How Far Would You Go to Restore Your Corvette to Its Former Glory?

C5 Corvette gets complete paint correction and ceramic coating to bring it back to its glory days after eight years of sun exposure.

It’s always sad to see a great car fall victim to the sun, and this Corvette is no exception. Eight years of sun exposure left this example looking a bit sad. While it takes a monumental amount of effort to properly restore and protect the paint, the result is beyond worth it.

Youtuber LegitStreetCars has longed for a C5 Corvette for many years. However, when he finally got his hands on one, it wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes. He didn’t let that get to him, though, as he decided to give the sad ‘Vette’s paint an overhaul. Spending over 30 hours on washing, correcting and protecting the paint is tedious, no doubt. Nonetheless, the rejuvenated finish makes it hard to argue it’s justification. The laborious restoration effort combined with a brand new set of wheels and tires makes it seem like a completely different car.

Not only did he set out to save the car’s paint, but also to demonstrate it could be done on a budget. Armed with a Rupes polisher, cutting compound and a $45 ceramic coating kit, he set to work.

“I did spend a full eight hours with the wool pad, I took my time and worked in smaller sections making sure to partially overlap on each pass. I would wipe down each section after polishing, and I used my light to look for any scratches or remaining oxidation.”  He said, referring to the wool pad used to apply the cutting compound.

While time-consuming, the cutting and polishing stage wasn’t the worst of it. The ceramic coating requires application in two by two-foot areas, one spot at a time. It wasn’t just applied to the paint, either. It was also used on the glass and wheels as well.

Overall if you have the patience, this is a great DIY project. For a small investment, you can drastically enhance the appeal of your car. It just goes to show that a little dedication and elbow grease goes a long way!

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Braden Carlson

Braden Carlson is an automotive enthusiast from Boise, Idaho. At 19 he quit his day job to pursue a career in automotive journalism, launching his Youtube channel in his own name. Today you can still find him producing DIY video content, reviews and writing for an amassment of automotive websites. His work is most frequently found on Rennlist, The Mustang Source and Corvette Forum. When not writing or driving, he's likely to be found covered in grease and oil undoubtedly from one of his gratuitous collection of questionable project cars.