I'm looking at a 1979 Corvette, some panels don't line up..Is this a warped frame...

[James]

...or something less serious? The hood is off just about 1/8-1/4 in some spots, the the front quarter panels (if u don't know r the same pice as the front bumper) don't exactly meet the door perfectly. There long enough but just are off in depth in spots. I'm just not sure that if this is a major issue, like the frame being warped or if its more like the car is 30 years old, has minor rust spots, and the owner didn't take wonderful care of it.
Thank you

 

[Michael B]

You're right, the front end is one piece and is removed as a unit. As for minor misalignment of the panels, normally that can be corrected with judicious use of mounting spacers. Most fiberglass vehicles are fabricated in molds, but 1 in 1000 might have slight contour imperfections, so make sure the curves are the same at junction spots. The hood gets alot of heat abuse from the engine, so it wouldn't surprise me much if it is a bit warped. All of that is essentially ok.

A warped frame? Unlikely, but if you suspect it al all, ask to have it put on an alignment machine, it will tell you fairly quickly if there is something wrong...

 

[Kenny D]

Checking the alignment of that front body is a simple matter and is something everyone buying a used Vette should do to detect shoddy body rebuilds. A straight line from the rear of the T-top seam to the front of the T-top seam will fall precisely on the point of the front nose tip if that front body has not been damaged or if it has been properly rebuilt after damage. I would look carefully at the frame if that straight line from the rear of the T-top seam to the front of the T-top seam falls to the left or to the right of the point on the front nose. The boxed frame and steel floor pan is the backbone of the Vette and it is also a simple matter to detect repairs to that. The boxed frame and underside of the floor pan is factory sprayed with a rust and corrosion resistant coating and if the uniformity of that coating has been disturbed then there has probably been frame repair.

 

[Robert M]

This is pretty normal for a 1979 Vette, unfortunately. They didn't come up with decent fit and finish until much later. It is difficult to fit fiberglas to a steel frame, and make it tight and rattle free.

 

[timothy p]

you could probably straighten it out with body shims where it bolts together. No big deal but a real pain to get everything to line up.