the damage. Hope I never have to see this again with my 2000 Vette convertible, but to answer the ragtop question, it did seem like it just bounced off the top with no damage although I'm sure it may have shortened the overall life of the top. Not sure, but the top took it like nothing had happened at the time.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 03:27 PM
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All of you look.at hail as a bad thing, I see hail that big and my cars going outside hahah. New aftermarket better looking panels for me.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by caroutisine
My '95 Camaro convertible went through a hail storm, nothing I could do as it was parked outside at work. It wasn't bad enough to break any glass, but there were dents. The top had no damage, only to the hood and trunk. The quarter panels were fine, was told the quarter panels were not the same material (steel) as the hood and trunk, they had all the damage.
No idea about Camaros, but the '94 Olds 88 I had turned out to have SMC front fenders...until the accident, I had no idea they weren't steel.
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 05:18 PM
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Originally Posted by imlowr2
I live in CA. What's hail?
No... But I'm sure you can tell us all about earthquakes and things falling on cars.
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To How does a Corvette fair?

Old Jul 26, 2015 | 06:29 PM
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And it's "fare", not "fair".
(Sorry, not trying to be grammar police, just the OCD kicking in.)
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Old Jul 27, 2015 | 04:43 AM
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I got caught in a storm on the highway a week after I bought my Vette and it sounded like it was getting beat pretty good with hail but I didnt have any damage at all after it was over much to my surprise.
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Old Jul 27, 2015 | 06:58 AM
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Yea the hail i got hit with in was golf ball size. About three hail ***** to the dollar bill. It was amazing to see the damage to other cars. My vette and another buddies vette had no issues.
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