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I'm Paul from Pittsburgh, PA. I'm new here, and this is my first post. This past weekend, I finally collected something very special to me from storage; my late father's 1968 Rally Red convertible 427 Corvette. He purchased this car from the original owner in 1973, and kept it until he passed away in 1994. At that time, my uncle placed the car into dry storage in his garage, and it has sat until I picked it up on Saturday. The paint and body are in pretty good condition, but the interior is going to need a thorough cleaning to remove some mildew, etc. This car is a true survivor, and has not been touched in over 20 years...I'm very excited to get to work on it, but don't have a ton of experience working with classic cars. Most of my more recent car-tinkering has been with new-ish Land Rovers. Any initial thoughts you could offer on sources for NOS parts, etc. would be greatly appreciated, as I intend to keep this car as original as possible...yes, I know that side pipes weren't an option in 1968, and I'm still deciding if I want to remove them and go full stock, or keep the car the way I 'remember it' from my childhood
Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and the car, as I have a feeling I'll be spending some serious time around here over the next several months as I work to get this machine back on the road. Here are a few pictures from pulling it out of storage:
I look forward to talking cars with you folks in the future!
Welcome. Be patient and don't replace items for the sake of replacing them. Clean it carefully and no harsh chemicals. See if you can spot some of the factory chalk/grease pencil marks.
Beautiful just Beautiful. Try your best to leave it just the way your father left it. Unless you find out he wanted to do something special to it but did not get the chance before he passed. Awesome that your keeping it, I have read soo many posts on here where somebody was left a corvette and they are asking how much they should sell it for.
Ask for whatever help you need, I am sure many here will help you.
That's a great story. Not many people have the opportunity pass a car (especially a Corvette) from one generation to the next. Even though you waited 20 years it looks like it was well worth it.
Good for you.
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. This car is a project I've been looking forward to for a while, but haven't had the time or space to devote to it. Now that I do, I can't wait to get into it. Going to start cleaning things up a bit this weekend, and start on getting the engine back to working condition. After this weekend, I should have a better idea of how much effort things will take. Hopefully it won't need too much, and I'll be able to take her for a ride before summer is over!
Very nice car, good story, and keeping it in the family. Your car is in a lot better shape than some of the others we are working on in here. Welcome to the 68 club. I will say that if you do remove anything off the car, that you keep it because original, properly dated items, etc. are very hard to find and very expensive. One other thing I learned is if something doesn't work it may not be a part itself rather a bad ground, connection, etc. Do not be afraid to ask questions in here because someone will give you a response and guidance.
I will also say that once you carefully clean off the dust (do not soak the car with a hose because it may flood inside) take detailed pictures of the engine compartment, interior, paint, body and post them on here are these guys will point out what they see and give recommendations. This will help you get off on the right foot and headed in the right direction.
Thanks @Revi for the links. Those exploded diagrams will be pretty priceless. I unfortunately won't be able to make it to Corvette night this weekend, as I'll be quite a ways from Wexford for some family stuff.
I found out today that at some point in the last 10 years, the car was tuned up and started at least a handful of times (by my uncle, who was one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met when it came to engines). Unfortunately, the uncle who did the work has also since passed away, so there's no telling when that happened, or what he needed to do to get it running. I also spoke to the last mechanic to work on the car earlier today, who happens to be a family friend. He didn't remember much, but did say that the last time he worked on the car (we think it was 1991), there was some fairly extensive restoration work done. This included replacement of various bearings, seals, & bushings, replacing the shocks, new stainless brake lines, adjusting the triple carb, etc. He did say that my father specifically directed the shop to keep everything as original as possible...
The car is currently at my father in-laws garage, about an hour away, so I haven't had time to really get into anything yet. I've got the next few days off, so I'm going to try to do some cleaning and get some photos gathered.
Thanks again for the advice so far, keep it coming!
06-30-2014, 03:20 PM
(Sort of) New to me 1968 427
