80-82 Front body problem

[Peer81]

Hello everybody,

Sorry at this time I don't have any pictures to explain but the problem isn't that difficult. I'm rebuilding my 81 (from a body off) and put on the hood the other week. This week I wanted to align the hood but there is a problem.

The hood is centered and at the right level exept for one point. In the front center of the hood, the hood lies 7mm (0.2758") lower then the body right in front of it. So on the sides (left and right) the hood is at the same hight as the body but at the center it is lower. I can not change the angle of the hood and under the body is a steel reinforcement so I can't change that angle either.

What I can do is changing the "bodymount" at the center of the nose to lower the nose. Or the right way to do this is to lower the chassis extension the 80-82 vette's have. I think when I lower the entire front this will also lower the center point that is to high right now.

Well I hope you understand the problem. And if somebody has a better idea I hope to hear it
Pictures can be attached later..

Groeten Peter

 

[Peer81]

Thanks everybody! otfl

Tried to correct the problem myself today. Lowered the front support which gave me a few mm and then also cut 2mm of the rubber from the nose bodymount. It still isn't level but it only is a few mm so no big problem anymore.

Groeten Peter

 

[killain]

Thanks everybody! otfl

Tried to correct the problem myself today. Lowered the front support which gave me a few mm and then also cut 2mm of the rubber from the nose bodymount. It still isn't level but it only is a few mm so no big problem anymore.

Groeten Peter

Well I hope you worked out the problem, but on my 79 the hood never fit 'perfect' the main section, the front and top fit Ok, but the lower by the fenders crest (closer to the front nose piece it was a 1/8 low and back at the corners by the windshield, the two corners fit a 1/8 of an inche high on one side/ 1/4 on the other. I did the best I could to get it to fit, but a friend at a Corvette restoration shop near here showed me that the hood and the fenders and nose piece would NEVER fit together perfectly. The hoods, fenders were made on wood forms and they wore out at some point in the manufacturing process before they were replaced and thus the hoods and fenders on most/ not all C-3 model corvettes were cured out of alignment !

 

[JohnZ]

The hoods, fenders were made on wood forms and they wore out at some point in the manufacturing process before they were replaced and thus the hoods and fenders on most/ not all C-3 model corvettes were cured out of alignment !

I don't know where you heard that one, but it gets this week's gold star for the silliest "internet legend" of the week. Corvette fiberglass body panels were formed and cured from fiberglass mat preforms and poured polyester resin, under extreme heat and pressure, in matched male and female heated steel molds mounted in massive 100-ton hydraulic presses.

 

[killain]

I don't know where you heard that one, but it gets this week's gold star for the silliest "internet legend" of the week. Corvette fiberglass body panels were formed and cured from fiberglass mat preforms and poured polyester resin, under extreme heat and pressure, in matched male and female heated steel molds mounted in massive 100-ton hydraulic presses.

Well John, I don't doubt you, but I only know what I'm told, see and read, but I doubt your going to find many early and later model C-3's were the body panels fit perfect. I'm been to a hundred Corvette shows and NCRS judging meets and in my opinion, I can't remember one C-3 that had perfectly fitting body panels.

 

[JohnZ]

Well John, I don't doubt you, but I only know what I'm told, see and read, but I doubt your going to find many early and later model C-3's were the body panels fit perfect. I'm been to a hundred Corvette shows and NCRS judging meets and in my opinion, I can't remember one C-3 that had perfectly fitting body panels.

I don't question the relatively ill-fitting panels - that's not at all unusual. I worked at St. Louis and built these cars, and my Chevrolet Production Engineering Group designed, built, and installed the assembly tooling. I spent a lot of time at the body panel vendors' molding plants helping them solve quality problems, and just wanted to dispel the "legend" that the panels were made in wood molds.

 

[KANE]

I don't question the relatively ill-fitting panels - that's not at all unusual. I worked at St. Louis and built these cars, and my Chevrolet Production Engineering Group designed, built, and installed the assembly tooling. I spent a lot of time at the body panel vendors' molding plants helping them solve quality problems, and just wanted to dispel the "legend" that the panels were made in wood molds.

I liked the legend better John. Made me feel like my Vette was more "unique".


:L

Actually, I had heard about the presses and the quest for quality. The other legend is that when production moved from STL to Bowling Green the quality improved. I'm curious as to your take...

 

[Evolution1980]

Peter, there was another thread some time ago (more than a year) where this issue came up. I believe that Yoda posted in the thread. If I recall correctly, the issue was the rubber blocks that are used along the inside 'rails' or 'wells' or whatever they are called. "Water channels"? Anyways, the meat of it was that they often had to be shaved down so the hood would be level all the way up and down each side of the hood.
I bet if you did an Advanced Search in the C3 forums you could find it...if it still matters to you.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Killian,

Your guy would be right if he was referring to the way most aftermarket manufacturers make replacement panels. They are usually hand layed up in fiberglass molds reinforced with wood. The part will only be a good as the mold.

Tom

 

[gmjunkie]

Killian,

Your guy would be right if he was referring to the way most aftermarket manufacturers make replacement panels. They are usually hand layed up in fiberglass molds reinforced with wood. The part will only be a good as the mold.

Tom

And the mold will Only be as Good as the Parts it was popped off of!!

 

[JohnZ]

Actually, I had heard about the presses and the quest for quality. The other legend is that when production moved from STL to Bowling Green the quality improved. I'm curious as to your take...

There's no question that the Bowling Green '81-'82 cars were better - they were built in a brand-new plant with brand-new tooling.

 

[Evolution1980]

There's no question that the Bowling Green '81-'82 cars were better - they were built in a brand-new plant with brand-new tooling.

BAHH!


J/K'ing

 

[killain]

There's no question that the Bowling Green '81-'82 cars were better - they were built in a brand-new plant with brand-new tooling.

John, I applaud you and all the other St. Louis workers who built the Corvette. I would never mean or intend any slight against your work. All things considered the corvette was great. One problem I had when I first got my 79 was the passenger side T-Top leading edge lifted in the middle about 1 1/2 inche so that when you looked at the car from the front it stuck out like a sore thumb. I finally wound up cutting horizontal slots about ten inches long along the curve of the top and then using fiberglass repair kit, I remoulded the front so the it pointed down more so as to match the drives side. It was a complicated job and took a fair amount of time to fix and then repaint. Once stripped down it was clear there was no prior damage and it simply came out of the mold like that. But I'm sure that my cars problem was one in a thousand, however I've seen the same problem. But thank you for your work, Considering I've owned five Corvettes(Not Too Many) but each one a great automobile. I wouldn't enjoy the corvette as much if it wern't for you Saint louis and Bowling Green folks. Again Thank you!

 

[GerryLP]

Don't mean to be facetious, but it is called "mass production"...not every car came out the same way...

GerryLP:cool

 

[6880 Mike]

...There's no question that the Bowling Green '81-'82 cars were better - they were built in a brand-new plant with brand-new tooling....

I agree. One of the reasons for the move to Bowling Green was the quality issue.