Jacking up your Corvette

And I mean that literally.

I'm actually a bit upset today. Any among you dear readers who have been following along every day might remember a few weeks ago when I wrote a story about getting new Michelin tires for my Vette. I was pleased when I left the dealership.

But today, well, let's just say I'm a bit pissed off. (Sorry ladies, but I can't think of a better way to say it.) Here's the story...

It was a beautiful day. The sun was smiling down, the temperature was comfortable, and the chances for rain appeared to be nil. I decided it would a great day to cruise in the Vette. So I took my gorgeous car for a ride. After getting the engine up to operating temperature and punching it a few times, I drove it home and parked in the drive, as I always do. I went into the garage to get my "stuff" and returned to wipe down the wheels and spray a little Meguiar's detailer along the rocker panels to get rid of any road dust and water spots that may have gotten on it. That's when I saw it. WTF? Aarrrgh!!!

There it was, plain as the nose on your face. On the driver's side, right behind the door hinge area, and on the bottom of the rocker panel were two wide, deep, gouges. And I mean gouges. These were through the paint and invaded the fiberglass by a at least a 1/16 of an inch, and probably more like 3/32nds. These areas were quite near the jacking area. I knew immediately what had occurred.

Now, for any of you who have never raised a corvette with a jack or a lift, there's a secret to it. And if nothing more than an opportunity to talk about my frustration and to get it off my chest so I can get on with my life, I'm hoping the knowledge will prevent you from making an error and inflicting similar damage on your beautiful Vette.

A lot of owners (and shops that know what they're doing) use what are called "jacking pucks" when they put a Corvette on a lift or use a floor jack. In essence, these pucks are nothing more than extenders to put a little more space between the rocker panel and the jack. The photo at the right is an example. Obviously the service-dude at the dealership didn't use these. And the damage has been done.

So, that's my tale of woe. I know you're probably thinking "Good grief, Broadway. Quitcher bitchin'. It's not that big a deal." True. The damage isn't visible unless you're laying on the ground, but the fact that it's there still bugs me. A lot.

Have any of you ever had this happen? And does anyone know how to repair this type of damage? I'm open to suggestions.