LOL......I'm trying to get an idea of how the '68 car originally looked (it's been modified so many times body-wise)

Being a rookie, I only noticed that someone cut a large hole in the tunnel slightly to the rear of where the shifter would have been....and an A/T Hurst shifter is bolted onto the tunnel.

There were also L88 hood emblems (but anyone could have installed them)

Will the differential ratio give me a clue as to the original engine size (there is a 1970 350SBC currently installed---no smoke/no external modifications....BUT...It DOES have approx. 155-160 lbs/cylinder compression---is that standard--or, would that indicate internal mods?

I picked up some exhaust pipe to install the temp. mufflers to quieten things down while adjusting valves/etc....

Hopefully I will install the "exhaust kit---LOL" tonight!

 

The driver's side temp. exhaust is done......pics will be posted once the passenger's side is complete.

<<<<<<<<<<there's some popcorn while I'm in the garage.

 

Doorgunner - you deserve a hell of a lot of credit for taking this on.

 

Doorgunner, you are my hero!! Awesome work on an immense project!

 

AWWWWWWWWWW.......Shucks!

Thanks Men!

Pay no attention to that greasy/nasty/neglected under-carriage... It will have it's turn in the Spring.

Right now I'm doing what I can to get the car roadworthy so it can pass the state safety inspection.

I managed to get the driver's side Harley muffler attached to the exhaust pipe/welded the connections/installed the only bolt that I had to hold the muffler in place......(a trip to the bolt-store is on the list)....I'll fabricate two upper brackets to hold the mufflers/bolts in place tomorrow......






The passenger's side is done with a tie-wrap holding the muffler in place.....(I had to at least get it mocked-up tonight)....





Another angle of the mufflers......................




I think that I starting to get slee.......sleep..........sle...z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

A trip to the Home Depot solved the bolt/bracket problem.

I bought a section of steel flatbar and "manufactured" two upper brackets in about an hour.....






The long bolts and brackets are installed........








EDIT: Keep in mind that it's a "rescue-mod-car".....I just couldn't let it be parted-out!

 

I made a try at completing the seat covers.....It didn't happen!

I managed to get one daily-driver seat back recovered with an aftermarket cover/red-satin finish.....and one cover halfway done before I ran out of wire binders....










I'll pull them down tight tomorrow to make sure the bottom corners are completely covered.

(I need to get them out of the living room and dust off the chair before my wife gets back )

 

While the A.D.D. has kicked in.......

Here's a pic of my un-polished steering wheel (standard column/No T&T).........

The button assembly needs a few more parts to make the horn functional....





Maybe Willcox can come up with some parts.

 

SO.......I was driving around the rural area that we live in (with "subdivisions" popping up every few miles). I passed by a wooded/high weeds tract of land and notice some old cars and trucks behind an longggg 8 foot high plank and sheetmetal fence. I stopped at the house which was hidden by some storage buildings---the owner greeted me and was VERY nice--he took me on a "tour" of his property (which wasn't for sale). He had chevy/ford/buicks/cars and trucks from 1920 up to 2000! It was a 6th birthday kind-of-feeling!

After walking about 10 minutes thru the maze of vehicles.....I said "You have everything but a Corvette"! He laughed and said "Look to your left!" I looked----nothing but old trucks and eyeball high weeds. He said "It's back there somewhere go check it out".

My next question was "Do "Ya want to sell parts off it if I can find something that I need?" He replied "Parts----or the whole car---whatever you want!" It took me a few minutes to work my way thru the old vehicles and high weeds---there it was--a '70s model coupe/windows down hood missing/seat missing/center dash missing/steering column missing/a little banged up/paint nearly gone.......

BUT who would expect to find a Corvette in a good-old-boy's collection of rare/odds 'n ends cars/trucks on overgrown acreage (being a rookie I always thought older vettes would be either "bought-up" or in/beside somebody's garage). I thanked him about a dozen times for being so kind---he and his wife were wonderful to me, a stranger.

Sorry, but no pics yet---never thought that I would need my camera "shopping" for acreage! I'll try to go there today and see if he will let me take a few pics---I'll bring my small tool box too!

Pics tonight---hopefully!

 

The trip back to the owner's acreage was a photographic success!

Most people would see a neglected pile of.........junk---I always see something as it can be (must be the enthusiatic rookie in me).

Approaching the car.......



No body damage on this side.........






No damage back here.......no bumpers either......






Well......................the raccoons don't see any damage.........






I DID manage to find some lagniappe (pronounced: lann-yapp) ,,,,,,,,,,pick up a couple of 25 years-in-the-field-grills.........





A good scrubbing has the chrome showing...(the photo doesn't do the chrome justice)..now a good polishing is in order to remove the film and bring the shine back.....






The chassis resting on the Louisiana damp soil is practically dissolved/the capless gas tank also.......Optimistically----there's a decent body/t-tops/speedometer/tach/driver's seat/4 speed/differential.

 

Nice find brother!! Just out of curiosity, what did he want for the whole car?

(Love the temp Harley exhaust too!... Bet that bad girl is just as LOUD as mine.... : ) )

Keep the pics coming!!- Mike

 

Brace yourself.......10 years ago the tires were still aired up---the car was complete bumper to bumper.....

He wanted too-thousand, 5 hundred simoleans!

Since then...whatever is missing----has been sold.....the tarp that was covering the car was rotted/blown away many hurricanes ago!

It's sad to see it like that....but there's no rust on the body...LOL!

 

Well.....I've lost track of about 25 tips that I've read on this forum!

The problem is now solved though......(the solution is hiding in the storage closet about 20 feet from me---don't tell my wife what I did).......


A new Wireless Printer !!!!!!




Now......to find all those bookmarks-----and threads that I failed to bookmark

No more greasy fingers on the laptop....I'll send all the saved posts to the wireless printer......then collect them on the way to the garage....and add them to the looseleaf folder in the car.

 

"Ain't it the truth!"......but the "End" result is worth every dime!!!!


Anyhow.................................. ..

I went parts-hunting today to find some possible non-80s clips for my '68 rescue Vette.

I ended up with more than I expected.....well-used, but polishable lettering for the rear panel/complete set of tail & brakelights/1970 rear clip (yes.....I know but it's much better looking on a '68 than that 80-something tail-light panel that's on it now).

Pics possibly tomorrow.....as soon as I scrub all the green fungus off everything (good-old-Loo-z-anna-stayed-too-long-in-one-spot-vegetation!)

 

I have to get an early start on cleaning/re-organizing the garage with my Corvette project disassembled in the right-side bay......

The real estate agent is coming by this afternoon to look at the house to list it!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Three-car garage...(one end-bay will be dedicated to the project)..Here I come/ may as well add an exta bay for the Palomino colt, too!!!!!!!!)

 

what engine was listed on the center console? that will be some idea of what year it was

 

I forgot to read the VIN or the label on the console (I was focused on parts...If the hood and air cleaner had been in place for the last 15 years in that field-I would have eyeballed the engine more/I had to remove leaves to even see the carb to get pics of the engine bay)....the engine has low-profile aluminum finned valve covers/tach drive distributor....all the tail lights lense-specs read 1970.


And....as for the "well-used parts.....Sure------they're rough........but.......so is Life....LOL







The seller threw in the tail lights......nothing like having a couple spares......








This should be a ton of fun getting 15 years of windows-being-down-crud-mold off/out of the display......








(Sorry......the A.D.D. kicked-----I WAS working on seat covers)

 

Instead of hog rings I have used wires ties. A little easier on the hands and alot easier to use. Put them in where the hog rings go and pull each one tighter a little at a time. After the seat is together you will never know the difference. I have them on my GTO seats 6 years later with no problems.

 

I really thought about using ty-wraps because they're so easy to work with....

but I was concerned about the quality----back in the day you couldn't break a ty-wrap/they never got brittle.....

now-a-"daze"......not so much.....but good to hear that you've gotten good results---

What brand did you buy???

(Good hog-ring pliers $18....100 count rings $3.50....sore forearms...priceless!)

 

Every now and then some progress happens......

The engine now has an electric choke until I get a manifold choke assembly.
The carb is adjusted, but I haven't opened it to up to see what size jets are in it.
The new valve cover gaskets seal well ( adjusting the lifters has added a few oil streaks to the heads though).
The lifters are adjusted 1&1/2 turns loose--I'll readjust them as soon as the smoke from the exhaust mainfolds clears up/clears out of the garage------or tomorrow....LOl!

Here's a short soundbite of the engine with the temp, Harley mufflers (the lifters are almost as loud as the exhausts ).......

I'' be back in an hour with the sound.....photobucket is in slow-motion!


EDIT: Photobucket never uploaded the soundbite