Front clip removal
07-14-2018, 05:05 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Front clip removal
Hello all, Elise will be having her front clip removed very soon and was looking for some advice. 1) How should I go about prepping the clip so that it will be easier to along when it goes back on? I was thinking about drilling screw holes through the clip and bonding strips for alignment and bonding later, is this a good method? 2) Should I leave the inner skirts and radiator support attached to the clip or the frame? Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
07-15-2018, 05:27 AM
#2
Vette
07-15-2018, 05:35 AM
#3
I have no idea what year your car is but I can tell you that it takes time to fit the clip . Now I know in my case I was putting an original clip from another car back on. This in itself can create some challenges. I would suggest various size clamps instead of screw holes. They can come back to haunt if not done properly. Core support in for stability. Clean off all old adhesive on both the clip and body. Car should be on frame sitting on wheels. As you can see it's a bit of work but very rewarding. I used Lord Fusor T21 with a pneumatic gun so as to get the adhesive on quickly even though it was a medium set up time (40 min.). The removal process was a heat gun a couple of different size putty knives and an old fashion slim jim which was used years ago to open locked doors. This came in handy for releasing the clip around the plenum areas.
Hope this helps
RVZIO
Hope this helps
RVZIO
Last edited by SB64; 07-15-2018 at 05:41 AM.
07-15-2018, 05:59 AM
#4
Instructor
Thread Starter
Mine is a 1968, I figured since I’m putting the same one back on that the screws would help me align it better, but this, of course, is the thinking of someone who hasn’t actual done it lol. Thanks for the response, I am very familiar with your 1969 restoration!
07-15-2018, 10:40 AM
#5
07-15-2018, 10:53 AM
#6
Race Director
Hello all, Elise will be having her front clip removed very soon and was looking for some advice. 1) How should I go about prepping the clip so that it will be easier to along when it goes back on? I was thinking about drilling screw holes through the clip and bonding strips for alignment and bonding later, is this a good method?
I prefer not to use screws. I use straps that can go from one side and across to the other side and pull the fenders in where they get bonded by the door gap area.
In some cases I will use ONE screw at the bottom of the fender and screw it in where the rocker molding can hide this area. So when I remove the screw,,,I can fix it and it still will be hidden.
Not knowing if you are also removing the narrow strip of fiberglass that runs along the top of the cowl area. I generally clamp that area.
Take careful measurements so when you go to put it back on you have some guide line to help you out.
I can say...and this can be a tricky part. I remove the front wheels and support the front end UNDER the lower control arms and try to get the ride height the same as if the wheels were on the car.
Reason being....with the inner skirts attached....it can be a bit of a challenge to splay out the fenders enough to get around the tires and cause got some cracking if the front clip is man-handled too much.
IF you master cylinder is in place...make sure the vacuum storage tank is also installed due to it can be a pain to installed AFTER you put the front clip back on IF your master cylinder is still mounted in place.
I might ALSO suggest that you 100% verify that the vacuum storage tank is GOOD and it can hold vacuum. The link to a thread I created can show you what can happen to these vacuum storage tanks.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1597599920
It will depend on what type of adhesive you choose to use to bond it back on with. I have my views on this and it all depends on what the owner of the car is expecting when I go to bond it back on. Some want the same colored adhesive like the factory used which I can darn near duplicate...while other do not have a preference.
Just make sure all of your bonding surfaces are prepped and there are 'trick's I can give you BEFORE you go crazy and grind off all of the adhesive if you care to hear them and understand WHY these tricks make sense. They can aid you when you go to put the clip back on. PM me if you care to hear about them when we talk or...don't PM me. I am fine with it ether way.
DUB
07-15-2018, 01:00 PM
#7
Instructor
Thread Starter
I absolutely will pick any and all brains when it comes time to do this hahaha, thanks Robert and Dub, you will definitely be hearing from me....a lot!
07-15-2018, 06:59 PM
#8
Race Director
DUB