Robert61

Just like everyone else I'm watching. And as has already been said I'm sure it's gona be great.

Frankie the Fink

All depends on how original the OP wants to be...

He is just now starting his wondrous journey across the sea of 'one-year-only parts' and he has to decide if he is going to race across those waters to a safe harbor or dive deeply and embrace the unknown...

ptjsk

Frankie,

So far I'm heading into the direction of originality. Especially since I have the original L76 "RE" code motor that matches the VIN, and the early T10 transmission as well.

Just took the instrument dash panel out today. That was a whole lot of fun!! I just don't fit under that dash too well! LOL!!

Back of the instrument cluster has November 6 1962 on the back, which should be correct as the build date for the car was in late November.

ptjsk

Hey Robbie,

I'll probably put it back together as close to stock as possible. Probably even go with the solid lifter cam that came in it originally.

Although, some have been telling me the solid cam they put into the '64 & '65 may do a little better than the one that came on the '63.

Pat

Ken Sungela

Retire and do what? Many of use would dream of doing what he does in retirement.

USMC 0802

Pat,
Looking fwd to this build; I’m sure it will be awesome!

Subscribed!

1snake

Wrong. It will do a LOT better in the HP department. The Duntov 097 cam is very mild compared to the 30/30 cam. It depends on what you want.

pop23235

How would one contact Andy if he had a 63 console?

Frankie the Fink

Sent you a PM with Andy's contact info to stay within forum rules...
He does consoles in batches and it can take up to 8 weeks - so you could be without one for that time....but nobody else does the work he does to his level.. He's done 3 consoles for me (I keep a restored spare now).

Frankie the Fink

Who am I to question someone who wants to lay down their burden and focus on other things in life ?

1snake

That's how I do all my restorations. Every piece I remove is restored/rebuilt so when the car is completely apart, all I have to do is re-assemble all those new parts. I can't count how many times I've inspected "projects" that have been torn apart and are nothing more than a pile of used parts that the owner was overwhelmed and wanted it out of his garage.

MOXIE62

You got any body pics.

ptjsk

Ok, that's what I want to hear! More power, and a little more cam sound is all the better for me.

Thanks,

Pat

ptjsk

See if I can get a few out here Moxie!

The left rear quarter panel is the only significant damage on the car. One small 3"-4" crack. That is it! I have been under and around the body, and there does not show any evidence of repairs....anywhere! Pretty happy about that.

tbarb

What a cool garage.. That crack on the rear quarter is no problem.

You will get lots of opinions but use the factory stock 097 camshaft, stock dome pistons etc., the 461x heads are small 1.94 valve size and works fine just the way it's engineered.

Frankie the Fink

Easy to adjust lash, very streetable, good power across the RPM range too.

The body looks freakin' amazing...you have a little divit on the front of the PS door just above the beltline (if my eyes don't deceive me) but other than that I don't see anything...

You'll know more when the car is stripped....I found some 'dirty little secrets' when my 63 got naked...

ptjsk

Thanks Frankie,

That little divit you're referring to, looks to just be paint that has been chipped.

Curious though, what method did you use to strip the body?

Also, I removed the instrument panel today and will begin restoring the entire unit.

One question to you guys; Is the entire panel dipped in chrome, and then only the edges, and tops of the circumference on the gauges the only part(s) that are polished?

Clock is also stamped Nov of 1962, which again, should be correct for the late November build date of the car.

Any comments on the Smith written on the back of the clock? Maybe a name for a customer who may have had work done to it?

Thanks,

Pat

Frankie the Fink

My car was stripped over large areas with a razor blade then chemically stripped....there really isn't any other way to get in some of the tight spots like the faux fender louvers...

The SMITH writing is a past rebuilder of the clock or possibly the client receiving it IMO.

There were three instrument cluster housing in 63 and you have the best one IMO...its the non-A/C, non-64 version and stronger at the lower left underside where the fresh air vent pull goes as it doesn't have the extra cut out rectangle. Those could crack in that area and I've had to repair one like that.

The 64 consoles were pressed into service late in 63 with a hard-to-find strip around the steering column to cover the gap on the 64.

I think you have it right on how the console was finished off but getting it restored is a PITA...you don't want to fill in the "camera case" grain on the main housing so restoring the chrome rings is a problem....several posts on here about it.

There is also some debate about whether the 60lb or 80lb oil gauge is right for your car (with the high RPM tach) so I'm curious what you have.

tbarb

A FWIW based on my experience. I applaud your efforts but I want to mention there are some things about your restoration that are better sent out to respected pros to be restored.

I am making reference to the dash cluster because the speedometer, speedometer cable worm gears/bushings and tach are all things that a experienced shop can address. Notice the buzzer tach wire hole, the color of the red line on the tach, the importance of the ground on the water temperature gauge etc etc...

The cluster is a PIA to remove once everything is restored so you want to be certain it's done by someone with the right experience. There is plenty of other work there for you to do. Also, consider replacing the dash wire harness with a new harness, there is nothing worse than trying to troubleshoot wire problems on 50 plus year old wires. Same for the engine and headlight harness.

Your 63 like mine is a early car with things that can be different than even later 63's so if you have any questions I will do my best to try and help.

Welcome to the world of 63's, remember don't discard anything these early parts are $$$ and hard to find.

The 60lb oil gauge would be correct for the November built car.

Frankie the Fink

I'll second the recommendation to farm out the cluster....Corvette Specialties of Maryland (West) is out your way and are excellent. You need special equipment to calibrate the speedometer anyway. I guess you know to pull out the brake pedal support at this point and closely examine the weld at the top of the clutch pedal and "rebush" the nylon spacers on the shafts, etc.. No better time to do it.

I'll also say the best $28 you'll spend on your car is the Doc Rebuild pictorial OOSOEZ wiring schematics. Buy them now and thank me later