Buckeyebl

I suspect my 07 convertible was damaged by the previous owner. The car has definitely been repainted and the body panels are all out of alignment. I have an appointment in a few weeks with the owner of the dealership where I bought it to inspect it. They gave me a document (signed statement) when I bought it that says the vehicle was all original, never been repainted and never been disassembled. Can someone give me some insight into what t look for with the frame and other items that would indicate the car had been repaired by a collision center? Is the VIN stamped on the frame on both sides where I could match it up to ensure none of it was replaced. What about looking for where repairs to the frame or other major body components might have been made?

I appreciate any help.

DUB

Knowing that when the car was built...it was painted first. So..looking at all areas of anything that touches your paint and see if you can see a really fine line where the color or your paint is on that specific part. THAT would be a dead give away that at least that panel had been painted on after the factory.

You frame is made in a process call hydroforming. So...from the front to the back...it is a formed piece of box steel that is continuous. now...GM does weld onto this frame the gussets and other components that further allow them to assemble the car. So...if teh frame rail was cut vertically...and another newer section added to it with a sleeve inside it...you would see a continuous weld going all the way around the frame box tube. THAT would tell you that it has been sectioned....especially if the other side of the car does not have that look.

Some body men may not make a straight cut through the frame...from top to bottom. . They might cut it through at the top...then angle the cut at a 45 degree angel (for example) when they go towards the bottom of the frame rail. but regardless of either method....you can see that it has been cut and welded UNLESS that person doing it is really really good...and able to completely hide what they did...which I know I can do that along with the guy I know who pulls frames for me. You would have to look for a very long time to try to find it. And so much of that also depends on where the cut is being made to be able to access all the way around it.

DUB

Buckeyebl

We can see debris under the basecoat in some very visible areas. There are also places where there are hard edges such as where the fender bolts to the car that the paint is wrinkled the entire length of that area. It's that way all over the car on both fenders, around the trunk opening, etc... And all of the body panels are out of alignment. There are large uneven gaps around every one of them indicating the car has been taken apart. I'm pretty sure a corvette coming off the assembly line would never make it through inspection with any of those issues existing in even one spot. I think I'm going to have an independent corvette dealer inspect it for me before I meet with the selling dealerships owner.

DUB

I agree with your idea. I can say that GM would not have allowed that car to leave the factory as you have described.

Trash in or under the paint would have NEVER been allowed to leave the plant...and with GM's painting facilities.....trash just does not get in the paint to the magnitude that you are describing....and if fine lint does get in the paint job at the factory...they have a team of people correcting these spots and making them un-noticeable.

You can also look at the Torx screws that hold the fenders and quarters on and see if you can see witness marks of them being now in a different location that what GM set them at initially.

DUB