C3 Front Clip Removal
Attempting to remove my front clip (70) to repair birdcage/windshield frame rust. Hindsight says a person has to be crazy to do this especially when attempting to reuse everything. I have painstakingly been able to break the bond of the body panels from the firewall in all locations excepting one without any damage. Working from the top down, the last place(s) remaining is area along and under the side louvers. Although not clearly shown as being bonded on Sheet A16 in the AIM, there is enough bonder there for several cars. The side dash panel extension as it's called in the AIM is bonded to the body panel rear of the body mount for about six inches. I can see no way of accessing this area since there is only about an inch and a half of clearance between the side of the rocker channel and the bond. If looking at the AIM, Sheet A16, it's adjacent to the area labeled Bond "G" in the vertical portion which is about one inch tall. The bottom line is I can't get to it to break the bond with the body panel and I was hoping to not have to cut anything up. Since I'm not the first to try this, can anyone share any advice?
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Re: C3 Front Clip Removal
Tom, I typically don't get into C3's, but I had the opportunity to help a friend pull the right side fender from his 73 several months ago. I know exactly the bond you're talking about. It took us much time but we got it off, and reused the fender panel! A prior repair applied too much bonding thickness there which resulted in the forward part of the fender to be too far out, thus not lining up with the nose panel(which was the FG replacement instead of the soft nose material).
This is what we did, advised to us from a longtime C3 guy here in Deltona Florida who we visited. He has done dozens of C3's down to the birdcage. What a sight to see 4 or 5 one day in that state when we went to his house. He had several finished and his work was outstanding. Here I learned the the 1976 or was it 1977 Corvette had steel floors! I never knew that. I had to use a magnet to prove it to myself!
This is what we did:
With the door removed, and the edge of the fender next to the door sawcut along the bond with a long hacksaw, we were able to carefully pry the lower rocker area out enough, then to get to the inner vertical bond using a combination of long hacksaw blades attached to long flat bars, along with very long & thin flat bars sharpened at the blade end. We carefully and lightly hammered the home made chisel into the bond along that inner area behind the side louvers to free it. Once it was off we ground down the bonding material to the inner firewall panel. Yes it was VERY thick!
I wish we photographed the steps but we were in the thick of it at the time and never did. edit: I found a few he had with the panel off too.
This was our first attempt to do this. If we could do it(me being a C1 guy), I'm sure you can....just take your time and it'll work.
A few pics shortly after paint below. Not detailed but you get the idea of the results.
Rich
Last edited by Richard M.; May 2, 2010, 09:06 PM. -
Re: C3 Front Clip Removal
Tom, Heres a great tip for releaseing bond seams. Useing a heat gun on high, heat the seam area quite hot-to the point that the fiberglass gets soft and bends easily(if you are pulling out on it). Use of a thin bar between the body panel and the inner structure helps to seperate the seam. The heat causes the bonding adhesive to release. It dosen't hurt the fiberglass and saves on cracked glass.Comment
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Re: C3 Front Clip Removal
Great idea Russ. C3's use SMC panels..........
Is the heat gun idea ok for the C1 fiberglass too? I'll be removing the original nose from a 59 and that could help me.
RichComment
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Re: C3 Front Clip Removal
Richard, OOPS you caught me sleeping. The heat method is for early fiberglass although I am quite sure it would be ok for SMC also. I have used it on a 70 and a 72 where it worked great.Comment
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Re: C3 Front Clip Removal
Russ,
I was using a heat gun on low seating just to make the cutting easier with a hacksaw through the bonding material. I didn't know how hot I could allow the fiberglass to get before damage so I was very tentative. If you'll give me some idea based upon what you've done in the past, this could go a lot quicker. Is there a certain temperature I should be aiming not to exceed or something?Comment
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Re: C3 Front Clip Removal
Tom, I just went out and heated a piece if FG that wasn't bonded to another piece to 275-300 degrees. Remember at this temp the glass flexes very easy and as a result if you bend it too sharply you will damage it. Secret is to pull gently on it and if possable use a thin bar behind it to gently pry the two apart. If you do damage an area it is no worse than not using heat and cracking the fiberglass. In either case you would need to do a repair. Hope this helps. RussComment
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