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Sad. Beautiful car that's being retired way too early. Road debris is one of my primary concerns when driving a Corvette. I know there are times in heavy traffic it can't be avoided, however it's amazing how much is out there when you really look for it.
If I recall correctly, the prior two Corvette gens (5 and 6) had a central hydroformed aluminum spine made of many parts welded together. The C7 has hydroformed rails, plural, that makes up the frame. From the pics it looks like it is still made of many pieces, not one solid piece bent or configured. I don't know much about aluminum tensile strength, straightening, re-welding, etc. but I can understand where, in some cases, one hit or one fix may compromise it too much for a later hit. I can think of a parallel---some aluminum wheels can be straightened but in some cases they're never up to the standards of the original, undamaged wheel.
It really is too bad because the car looks great otherwise!
I agree. see if you can buy it back through a local body shop that works with aluminum. If you work with the insurance company you may be able to pull it off. they pay you the value difference of the car subsequent to the total loss and you have it repaired.. No way a ferrari or porsche Benz etc shop isn't going to get that welded up better than new and stronger..
Otherwise someone is going to end up with one heck of a salvage GS!!
Have a repair plate welded in. Can be made stronger than new
I think anything can be welded now days but how will you be able to stress relieve the weld while the part is on the car? If not done, the metal may be brittle and the rear end will fall of.
Here are some screen prints of the estimate. I was told to do all of the repairs, not including the structural part, the entire driveline and interior would have to be removed. Besides the structural component, the object in the road obviously did other damage. I appreciate everyone's thoughts on having it repaired, but I debate doing this and driving a car that could develop a problem in the future. I also take a financial punch either way. I can spend more money and buy a new car, or down the road try to sell a car that has a rebuilt salvage title, which will also bring down the value. I still need to see what the insurance company proposes, but right now I see this car going away to make someone a great driver, or a great parts car and I end up with a 2018.
BTW, if you watched the "How It's Made" episode on C7 recently linked to on this site, the damaged structure is the very core of the car, with a lot built up around it that can't easily be removed and replaced. (Some is welded, some glued.) Essentially repairing it would mean a complete frame replacement, assuming Chevy will even sell a complete frame. A complete frame for C7 probably could only be built up accurately on the assembly line and then pulled off mid-build, but other parts might be added before the frame was complete. I suspect it's not practical. Even if you could get a complete frame, a rebuild would be hugely expensive in terms of labor. All the stuff done efficiently on the assembly line would have to be undone and re-done manually.
Parting it out or making a track car with a roll cage both seem like options, but how much time and energy does OP wish to expend? If he is a retiree with time on his hands, maybe. Otherwise it's just a huge time suck. There are professionals who part out cars and who build race cars. They're got connections and expertise that an ordinary person doesn't have.
If the insurance company is willing to total it, that's OP's probable best option. Of course it may still cost him some dollars, but the point of insurance is not to pay all costs related to any casualty. It's to limit one's exposure to loss.
I had the misfortune of being on an extremely busy interstate about a month ago when a vehicle in front of me went over a large rock or chuck of something VERY hard. This interstate is eight lanes wide where I was at and vehicles were all around me doing 70+/- mph, so I had no where to go and I couldn't stop without causing accidents for others. I tried to straddle it, but it hit a number of places under the car, but luckily it missed anything with fluids. One big problem right now is the dealer has shown me pictures of a rear structural member that has a crack. They are calling it a rear transmission tunnel and indicating it is a non-serviceable part, not offered by Chevrolet. $7,600 damages without buying this part and the associated labor. Anyone have any similar experience?
I may end up with a totaled car that still looks perfect.
Great pics and good description/pics of where it is located.
Very surprised the insurance company is totaling. Aluminum can be welded. In fact the C7 frame has many feet of MIG welds. Most forum members have seen the video in Bowling Green of the two MIG welding robots in operation.
However those circular spot welds are a process developed by GM! There are 439 in the frame. I did not count them, that was mentioned in an American Welding Society Monthly Journal in the Research section in a report written by GM folks.
In fact, I made better pictures of them and describe the process in this PDF I made after seeing a Frame display in August 2013. That is when GM had ~10 IVERS and that display at the Laguna Seca Vintage Races.
IMO, that crack can be ground out and repaired. It should be done in a shop that is certified for aluminum car repair where they will used what is called Pulsed MIG Welding. That is the specified welding process for repair of the C6 Z06 aluminum frame and probably for the C7.
As someone mentioned, you could put a doubler plate over the area if desired and MIG plug weld it in place. There are a few, what are called MIG slot welds in the C7 frame. one is shown in the PDF.
Here are a few pics from the PDF:
The round spots with concentric circles are from GM developed process. There are 439 such welds in the C7 frame per GM. Could use MIG plug welds for repair, if needed. Funny, my pics of the spot welds are better than what GM showed in the Technical article! Maybe they did not want to have too high expectations!
Most of the welds in the C7 frame are made with MIG. There are two MIG robots shown in Bowling Green video's. Not as sexy sounding as Laser Welds (used only on the the thin driveshaft tunnel material) or the fancy looking spot welds but MIG is used to join most of the C7 frame components.
Remember the Blue pre-production C7 that was crashed in AZ by a GM engineer. I was told that the front frame section broke at the weld when the wheel dropped off the pavement, and GM redesigned that part of the frame, holding up the production models.
Another wreck.....
"low spd crsh car shatters chassis frame welds failed
crash at low speed front right wheel hit pipe frame broke apart and scattered into pieces everywhere. We had seatbelts on but I was found in middle of road, passenger died. Nothing remained to protect the occupants. The complete front of 2014 stingray broke off including dash board and fire wall and rear end broke off leaving occupants completely exposed. The frame welds failed at every weld point within the cars' frame. Frame is made of multiple sections welded together and the main connection points are made out of cast aluminum, and all the welds failed at the cast aluminum places. Because you cannot weld cast aluminum. So the car was never tested nor was anyone who bought this car aware of this negligent deficiency. Disgusted with GM. They came to inspect the remains of my car and measured the welds and chassis, what was left. They have never contacted me ever again.
My dream car was always a Corvette. My dream car Stingray 2014 Corvette became my biggest, saddest and most horrifying nightmare of my life.
I would tell anyone that I am able to NEVER buy this GM piece of crap. It was hyped as the new Stingray and everyone lined up, including me. Had I known what I do today, and the death of my son in law who was not protected either, I would TELL EVERYONE TO NEVER BUY THIS CAR NOR ANY OTHER GM PRODUCT EVER! My injuries to my body are forever, my grief for the loss of my son in law will never end. I am disgusted by GM and their failures at every single aspect from false advertising to crappy and deficient work on this product. I will never be the same, nor will my family. As they get richer, I have lost everything. I would hope I could find others who have known of crashes where this car crumbled and shattered so that I am able to file a class action against GM.
- Cherry F., Lewisville, NC, US "
I would be very leery about driving a C7 with it's frame repaired.
Remember the Blue pre-production C7 that was crashed in AZ by a GM engineer. I was told that the front frame section broke at the weld when the wheel dropped off the pavement, and GM redesigned that part of the frame, holding up the production models.
Another wreck.....
"low spd crsh car shatters chassis frame welds failed
crash at low speed front right wheel hit pipe frame broke apart and scattered into pieces everywhere. We had seatbelts on but I was found in middle of road, passenger died. Nothing remained to protect the occupants. The complete front of 2014 stingray broke off including dash board and fire wall and rear end broke off leaving occupants completely exposed. The frame welds failed at every weld point within the cars' frame. Frame is made of multiple sections welded together and the main connection points are made out of cast aluminum, and all the welds failed at the cast aluminum places. Because you cannot weld cast aluminum. So the car was never tested nor was anyone who bought this car aware of this negligent deficiency. Disgusted with GM. They came to inspect the remains of my car and measured the welds and chassis, what was left. They have never contacted me ever again.
My dream car was always a Corvette. My dream car Stingray 2014 Corvette became my biggest, saddest and most horrifying nightmare of my life.
I would tell anyone that I am able to NEVER buy this GM piece of crap. It was hyped as the new Stingray and everyone lined up, including me. Had I known what I do today, and the death of my son in law who was not protected either, I would TELL EVERYONE TO NEVER BUY THIS CAR NOR ANY OTHER GM PRODUCT EVER! My injuries to my body are forever, my grief for the loss of my son in law will never end. I am disgusted by GM and their failures at every single aspect from false advertising to crappy and deficient work on this product. I will never be the same, nor will my family. As they get richer, I have lost everything. I would hope I could find others who have known of crashes where this car crumbled and shattered so that I am able to file a class action against GM.
- Cherry F., Lewisville, NC, US "
I would be very leery about driving a C7 with it's frame repaired.
It would be interesting to see the crash report for the accident. It is hard to fathom how so much destruction could be done with a "low-speed" crash.
mdshaffer: I think the NOTE: from GM Engineering just above the Total Estimate is the deciding factor. At the end it says: Replacing the part comprises the structure of the vehicle. I don't think any insurance company would take the liability of telling the customer we are going to fix it.
tom
mdshaffer: I think the NOTE: from GM Engineering just above the Total Estimate is the deciding factor. At the end it says: Replacing the part comprises the structure of the vehicle. I don't think any insurance company would take the liability of telling the customer we are going to fix it.
tom
While that sounds like a great idea, his insurance company may not be willing to provide full collision coverage on the car in the future if he does that.
May also mean that he has to pay cash... not all banks will loan on a salvage title. Also, any warranty is likely voided -- I'm not 100% sure, but I thought there was a clause in there that denies warranty coverage for salvage-title vehicles.
Just because it gets re-sold at a discount doesn't mean there isn't a price to be paid, one way or another.
Remember the Blue pre-production C7 that was crashed in AZ by a GM engineer. I was told that the front frame section broke at the weld when the wheel dropped off the pavement, and GM redesigned that part of the frame, holding up the production models.
Another wreck.....
"low spd crsh car shatters chassis frame welds failed
crash at low speed front right wheel hit pipe frame broke apart and scattered into pieces everywhere. We had seatbelts on but I was found in middle of road, passenger died. Nothing remained to protect the occupants. The complete front of 2014 stingray broke off including dash board and fire wall and rear end broke off leaving occupants completely exposed. The frame welds failed at every weld point within the cars' frame. Frame is made of multiple sections welded together and the main connection points are made out of cast aluminum, and all the welds failed at the cast aluminum places. Because you cannot weld cast aluminum. So the car was never tested nor was anyone who bought this car aware of this negligent deficiency. Disgusted with GM. They came to inspect the remains of my car and measured the welds and chassis, what was left. They have never contacted me ever again.
My dream car was always a Corvette. My dream car Stingray 2014 Corvette became my biggest, saddest and most horrifying nightmare of my life. <other crap snipped for brevity>
- Cherry F., Lewisville, NC, US "
I would be very leery about driving a C7 with it's frame repaired.
Regarding "Cherry" story
"you can't weld cast aluminum". Hmmm... how does the frame get constructed again? Pretty sure it's welded.
Also, "The frame welds failed at every weld point within the cars' frame" -- from a low-speed impact?
"car was never tested"?
I would be leery of a repaired frame C7 too, but the above story sounds like utter garbage -- I think Cherry is going nuclear with the hyperbole, hoping to hit the lawsuit lottery.
So what is really being said here? The Corvette is disposable if you have any frame damage in an accident? Cant the frame just be replaced? They do frame off restorations all day long. I would contact a custom yacht yard such as Burger Yachts in Wisconsin they weld and repair Aluminium super structures all day long. If they can weld these when the owners poke holes in them they can indeed weld a C7 frame. I know the owner. PM me. http://www.burgerboat.com/
08-22-2017, 09:45 PM
