Hit and Run---Body Work Question

[Big Pine Greg]

1992 blue convertible, white leather sport seats, 45000 miles, a real beauty. You wash it, you wax it, you cover it up with a fine cover, you treat it like a fine piece of art, yet still some idiot in a parking lot acts like it isn't there and drags his (or her) front bumper (probably) across the left rear quarter, hard enough to break the fiberglass. Not catastrophic (to some), but it's probably better that I wasn't there to witness this driving idiocy of some careless subhuman moron that didn't even bother to stop. Sorry, venting again. Nonetheless, my question for someone that knows body work is: the left rear quarter is a unibody piece all the way to the right rear quarter. Can the fiberglass cut out and reglassed? Anyone out there ever seen a job well done in this regard? I can't, as yet, find this major body part available anywhere. Lots of front and rear caps, doors, etc. Of course it couldn't be that simple. Not to mention, there doesn't seem to be a high-end body shop in the Florida Keys. Soon, I hope, I will once again be at peace with the world, but for now, whoooBuddy I'd like to find this person. There I go again.

 

[tyrel]

I can't help you with the body work question, but I know how you feel about parking lot mishaps. A couple of months ago I went to Lowes, come out to my car and some bozo with two kids in a big white truck backed into his space instead of going in forward. He merrily waltzed into the store without a care in the world, with his brats in tow. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but when I got home and glanced at the front of my car the azzhole scraped off a nice chunk of my formerly pristine bumper. In retrospect the guy was right there, didn't bother to let me know, leave a note, acknowledge my existence, just walked right past me into the store with his brats. He must have known that he hit my car, because he had pulled forward again. I went all the way back to Lowes to find the guy, but of course he was long gone by then. Nice example he set for his kids, hit some guy's car and then refuse to take responsibility. Really nice parenting.

 

[Toms007]

I can understand your rant. Now I think any of the big name Corvette catalogs will have what you need. Mid America, Ecklers, Corvette America. Not cheap parts but they do have the replacements.

 

[paintdaddy]

Alot of the time when a fiberglass repair is spliced in and not replaced from seam to seam it will be noticeable.The products used in the repair shrink over time and the cheaper the products the more likely they will shrink.Id be happy to take a trip to the Keys and look at it for you ,all expenses paid of course.

 

[wannavette]

didn't happen to my Vette but,just over the weekend I was in Orlando with the wife & kids visiting Mickey and we had a rental.Had to run to Walgreens Fri night and pick up some things we forgot to pack was heading back to our condo and noticed something moving on the van in the passenger mirror got parked looked at it-some a**hole backed into the corner of the bumper smashing it in and causing it rip off the screws holding it on in the wheel well.

Add $500 (ins deductible) to my trip nowad

 

[crooze]

It seems like people today just don't care. Whether it's riding your a$$ because somehow you're supposed to be able to drive faster than the ten cars in front of you or they park so close and crooked you can barely get in your car and pull out.

I'm not a big fan of this practice but I think I may have to start taking 2 spaces when I park.

 

[Heavy Duty]

I'm not a big fan of this practice but I think I may have to start taking 2 spaces when I park.

When I drive either one of my nice vehicles (truck, vettes, and yes the rustang) I park wayyyy out and I do take up two spaces. Sometimes I pick the very last parking spaces and T park in the spaces. Had one guy yell at me that I was a Smart A**. Told him yep. There are many un-caring people who just don't care about anyone else but themselves. Some actually are jealous of the fact that you have something that they want but cannot afford. So if they cannot afford it, then why should you have it.

I had a lady with one of her brats one day park next to my rustang. These were huge parking spaces and yes I was parked way out in the lot away from the rest of the cluster of parked cars. i was still setting in the car and saw what was fixing to happen and I knew there was no use in trying to move before her brat attemped to exit her car. Well, he opens the door and takes his right foot and kicks the door open right into the fender of the stang. Put a huge dent in the fender. I got out of the car to investigate. In the mean time this lady gives me a dirty look and starts walking away with her brat. I told that her kid had just damaged my car. The language this lady, if that is what you would call her, used was words a sailor wouldn't use. So I called the cops. They showed up and I explained what happened. So they waited for the lady to return and had her open the door to the spot in the fender. A perfect match and yes the door had hit so hard it still had rustang yellow on it. She then started on the cops. Next thing i knew they had her in the car cuffed. But not after one of the cops took a hit right in the forehead with her handbag. I did file charges for damaged property ($2000.00) and her insurance repaired the car. Now that was a great lession to her kid on how to act in public, how to get arrested for assulting an officer, and not to mention she tought the kid some new exciting words.

The above is the Biggest reason I avoid, at all cost, taking any of my nice vehicles to a shopping mall. IMO you are asking for trouble. Most of the time I take one of the beaters.

H.D.

 

[Achilles]

When I drive either one of my nice vehicles (truck, vettes, and yes the rustang) I park wayyyy out and I do take up two spaces. Sometimes I pick the very last parking spaces and T park in the spaces. Had one guy yell at me that I was a Smart A**. Told him yep. There are many un-caring people who just don't care about anyone else but themselves. Some actually are jealous of the fact that you have something that they want but cannot afford. So if they cannot afford it, then why should you have it.

I had a lady with one of her brats one day park next to my rustang. These were huge parking spaces and yes I was parked way out in the lot away from the rest of the cluster of parked cars. i was still setting in the car and saw what was fixing to happen and I knew there was no use in trying to move before her brat attemped to exit her car. Well, he opens the door and takes his right foot and kicks the door open right into the fender of the stang. Put a huge dent in the fender. I got out of the car to investigate. In the mean time this lady gives me a dirty look and starts walking away with her brat. I told that her kid had just damaged my car. The language this lady, if that is what you would call her, used was words a sailor wouldn't use. So I called the cops. They showed up and I explained what happened. So they waited for the lady to return and had her open the door to the spot in the fender. A perfect match and yes the door had hit so hard it still had rustang yellow on it. She then started on the cops. Next thing i knew they had her in the car cuffed. But not after one of the cops took a hit right in the forehead with her handbag. I did file charges for damaged property ($2000.00) and her insurance repaired the car. Now that was a great lession to her kid on how to act in public, how to get arrested for assulting an officer, and not to mention she tought the kid some new exciting words.

The above is the Biggest reason I avoid, at all cost, taking any of my nice vehicles to a shopping mall. IMO you are asking for trouble. Most of the time I take one of the beaters.

H.D.

Why do you think the teens (or young adults) are out of control these days? They learn by their parent's bad example. And the parents have done everything to remove any form of discipline against their kids, whether in or outside the home, for their behavior. Then they sit back and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with this generation of kids, we never acted like that because we would get an azz beaten". Duh! That's the problem. Don't get me started.

 

[Heavy Duty]

Why do you think the teens (or young adults) are out of control these days? They learn by their parent's bad example. And the parents have done everything to remove any form of discipline against their kids, whether in or outside the home, for their behavior. Then they sit back and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with this generation of kids, we never acted like that because we would get an azz beaten". Duh! That's the problem. Don't get me started.

I could not have said it any better.

H.d.

 

[Toms007]

Hey, as a high school teacher, nobody knows that better than I. Corporal punishment needs to be brought back and used on about 90% of the young people today. A good spanking didn't hurt me (in the long run) and my self esteem is probably better because of it.

Rant over.

 

[Heavy Duty]

Hey, as a high school teacher, nobody knows that better than I. Corporal punishment needs to be brought back and used on about 90% of the young people today. A good spanking didn't hurt me (in the long run) and my self esteem is probably better because of it.

Rant over.

I think that has change now to where the students spank the teachers. My wife teaches high school english. I hear all of the stories and i can tell you there is no way i'd EVER teach in grade schools. College yes. I have tought in colleges and the great thing there is that you can kick them out.

H.d.

 

[WhalePirot]

Can the fiberglass cut out and reglassed? Anyone out there ever seen a job well done in this regard?

Yes, depending upon the rip's size and location. I had a tire come off after losing the last lug nut (McGard lock). I believe someone loosened the others while the car was at the airport.

I cashed a $1000 insurance check and fixed a tear in my RR fender for about $100, using no new body parts. It looks great; you'll never see it, inside or out. Using SMC resin, hardener and sheet fiberglass, I filled the Vee'd-out rip, inside and out. Then, I carefully ground it down for finishing, w/no body filler. I used screwed-in small blocks of wood to hold both panels in proper place/alignment.

This is part of why I love 'plastic' cars!

 

[90SteelBlueCoupe]

If you need body parts ... try taber corvette salvage .. do a yahoo search and call them ... very reasonable prices...

 

[SKIP780]

whalepilot-some would say you did a butcher job on your car. but id say you did a GREAT job using your ingenuity to find a solution to the problem. its refreshing to read of someone still able to do something like this.
r/s frank