Greetings,

I am a new member to this board and, like many before me, have been lurking here for a while until my comfort level increased enough to become a participant. I have learned much from the many posts that I have read and I am truly impressed by the collective knowledge base of the veteran members. I am also impressed by everyone’s willingness to help each other out with their various repair and restoration projects.

I hope to learn more as the years go by and look forward to interacting with those who have similar interests to me. My Corvette is not stock and is still a “work in progress”. This is not to say that I don’t like stock corvettes, on the contrary, I love ALL types of corvettes. From bone stock, to mildly customized, to full blown tricked out street rod, I love them all.

Additionally, I am not put off by other members who voice opinions that may not be agreeable with mine and I truly believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion. What is more important to me is that everyone is treated with respect and I will fully participate in discussions until someone disrespects me. I promise that I will always act in a respectful manner to other members no matter how much I may disagree with their opinion and will not involve myself in on-line arguments. With that said, I would now like to give you a brief background of myself.

My friends call me Bill. I am 51 years old.
I live in Southern Maryland, just minutes from the Chesapeake Bay.
On March 31, 2005 I will retire from a wonderful 30 year career in law enforcement.
I am into cars, all types of cars, and I share this interest with my two sons, one 25 years old and the other 21 years old.
I currently own two Corvettes. A 1963 coupe, pro-street with a small block and a 1995 triple-black vert, which is bone stock (except for chrome wheels).
I also own a 1940 steel body Chevy street rod (soon to be sold) and my youngest son and I own a 1966 Mustang street rod (He’s a Ford guy)
I recently sold a 1973 Corvette and a 1934 Chevy “Outlaw” pro street with a 671 B&M blower.
I cruise to numerous local cruise-ins and car shows in the Southern Maryland region. I also attend the annual Ocean City Street Rod Cruise In. I sometimes cruise to Carlisle Pa.
I am a member of NSRA, Good Guys and Lickedy Splits Car Club.

I am scheduled to have a 4 post lift installed in my garage in the next couple of months (I’m getting too old to crawl under cars) and plan to spend my retirement years playing with cars and fishing on the Bay.

 

good morning, Bill, and welcome, (from another relative newbee)
as you have already discovered, this is a great place for c1/c2 people.
the amount of corvette knowledge on tap is awesome. i'm sure your car experience will compliment the forum.
again, welcome,
chuck

 

Hi Bill - and welcome

Judging by the Corvettes you have, you have a lot of knowledge to share with us. Please do it often. Have fun and above all, keep the wheel side down.

 

Bill, welcome to the Forum! Lots of great folks here with diverse backgrounds, all willing to help and share experiences and knowledge; you're gonna LOVE retirement!

 

Welcome,

Sounds like some real nice cars in the collection, please post some pics. You probably won't even get to much gruff about your wayward son with the Ford, alot of the people here seemed to have used them as starter cars.


Welcome again,

Tom M

 

Bill, welcome to the greatest resource for corvettes in the world! I too am new to this site but, can tell you I am addicted. I am interested in a lift for my garage also. What kind and what price?

 

Hi Bill Welcome you are going to love retirement. I have been retired 4 years now and I still love it. There is a lot to learn on this forum from other members.
The most important thing is to have fun and drive your Vette.
Have a on me LOL

 

Hi Bill welcome to the forum, and enjoy your retirement .Great bunch of guys on the forum have been a help to me since i signed on,Bob W

 

Hi Bill - Great to have more new talent in the Corvette fold. Thanks for joining us. I have been a member for only one year and thought I knew a little about Corvettes. Found out that I did indeed know very little about them as the knowledge here is mind boggleing. Anyway, stay with us and have fun learning and hopefully driving Corvettes. Wib

 

Are those sidepipes I see on your SWC? I would really like to see a good 3/4 rear and side picture of your SWC with those pipes.

Welcome!
Mike

 

Howdy Bill, and welcome! I'm just up the street from you in the Bowie area. I've had my two midyears painted there in Dunkirk... Hopefully we'll get a chance to meet sometime soon.

 

Welcome and thanks for joining the group! Look forward to hearing more about your Vettes!

 

Thanks for the wonderful welcome. I sincerely appreciate the very nice response I received from each of you.

The “tongue in cheek” comment regarding my son’s Ford is exactly the same ribbing I give him at home. I continually tell him that when he grows up I might let him drive my Corvette. Actually, he smoked my 73 Vette down at the track a couple of years ago with his Mustang and he hasn’t let me live it down yet. He had his motor built by a performance shop nearby and his car runs really strong. However, he hasn’t challenged me with the 63, or even the 95.

As to my retirement, YES I am really looking forward to it and I have a wonderful wife who is very supportive of me going into my second childhood (actually my second teenage-hood). She has a few more years to go before she can retire, so I plan to spend many of my days at home in the garage or out fishing.

To 2thFarmer - I am looking seriously at the Direct Lift for about $2,000.00 (2,500 with extras). I have a couple of car buddies that have this lift and it seems like good quality for the money. However, I am checking out the Backyard Buddy one more time before I lay cash on the line.

Mike, yes those are side pipes and they sound great. I also have a 9” Ford rear, 4 link suspension with coilovers and 31 x 18 ½ x 15 Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires in the rear. The car is tubbed, but has no fender flairs. All the meat is tucked up inside. With the exception of the roll bar and late model Vette seats, the interior is mostly stock in appearance. I plan to remove some of the roll bar and reinstall C-2 seats to make car more comfortable for cruising. ( I really don't care to race it). I also have a brand new Keisler/Tremec 5 speed sitting in the garage and hope to install it in the very near future. I do have more photos and will post some soon.

Again, I thank each of you for your kind words. I really look forward to being an active member of this board.

Bill-

 

Welcome Bill.....

I am a retired state trooper here in Michigan. Always wanted a C2, but never could afford one 'till now.......This forum has been an absolute wealth of information, I am certain that you will enjoy it as much as I have.
mark

 

Welcome to the friendliest forum there is. These guys are the best and have saved my a$$ on more then one project.

 

Bill,
A big Ehh! to you from Canada. I did the retirement at 51 thing as well and have never looked back at the 9-5 world. Or in the case of a Police Officer, X to Y hours?? Tough job.

You will enjoy the people here and the breadth of their expertise.

 

Bill, Welcome from Texas!! Tell your son that he's not alone with his Mustang. I bled Ford blue for 30 years before my dream of owning a couple of Vettes was realized last year. I'm happier as a "Bowtie Guy" than a "Blue Oval Dude". Parts are cheaper and a lot more plentiful, too. Again, welcome. This is a great bunch of guys and gals to hang out with.

 

Welcome Bill. Good to have another Marylander on board.

Tom

 

Welcome, Bill. I retired at 55, going on seven years ago, and I can't imagine how I ever had time to work...

 

Welcome to Corvetteforum.com... Enjoy & have fun