[Curby]

I sliced the tail off of my 1973 parts car when I was disassembling my parts car to make room in my garage. My plan is to fix all the broken fiberglass and make a wall art piece of the rear end of the car. I have bumpers, tail lights, and all the license plate and exhaust trim pieces.

My plan is to hang the piece at the front of my garage and wire the brake lights to my parking sensor, so they light up when I get to the proper spot in my garage. I was going to wire the back-up lights to my garage door opener.

After seeing the tail section on the floor near the rear of my 82 Vette, I started remembering the photos of "Mistress" and how great she looked with the 82 rear window and the 69 tail section. I thought it would be cool if I could mod the earlier tail to bolt on the rear of a later car. That way I could have a chrome bumper rear of my 82. I know the rear quarters are very different because of the urethane bumper, but I think the new tail can be made to fit the rear quarters and flow into the additional body line at the bottom.

I was wondering if anyone else might be interested in this or have tried it themselves.

 

[Show]

I have not done it yet but I too have a extra tail that I'm sitting on.I sold my 79 but will come across another c-3 in need of it.:thumbsup:

 

[matchframe]

I just bought the tail off of a 69 Vette which I plan to graph onto my '78 Vette. The tail I got is pretty rough so it will need a lot of work before I can start installing it on my Vette. Right now I am on the fence whether to invest the time needed to get this tail right or just look for another one.

I love the look of a chrome tail on a later C3!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Slow & Leaky]

The chrome tail is so much more graceful, but I doubt it'd ever bolt on. Just a matter of how much glasswork you're willing to do.


My rear clip is a 65 convertible. And totally understand the mental struggle of hanging onto it. It's so frickin hard to decide what to do, wall art, bar on wheels, slot car track, etc. Or do you just sell the darn thing to some other dreamer? The scary part is my clip has already attracted a hood and created grand visions of a road race C2 convertible built upon an economical C3 frame. :thud:

 

[6880 Mike]

...I doubt it'd ever bolt on...

I agree. It won't be a bolt up. This swap is likely to be more of a chore than folks think, especially if one wants functional bumpers on the early style rear.

Think about it: if this swap was as easy as it looks, there would be a lot of rubber bumper cars running around with 68-73 chrome rears.

When was the last time you saw one?

:thumbsup:

 

[rtj]

If you spend the time to modify it and make a mold for a "bolt-on" rear bumper cover, you'd probably be able to sell a bunch of them if you wanted.

 

[matchframe]

If you spend the time to modify it and make a mold for a "bolt-on" rear bumper cover, you'd probably be able to sell a bunch of them if you wanted.

:agree::agree:

 

[speeddaddy]

I'd love to have one on my 77'. I don't have the bodywork skills to pull it off, but I would seriously consider paying someone to do it for me. If I ever come across a 68-73 rear end sliced off, hopefully I will have the cash to buy it and hold on to it.

 

[Curby]

If you spend the time to modify it and make a mold for a "bolt-on" rear bumper cover, you'd probably be able to sell a bunch of them if you wanted.

That is exactly what I am thinking about. We are fixing all the bad areas on the original 73 tail and then we will start fitting it up to a 79 rear clip that we have. I want it to be a bolt-on piece that I can reproduce and "share" with my Corvette friends. Once the body work is done, there is still the bumper supports to consider. I have a set of the 73 bumpers and bumper supports that I can use as test pieces.

We are making a set of fiberglass rear bumpers as well.

 

[Show]

If the rear clip is cut far enough forward to meet up with the existing body lines it should be a fairly easy splice.:thumbsup:

 

[rtj]

That is exactly what I am thinking about. We are fixing all the bad areas on the original 73 tail and then we will start fitting it up to a 79 rear clip that we have. I want it to be a bolt-on piece that I can reproduce and "share" with my Corvette friends. Once the body work is done, there is still the bumper supports to consider. I have a set of the 73 bumpers and bumper supports that I can use as test pieces.

We are making a set of fiberglass rear bumpers as well.

If it was priced about the same as a "stock" style bumper cover, you'd probably sell them fast.

There was a thread at one time that someone started for posting "needs." That is, they wanted a thread where people posted product ideas they'd like to buy. Fabricated front spindles is another thing I think someone needs to produce (in addition to your soon to be released bumper cover).

 

[ylose]

I want one....so count me in.

I prefer the short, slanted rear look of the '68-73 rear ends. I think it adds a nice mean look. I don't mind its for chrome or not. Either way looks amazing.

 

[Curby]

Making good progress on the tail section. Used an old Greenwood mold as a template for the bolt pattern.

Working on the lower fender line of the later models and the rear valence panel.

This is going to look cool.

 

[mrmarchuk]

The Mistress was a test run for Josh, he's got something in the works for the bolt on chrome bumper, i was talking to him earlier today and he said something about he has a guy coming over to take moulds of the car for the fenders and the bumpers (i'm his web guy and the product page is all made and ready to go just waiting on the product itself lol)

 

[Show]

The only problem will be the seam but it should still look good.
(If you fill it in it will look great.):thumbsup:

 

[Kaos]

I predict a bolt on chrome bumper conversion for the non-chrome bumper vettes will be a big success. I personally love the 82 style vettes and would not change anything on the outside. Its the inside of them that brings me a flash back to the guage and interior styling of my first car being the family 1980 Chevy Malibu Station Wagon.

If this conversion kit does take off there is going to be a shortage of original chrome bumpers.

 

[Curby]

The only problem will be the seam but it should still look good.
(Unless you fill it.):thumbsup:

The grat thing about the bolt on, is that you can do just that. You have a choice!

If this conversion kit does take off there is going to be a shortage of original chrome bumpers.

Or a rash of thefts.:devil:

 

[The Rat]

I'm looking foward to seeing it bolted up and ready to go.

 

[matchframe]

......If this conversion kit does take off there is going to be a shortage of original chrome bumpers.

Theft of the tail ends might be a problem. A friend of mine parts out Corvettes he buys from insurance companies and I bought the tail off of a '69 Vette. It took me 7 minutes to cut off the tail with a sawzall. It would have been faster if it was not for the bumper mounting hardware I had to cut through.

 

[6880 Mike]

...I predict a bolt on chrome bumper conversion for the non-chrome bumper vettes will be a big success....

I disagree. You would sell some, but probably not be a big success. This topic periodically rolls around every year or eighteen months or so; someone is always going to make a kit. No one ever does.

:thumbsup: