I bought this car last year from a private party. It has a rebuilt title. It didn't have the middle of the front spoiler on it when I bought it. I thought it probably got knocked off on a curb or something. I didn't know much about Corvettes, but I had F-bodies for about 8 years and knew I wanted to step up. The price was pretty good, but now I keep finding little things that are just jacked up. I guess I should have expected a few more surprises, eh? Anyway, after investigating a little bit more I found that the previous owner had run over a brick or something and this is what the skid bar ended up looking like. (Notice the new one that Ihave ready to go in......)



I was pretty pumped to get the new one on the car and get the front spoiler on but.........Check out the front drivers side insert hole!!



It ripped the insert right out of the frame!! I am going to try and weld the insert back in tomorrow after work. So, wish me luck!!



Anyone else ever had to do this?? Any tips?

Thanks!!

~Jason.

 

by the look of that pic i would say the brick was still attached to a house!

Good luck with your project

 

Happens often. I hit a semi tire retread on the hiway and ripped mine off on the passsengers side. The body shop fixed and you can't even tell.

Skinny
Lawrence, KS

 

Mine is pushed about 1/4" to one side. Annoying but not enough to worry about right now.

Your's on the other hand looks like it does need a little help.

 

Also, look at this crossmember..........







I think I should probably get that replaced, also. It looks like it might break just going down the road.......

What is the official name for this "crossmember", and how much do they run?

 

Looks more like he hit the whole house?

 

"She"

 

ouch...did you know what you were getting into? Hope you knew ahead of time the damage involved and the salvage title. Judging by that severe damage there could be a lot more hidden surprises. Hope you didn't pay very much for it. It can slowly turn into the money pit....trust me....been there done that with my C4. I spent a ton of money on that car and got it back to better then new condition. It was a long hard and $$$$$ road to follow though. The car I sold for less then I put into it. I would never get the money back, especially with that rebuilt title. Live and let learn.

 

Yeah, I don't think I will ever buy a salvage again.....It just has too many surprises.

edit: And to top it off, the oil pressure sensor is broken. Go figure.....

 

That much damage to the front crossmember may have damaged the vehicle's frame, as the front crossmember is directly attached (bolted) to it. You should consider taking it to someone who knows how to inspect the frame and the fromt crossmember. If the frame has been damaged it may pull the engine out of alignment with the rest of the power train which will lead to problems in the future. You need to have an expert assess it.

As far as parts ... try calling Gene at

http://www.gmpartshouse.com

and see if he can price/get the crossmember. I doubt that is a "stock" item for most parts suppliers, so I'm guessing it is gonna take at least a few days to come up with the part, and I don't even want to know what GM charges for it .... other than I'm certain it will be well north of $1000 for the crossmember alone.

If the frame is undamaged, and you want to replace the crossmember yourself, post again and ask for help. The Service Manual, for example, shows that the bolts holding the crossmember to the frame have special anti-rotation collars that are riveted to the frame. You'll have to drill the rivets out and pop new rivets in for the new bolts. Tips like that will be available once you get going on the project.

Best of luck, and sorry for your problems

 

Thanks.....

 

Instead of new, I'd look into purchase of a used cross-member from one of the firms that specialize in used corvette / C5 parts. Should be able to purchase one, at a substantial savings from new, but be good as new.

 

Thanks! Myk7 sent me a link to one on ebay with a buy it now of $150. I am going to call Corvette Recyclers today, too. They are here local so that might be the way to go. Maybe I can just get a job there on the weekends to pay for my parts.......

 

Hi GOFASTERNUT -

Yes - definitely an item I would buy used - not new lol.......

There are a couple of forum vendors that are reliable and give us good prices on used stuff - look for Gene Coggins (member karshop).

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/member.php?u=14501

He is a great guy to deal with in my experience.

Another place to check is Cleveland Pick a Part - search google - they always have 8 or 10 C5's they are parting out.

best regards -

mqqn

 

I would part the car out. No one that knows C5's will ever buy this car with a salvage title, unless they are a glutton for punishment, or want the parts. So part it out, recover your money, and go buy a car that isn't going to nickel and dime you to death.

 

Not going to do that. I'll spend the couple hundred bucks to fix these problems then I'll drive it. It drives and runs sweet! It should give years of reliable service. It only has 77k miles on it.

 

You can buy those inserts from GM and fab a bolt nut and washer to squeeze the insert. The insert compresses like a rivet.

 

Welding the insert might work unless the hole was enlarged when the insert was pulled out. A new insert might work, but with the same caveat. Maybe, just weld in the appropriate sized metric nut?
It looks like the previous owner might have struck one of those concrete parking lot barriers.

 

The cross member is aluminum. Instead of replacing it, I'd have it welded up and maybe add some gussets to help bring the strength back on the side that's damaged. It would probably be much cheaper than a replacement, and the work could be done on a lift just like it sits. Find a good shop for that and they should be able to easily fix it.

 

That's probably a great idea. I'll have to look into that. I did get a used crossmember for it already. Only $150. What should I do??