Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

[Grahame M.]

Hi everyone, i'm new to corverttes and also to this great organisations forum. In April this year i had the opportunity to purchase a nice convertible 427/400 in Black (not its original colour) from Western Australia and shipped it to Sydney, Australia. The US owner "rodded" the car with flares and was sold to me a a non matching numbers vehicle, which i was ok with. On C3 registry.

Unfortunately, through an accident i guess, someone has put a 73 front nose or complete front in place of the original chrome bumper. Why someone would do that is beyond me, however it has been done well. I'd like to take it back to chrome bumper and was wondering what might be involved? Is it possible they have fibreglassed the 73 bumber on? The parts all appear to in place at the front end, even the K66 TI box.

Any help would be really appreciated. I have purchased AIM and chassis Service Manauals from this site. Hope the pics help.

Cheers

Grahame

[Graeme B.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi Grahame,
Welcome to NCRS.
I'd say just the nose has been grafted on as the guards have the correct flutes and indicator recesses.
Pull out the front grills and see if there is a join in this area.
Car looks tough.
Cheers, Graeme.

[Michael W.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

The front bumper assembly appears to be from the '75 and up era. '73 and '74 didn't have the 'bumperettes' on ether side of the licence plate recess. The chin spoiler is similar to the '78 model year

It's possible the entire front end was changed during the customization process, reverting to a stock '69 (guessing from the license plate number) could be an onerous process. Best have a close inspection to see what's required.

[Alan S.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi Grahame,
Welcome!
It is a pretty neat looking car! I'll bet it really turns a lot of heads as you drive! As Mike has said changing back to a chrome front bumper and proper grills could be a pretty big undertaking. To my eye if you changed the bumper the flairs would likely want to go too. (Another good bit of work).
Since the car looks well done, (at least in the pictures), you might want to enjoy it for a while just the way it is and then you'll develope a feel if you want to go back to the stock appearance or not.
Glad you're here!
Regards,
Alan

[Stuart F.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

It appears to my eye that the front bumper is one and the same as the fenders, i.e. I don't see a joint between them. If so, converting it back may be even more of a job than mere parts changing. It actually looks pretty good the way it is. Looks like a mean machine!

Stu Fox

[Mike G.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

the entire front clip is different. front surrond, fenders and lower valance area and hood is all different than a 73 up car. i would guess someone installed a front clip off of a later model car because thats what they had. does it still have the short hood or the 73 up longer hood?

[Grahame M.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi Graeme, Thanks for the quick response. I'll check it out on the weekend.

Many Thanks Grahame

[Grahame M.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply but have been traveling with work. When the car gets back from the paint shop next week I'll have a good look at the front end to see what hey might have done.I should also have the AIM by then to help. Tanks for all the positive comments and i will enjoy the car before i start tampering.
Thanks again
Grahame

[Grahame M.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi Everyone, I checked the front nose clip and can't see any joins, but that could just mean a good job. I should have taken a pic of the brackets and rails but i'll try to explain.

The bracket in the middle is a large "C" shape which also has brackets shooting off to each side of the car at a slight angle backwards. These side bracket look like they run just in front or right on the Headlights. Not sure if this confuses everyone more?

One last question on Parts. Being a long way from the US i have to rely on word of mouth with Ecklers and Zip being the preferred options for replacement / Reproduction parts. If i chose to put the car back to original are vthese the best sources?

Aside from the obvious body mods some of the checks i've done seem to be matching up.

Engine Tri-Power 400hp 427 (3963512)
Engine Date code 16 June 1969
Inlet manifold (3937795)
Exhaust Manifold (3880827 & 28)
Heads (3931063)

Unfortunately the engine number has been machined off with an engine rebuild in early 90's (have receipts). But i can see what appears to be the last 2 digits of the VIN "24" which matches VIN 724624 with build date code L14 on plate.

Cheers

Grahame

[Graeme B.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi Grahame,
Your car is built 3 days before mine.
I'm not sure Ecklers and Zip are the prefered suppliers.
There are good reproduction body panels available that people on this forum use,just ask.
Cheers, Graeme.

[Alan S.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi Grahame,
The parts supplier question is a deep pit.
So many of the reproduction parts that are offered may only be correct for one year though they fit many years. Some are of poor quality. A few are just generic auto store parts being sold as Corvette parts.
Depending on what your goal for your car is, you might be better off tying to buy used original parts and restoring them as necessary.
To your list of possible sources I'll add Corvette Central, Paragon Corvette Reproductions, and Dr. Rebuild.
Using the Technical Information Manual & Judging Guide to glean information from may be a good start.
I understand your dilemma being so far away but I feel you'll need to do lots of investigation to determine what are the best sources and parts for you.
Regards,
Alan

[Grahame M.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Thanks Alan,
i really appreciate the feedback and will certainly be using this resource in the future. Many thanks to everyone for there great comments. Cheers

[Grahame M.]

Re: Chrome Bumper convertible with 73 fibreglass nose

Hi Mike,
I measured the hood length and it is 139cm (just under 55in) through the centre. Does that sound like original dimensions?

Cheers

Grahame