Andy Tuttle

Hi guys! Been reading and checking parts on the forum for a while, but now actually gonna start on my Vetter project. It is a 68 Coupe non numbers matching, and is truly a basket case. My Dad started on the project more than 22 years ago. He died 21 years back, and it went to my brother-in-law and sat in his basement for most of that time. About four years ago it came into my possession and has basically sat in my garage, though I did do a few small things. It is gonna be slow cuz my budget is really limited, but I do have the majority of the parts and Dad did a lot of the hard stuff. It is frame off now. I will be asking a lot of questions and looking for tips and help. I got a different sway bar and new Energy Suspension bushings and end ties. Any tips for putting them on? That is step one for me. Dad put on new calipers, but the got cat pee on them in brother-in-laws garage and since they have sat 20 years I have a new seal kit to put in them. Have never rebuilt a caliper which is step two. Agsin, open to any tips and helps. Will be posting pictures when I can figure that out. Thanks in advance for the insight!

Alan 71

Hi Andy,
WELCOME. Been a member for a while but starting to get serious!
It sounds like you'll have your hands full with this 68.
You mention budget!….. I think you'll find it takes far more labor than $$$ to work on a an old Corvette!
A Be prepared that typically almost everything you do will take more time than you think in should, in fact, probably a lot more.
A 68 can be a bit challenging because they had some parts that were one year only, but depending on just how you proceed that may not be too big an issue for you.
BUT, it a 68 CORVETTE, and well worth the $$$ and labor!
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

Waiting for some pics!!

Andy Tuttle

This is the car the way it settled into my garage, and basically the way my Dad left it 21 years ago! My Dad was a truck driver , hence the thread title of Giddyup Go Daddy (an old truck driver's song) Vette.

Andy Tuttle

I took the body off and placed it on blocks. It has several cracks needing repair. The front clip was from a different Vette. The car was essentially a barn find, but was not original when Dad found it. Not numbers matching, but a real basket case!

Andy Tuttle

See, here is the proof - baskets of parts! Plus I have seats and doors and other parts upstairs above the garage! All on that wall is Vette parts and buckets of Vette nuts and bolts!

Andy Tuttle

Here is the frame after I power washed it. Dad painted it, rebuilt the drive axles put in new seals and bearings, new calipers and rotors.

Andy Tuttle

Many of the bolts were left less than tight and nothing was torqued and cotter pins were left out. So I have to go over everything from the beginning. This is my starting point. I have bought a sway bar (1'), and Energy Suspension bushing and ends to put on. More pix to follow.

mortgageguy

Andy, if you don't have an Assembly Instruction Manual, you need to get one now. I don't know if I would rebuild the calipers just yet. If you do it now, they are just going to sit there for a long time while you get the remainder of the work done. You may end up doing it again. You mentioned having buckets of nuts and bolts, are they labeled at all? I can't imagine sorting thru all those for the exact bolt I need.

Andy Tuttle

NO they are not sorted. So I will probably be using a number of replacement, non-factory bolts and nuts. I may spend some of my time inbetween money for parts sorting them out. And I am trusting to not have to spend another 20 years before this thing gets on the road! Have an engine and tranny to put in it - those pictures should come soon. Thanks for the thoughts and comments!

Andy Tuttle

And yes, I do have an assembly manual, and I made an order list of the plan of attack of where I am thinking I need to go. Don't know how you could do one without it!

Andy Tuttle

Engine I have for the Vette. IT is a '68 427 tall deck with a 4 bolt main. I know it is not a Vette correct engine, but sorry guys, can't afford the real thing. Got this for $600.IT has 3 ring pistons and had been modified greatly for non-truck use.

Andy Tuttle

Plan is to go completely through it this winter and have it ready to put on frame come spring if not sooner. Going to put on an aluminum intake and look for a 750cfm carb. Any suggestions? Will look to see about using a gear drive distributor. Again, my ears are open.

Andy Tuttle

Plan is to go completely through it this winter and have it ready to put on frame come spring if not sooner. Going to put on an aluminum intake and look for a 750cfm carb. Any suggestions? Will look to see about using a gear drive distributor. Again, my ears are open.





Will the 6 blade fan work ok in the Vette? Is BB shroud different in size from sb shroud?

Andy Tuttle

New sway bar being roughed into place

Andy Tuttle

New Energy Suspension bushing and control rods. Any tips on putting these things in? Compress the spring? HELP!

Andy Tuttle

BTW I did grease the bushings prior to installation. Getting correct size bolts and will tighten sway bar up next.

Andy Tuttle

Got my steering control rod cleaned up and painted!

Haggisbash

At least the engine you have is in the spirit of the car so can at least be easily made to look like it was always in it:-) keeping with that theme, there is nothing wrong with an original distributor but make sure you strip it and check everything because it is bound to need cleaning and re lubrication as a minimum.

Andy Tuttle

OK, as you may have guessed, I really don't have a real clue about what I am doing. I am very willing to learn! Please feel free to comment and suggest. Thanks in advance.

Andy Tuttle

My Dad bought brand new rotors. After sitting in brother-in-law's damp garage the rusted. This one isn't too bad and I have sanded some. But I am looking at having them turned. A couple will hae to be because they had cats which peed all over them. I HATE CATS!!<br/>