C3 Corvette Experts Soundoff - Lateral-g Forums

redfire69 · #1 03-18-2008, 02:59 AM

Hey guys,

Looking at a 78 Corvette, anyone know about stress cracks that appear to run front to back on both fenders and quarters? It looks like they run along a body seam. Should I stay away from cars that have these or is this an easy repair when repainting? Will they "come back"? Is this common for C3s?

Edit: I did some searching on a Vette forum and found this pic which shows the seams. The cracks definitely run along this seam on both fenders and quarters probably from sitting outside many years.

Thanks in advance!!

BBShark · #2 03-18-2008, 05:13 AM

That is very common and easily repairable on a C3. The quarters are attached to the rear deck with bonding strips (which are the gray area in your picture). The bonding strips are lapped behind the panel and then the seam was filled.

What is not so easily reparable on a C3 is bircage rust. Check it out carefully for that.