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downhil
10-04-2005, 06:21 AM
hi there, i've been lurking for quite a while, but finally registered. the cars i'm interested in are: first gen camaro, late 60's-70's vette, 70-72 nova, and 70-72 chevelle. i've been looking for a project car off and on for a few years but have never whole heartedly searched....just kinda waited for the perfect car to jump at me. i've tried using the search on here but to no avail. basically i would like to know, on the cars i'm looking for what is available body panel wise, what isn't, what is a definite redflag for a no-buy-car, etc.

i've looked at some of the aftermarket suppliers for body panels and interior parts and the like and have a basic feel for what is available, but what about harder to replace or fix parts or panels? (windshield and rear glass frames, b-pillars...)

for example...on a 69 camaro, who much of a pain is it to replace rear frame rails that are rotted? the welding isn't the issue.

thanks in advance, i've learned a lot already from this site. hopefully there is more to come.

derekf
10-04-2005, 06:41 AM
Hi, welcome to the site.. you should post up in the "welcome to the board", introduce yourself (we like names) and show off pics of your car (if you've got one to post pics of, that is).

Can't be too specifically helpful for your question as I don't have any of the cars you've listed; I can tell you that the early Chevelles (64-65) are hit-and-miss on the panel availability.. there's umpteen places making rear quarters but nobody making fenders, etc. Similarly, I can get all sorts of patch panels for a 69 Chevelle but the equivalent panels for my El Camino just don't exist.

I'm pretty sure that at this point the only body panel for first gen Camaro that isn't sold is the roof bracing (and I may be wrong on that as well). 70 Chevelles seem to be really well taken care of so far as parts availability goes as well.. not so sure on Corvette or Nova. Hopefully someone with more knowledge on those will pipe up.

Anyway, welcome to the site.

downhil
10-04-2005, 06:54 AM
thanks for the quick reply! i see you're in mesquite...i live in a loft downtown. so no project yet! are there any meeting places on the weekends? (if ya'll allow imports....i have a honda s2000 now. it's my autocross machine.:ssst: ....) i just moved up here a couple months ago.


luckily here in texas, we can usually find cars without salt damage.....the problem is finding them! basically, i'm wondering if there is a buyer's guide of some sort for these cars that detail what to look for, what is easily replaced/fixed, what is too much trouble to bother with.


scott

Ralph LoGrasso
10-04-2005, 03:04 PM
Welcome to the site, Scott.

derekf
10-04-2005, 06:01 PM
Not aware of any meeting places (my weekends are pretty full anyway) but it seems like at one point I'd seen a website with various car stuff around the metroplex on a calendar and it seemed like pretty much every weekend was full. Can't find it now but I bet with some dedicated Googling you could find it if you were bored.

So far as buyer's guide - I don't have a Camaro, Corvette, or Nova so I can't speak for them, and my Chevelle and El Camino are both older than your guidelines. If memory serves (I seem to be saying that a lot these days - perhaps memory doesn't serve so well anymore) it's the rear window corners you really need to watch for on the Chevelles; once they go then you lose the trunk floor as well... also the cowl gets clogged up with leaves and crap on the sides, blocking the drains.

downhil
10-05-2005, 05:27 AM
from what i've heard thats common for a lot of gm cars from that era. those also seems like one of those areas (rear corners and windshield cowl) that would be a pain to patch up as well. the trunk floor is easy enough, though.

it just seems like a lot of the nova's and camaro's i'd been looking at on ebay in my price range have a lot of bubbling or straight up rust in those areas. doesn't seem to be a problem on the vettes for some reason!


good information! keep it coming!

kman67rsss
10-28-2005, 07:50 PM
arent the vettes fiberglass?

fiberglass=no rust

ProStreet R/T
10-28-2005, 08:23 PM
arent the vettes fiberglass?

fiberglass=no rust

No rust but a heap load of cracking problems that are OHHH so fun.

Ralph LoGrasso
10-28-2005, 11:06 PM
arent the vettes fiberglass?

fiberglass=no rust


They're mostly 'glass, but there is still some steel in the car. A very common rust problem is the cowl area and windshield frame, which is a PITA to fix, and requires lots of work.