Re: Ebay "67 Vette L89
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Do they rebody Vettes like they do COPO Chevelles and Yenko Camaros ??? What does Bloomington/NCRS say about this ?
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The process at which a body panel is replaced in fiberglass and metal is completely different. The metal that was used across the board in all metal GM cars is not unique to the make or model. Obviously the shape of the metal is unique to the car. Well, the same cannot be said about the Corvettes. There are very few select outfits that reproduce fiberglass. The biggest producer of reproduction glass today (in proper form) is Corvette Image, and their glass is rather hard to work with. There are other companies who produce 1-Piece Corvette noses. But that is not typical factory production and is frowned upon in the highest levels of judging. The Corvettes were pieced together in numerous phases… front fenders, a top surround and grill support are all held together with industrial fiberglass glue compound. In the rear, the deck lid is pieced together with rear quarter panels and a tail panel. All of the panels are then held together by the metal inner casing also known as the bird cage. One of the main reasons for the lack of appropriate reproduction parts is difference in the production of the glass between today and 40 years ago. The other main reason for this is because of the variations within the fiberglass among the different years. For example, each year mid-year Corvette got a different color fiber glass. 1963-1964 glass is considerably lighter compared to the 1965 glass which has a yellow tint, the 1966 glass which has a grey(er) tint, and the 1967 glass which has a much darker hue to it, almost like a charcoal color. So to answer your question Bob, very few people rebody Corvettes because of the lack of accessibility and also the variation of glass among the years. Corvettes were not mass produced like the family oriented cars in Camaros and Chevelles -- production numbers just reached mid- 20,000s per year for the mid year cars. Another key reason why Corvettes are not rebodied is because original glass is very hard to come by.
Check out the pictures in the next couple of posts. I will further explain what I am talking about.
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