313hitman

thank you very much for the info, I dont mind it being a frankenstein car as long as it can be a fun SAFE car one day. I gutted out the interior today and it was too easy. it has definitely been replaced. nothing glued, carpet was just laid down without anything underneath. I'll make this car nice again....

Kris Tunetso

That's what we like to hear. Glad we could be of assistance to you and good luck on your build.

313hitman

so far I've been busy ripping the car apart and labeling bags with screws and parts (at this point it doesnt matter because bubba used any screw he had). I ordered several parts and started on refurbishing the t top/windshield frame, floor pans, and dash/firewall. I'm in desperate need of a wiring diagram for a 80. I want to do a frame off but time is not on my side. I'm attaching pics of the progress and I will definitely have questions on the way..thanks.


Bubba was definitely here

I have no clue what these plugs are for. maybe seat belts?

and this one, I think its for a relay but which one?

Kris Tunetso

Get your wiring diagrams from Dr. Rebuild. His are the only ones that show the connectors at the end of the wire: makes it dead-simple to identify disconnected wiring.

kdf1986

WOW. You wasted no time in tearing into this and starting the rebuild. You said you were tagging and bagging your parts and screws as you go. Another good idea is to take photos of every thing. Lots and lots of photos. You may be surprised at how helpful this can be months from now.

kdf

313hitman

from what i can find. dr rebuild wiring diagrams stop at 78.

313hitman

i have a folder in my hard drive just for the teardown. I take pics of every bracket i remove before I take the box of parts to my job to sandblast. bubba didnt leave me with many connectors. seems to have cut and spliced most connections. I'm working on getting a proper harness if its decent in price or just build my own using a wiring diagram. i removed mostly all stereo stuff so that took a chunk of wiring out of the way. I will install my own aftermarket unit and wiring for the sounds. any idea what adhesive to use to put the corner t top molding back on? the old ones had pounds of tar looking gunk in and under them

Kris Tunetso

Went and checked for myself: he actually stops with 77... that's unfortunate. Thanks for pointing it out though. Now I wont mistakenly point people to a product that doesn't exist.

Good luck with your project.

313hitman

i slowed the pace down a bit to work on other things but definitely not stopping yet. so far i installed new windshield and i completely gutted the interior including dash, harness, and column. I am currently rebuilding the heat/ac system with new gaskets, seals, vacuum lines, and heater core. I'm thinking i will grind all the old floor sealant the bonds the metal to fiberglass and redo it. it looks like its all cracking and some parts are chipping off. I have sand blasted just about every bracket on this thing and painted them. oh and I'm just about done rebuilding the bubbafied wire harness.


before

after

313hitman

does anyone have any info for seat belts. I dont have belts or the bolts. someone told me to just order lap belts. I was thinking maybe these http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_i...ducts_id=28508
but i got a feeling i would rather have the retractable kind. only thing is i cant find any for less than 200 bucks. if you guys think the 200 is worth it, i'll pull the trigger on it.http://www.ebay.com/itm/1978-1979-1980-1981-1982-Corvette-3-Point-Seat-Belts-New-Complete-Set-/400658328412?var=&hash=item5d4918eb5c&vxp=mtr

tyancey00

Dude,
this car is a ton of work. I found your project over on the "what have you done to your c-3 today" thread. I have an 80 and we just finished a full blown redo on a friends 78. Is there anything we can tell you or help with?
tim

313hitman

I know it has been a while since I posted any updates but so far I rebuilt most of this car. I am very good with welding, metal fab, and just about anything car related. I refurbished the t-top frame, windshield frame, floors, new glass in some areas (other glass was good so I restored it), complete engine, and body harness was replaced with low cost salvaged harness with no cuts, new weatherstrip all around the car, installed electric headlights, new interior, side pipes....so much more to mention. pretty much a body ON restoration. now that it's getting cold and I ride my motorcycle less, I'll have more time to finish frankenvette. some ppl see it as not worth it but I dont even have 5k invested in it and thats including all the parts, and vehicle purchase. only thing left is paint (which I will do) and body off to restore body mounts and dip the frame(winter projects)
thank you very much for offering you help, I am sure I'll have questions during my body off work

bagpipes

Not much to add here but I had a 79 years ago with an 81 frame. Previous owner loved the car but the northern climates and humidity in the summer caused enough damage to the steel over the years that he opted to swap the frame out for a good 81. Not an issue at all really, I'd rather have a clean 81 than a patch welded 79 with scars all over that will eventually need to be replaced anyway. Somebody probably did you a favor by swapping that out.

Just my 2 cents.

313hitman

i think you are correct. the way the mounts are looking, I can only imagine how bad the frame looked. I'm very happy with my investment so far and that's all that matters. thanks everyone for the input.

313hitman

before





after



after #2

313hitman

this is the bubbafied mess i had hidden under the carpet.





installed dynamat under the main carpet and reflectix(i think that's what is called) on the firewall and trans tunnel.





coming together..

sfallison

For seat belts, I pulled the rear belts off of a newer firebird. $20.00 at a pick-n-pull yard. I took everything for the seatbelts.

Just had to make sure that the retractor was at the correct angle to engage the self-lock when the belt is pulled quickly.

313hitman

it's been almost 3 months and I haven't done much. I gutted each door and refurbished all the rollers, greased the slides, replaced broken regulator springs on both, and new window lift motors. only thing the doors are waiting for is the door felt to be installed. I am doing a frame off resto starting tomorrow. both #2 mounts have broken bolts and 1 #4 mount is just about done. the rest of the frame looks great but I will strip it and por 15 the frame. My job is letting me utilize the blasting booth and the painting booth for free.

Andy Tuttle

hitman sounds like you are doing great. Things do tend to slow down and then it just working through. These guys are great encouragement. Step back, take a good look at what you started with and where you are now. Review your own thread! Keep it up and keep up the photos!

313hitman

getting things done. time to strip the frame and repair the mounts.