Hello,
I am doing an investigation for my brother in law who owns a body shop.
Last week he got in a 2000 C5 that was hit in the left front wheel by another car. This resulted in a bent frame, see pic, and the law states that the entire frame must be changed. I guess that a donor car would be the best solution? I have not been able to locate a frame for one. Neither new or used. Corvettes has never been sold in Norway so there is no dealerships here, they are all imported. So my question is, have anybody ever changed a frame, and if so what steps is the easiest way? A car like this is appx 50 000 $ over here and the insurance company wants numbers they can rely on. All tips are highly appreciated.
Best regards
Dag Anders Bjorvatn
Kristiansand, Norway

 

Replacing the frame is going to be a MAJOR effort.

You can get a price quote from Marc at VetteNuts.net but I would think you would need to determine the shipping costs.

Not sure replacing the frame is worth it.


Mr. Sam

 

Only if the car is worth $50,000. It is definitely a total loss in the US.

 

Not knowing the financial structure, or the laws, I can only offer an opinion. Atleast my opinion on the repair can be an experience opinion.

Based on your revelation that this 2000 car if in good shape would be worth 50,000. The cost of living is very high, the lack of parts, and the need to import such a heavy part. I would estimate ths cost to do this job would exceed the cost of the car by almost double. So in essence, am saying that your brother should not attempt to repair it, because it simply is not worth it. It would be too costly to repair.. considering ite not just the frame that is damaged. If you consider a nice 2000 C5 that is not totaled here in the US would be worth about 15,000, and you say this car would bring 50K in Norway, then the exchange rate would be 350%.
Buying a donor car with a good frame here in the US would be around 3000 with no engine. that's about 11,000 with the exchange rate, it would cost atleast that much to ship it to Norway, we are now at 22,000 dollars, Now consider the labor to build that 2000 C5 using the donor frame, and fix the rest of the car Would be 15,000 ( the car would be totaled here ) here in the US.. that would be 50,000. These are just rough estimate, but close enough to see where I am going. So add the donor car and shipping (20K ) + labor and repair ( 50K ) and you are at 70K plus in Norway money. for a car that only worth 50K in good shape in Norway.

 

If you can get this shipped for a few thousand dollars it might be feasible.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-04-C5-Corvette-Coupe-Race-Shell-Front-Rails-Rear-Tub-Rocker-Panel/391419019005?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36538%26meid%3Db7b1fa7b9657448d835f763baf45473e%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D391448113767

 

I agree, its a total loss.

 

That could be an "interesting" alternative, but I would imagine that the shipping and/or import duty fees could potentially make it impractical.


To the OP...........does your BIL understand how extensive the repairs would be, in swapping a body, interior, electrical system and drivetrain
on to another frame? If he was doing it for fun, as a project for his own use, done in his spare time, it might be a fun experience. If he was doing for a customer, and needs to generate a profit on his labor, I would think it would be WAY too expensive a project.

 

I agree.
Since the car is worth $50K over there, do you think if they could get the parts for $10K, it would take more than $30K in labor? It is a lot of hours for sure.

 

Since parts are so hard to get there, does that mean there is a big demand for them? If so you may have a nice parts car that could yield enough money to buy another Corvette.

 

It'd probably be more feasible to find another C5 that needs less extensive work and use that one as the parts car.

 

I'd consider the cost, both in dollars and cents, as well as the potentially complicated work that would have to be done. If you look around the various discussions on this forum, there have been some pictures posted, where members are working on the electrical system behind the dashboard. WOW!! it's a complicated maze of wiring.....

Getting the dozens of sensors in the active handling system, ABS system, traction control system, airbags, etc, etc, etc, could take MONTHS. And even after all of that, there's no guarantee that the car would perform properly. What if the driver got involved in another accident, and the airbag either didn't deploy, or deployed improperly. There could be cause for a lawsuit.

As much as I hate to see a car get scrapped, I think this one is a "lost cause"...........

 

Do the math before getting concerned over frames and such. It's no worth it, not to mention the lack of talent or skills for such a project.

 

In the original question, the OP asked "what steps are the easiest way" (tho change the frame). This car isn't like the old cars where the frame simply comes out of the bottom. The frame on these is more like a skeleton, where it involves nearly every nut and bolt to be removed. That's where things get complicated. The time involved may be cost prohibitive. In the process of building it you may find dozens of other parts that should be replaced. These parts could be hard for you to source as well. These are some of the reasons people are saying that this project probably isn't economically viable.

If you were going to pay shipping for a frame, why not get a whole car for a few thousand more? Perhaps one with mechanical problems, since you have a parts car.

Necessity is the mother of invention. I would imagine people in your country consider the Corvette a bit more rare than the people in the US which can add considerable value. We see Vette's all the time so they don't view them as being as exotic as they may be over seas. This may influence you decision to build. There may be more than just the "exchange rate" at play here when figuring the economics.

 

We must have scared the OP.............he hasn't been back!!

 

Must have! He probably looked a few times, but he only has one post total.
Agree with others, this is a loss. Start over with another used C5, sell this as a parts car.

 

We have the frames in stock for $599 for the complete front frame section located here: http://www.vettenuts.net/index.php?l...t_detail&p=313

Marc

 

Marc, he said in Norway they can't straighten a frame or weld in a section...Its against the law there.

Bill aka ET

 

Oh ok. Well we have complete frames with no damage in stock as well. That would be an expensive item to ship.

 

What's your ballpark estimate to ship it to Norway?

 

I have no idea. Transportation would be your responsibility to Norway.