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Thanks for the updates and for sharing your journey here!
No problem. We all can benefit from the info posted on the forum. I know I have and will in the future also. So I will try to post as much as I can until the project is done.
Finally some warmer temps so we can open the garage doors and get to work.
Made some good progress this weekend. I removed the hardware from the t-tops, sanded the underside and then put a few coats of primer down. I ordered some new bushing and other parts so I can fit them to the car. Part should be here this week.
Time to get back on this hood and get it finished up. I'm adding cowl induction to the hood which is going to be a little challenging. My first thought was to make a mold for the plenum and do it from scratch. I ended up buying one pre made that is for a 68-72 L88 hood. It gives me a good head start but it is going to need a lot of modifications to fit the hood. Going to get started on this tonight.
Car is looking great , love how you glued the fenders on a painted firewall without making a mess on the paint work. Have fun with the hood , I am so looking forward to customising my twin turbo aftermarket hood when the time comes.
Car is looking great , love how you glued the fenders on a painted firewall without making a mess on the paint work. Have fun with the hood , I am so looking forward to customising my twin turbo aftermarket hood when the time comes.
Thanks bazza, I made a little mess but cleaned it up before it got to hard. The rest of the mess you really can't see unless you get your head down below the fenders.
The hood has been a bit of a pain so far. I will be glad when that part is done.
I found this thread a few days ago and have been reading when I could. Finally got to this point. This is going to be an awesome car! Can't wait to see the finished product. You have really done an exceptional job with everything. Looking forward to following along to see what comes next! I would love to do this to mine, but I just don't have the patience (or the know how) to get involved with something of this magnitude. Love your thread though!
I found this thread a few days ago and have been reading when I could. Finally got to this point. This is going to be an awesome car! Can't wait to see the finished product. You have really done an exceptional job with everything. Looking forward to following along to see what comes next! I would love to do this to mine, but I just don't have the patience (or the know how) to get involved with something of this magnitude. Love your thread though!
Thanks beige79, I appreciate it. What you don't see is the many failures over the last 35 years or so. I attempted my first resto of a 77 Ford 4x4, back in the early 80's. It didn't go so well and I sold the truck unfinished. Since then there has been many smaller projects projects like vintage snowmobiles, motorcycles, lawn tractors and a partial restoration on a Jeep Wrangler YJ which turned out pretty nice. The thing about learning is you generally have to make a few mistakes along the way, and I have made a few. But that has given me the abilities and know how to get me this far on the Corvette. I'm not done yet, I'm still learning and have learned a lot just by reading threads on this forum. I'm really happy with the project so far and look forward to hitting the next couple of milestones.
I haven't done much in the last year, hence not many posts, but I am feeling pretty good right now and look forward each day to spend some time in the garage. So hopefully we can keep it up for the summer. Stick around and see how far we get before the temps start dropping again.
Thanks beige79, I appreciate it. What you don't see is the many failures over the last 35 years or so. I attempted my first resto of a 77 Ford 4x4, back in the early 80's. It didn't go so well and I sold the truck unfinished. Since then there has been many smaller projects projects like vintage snowmobiles, motorcycles, lawn tractors and a partial restoration on a Jeep Wrangler YJ which turned out pretty nice. The thing about learning is you generally have to make a few mistakes along the way, and I have made a few. But that has given me the abilities and know how to get me this far on the Corvette. I'm not done yet, I'm still learning and have learned a lot just by reading threads on this forum. I'm really happy with the project so far and look forward to hitting the next couple of milestones.
I haven't done much in the last year, hence not many posts, but I am feeling pretty good right now and look forward each day to spend some time in the garage. So hopefully we can keep it up for the summer. Stick around and see how far we get before the temps start dropping again.
Well, at 64, I don't have enough time left to make all the mistakes first. You have acquired some nice skills and you sharing them here will undoubtedly help others down the road.
Interesting that you decided to go with the fiberglass T-tops. That is what I had on my first C3 (a 74) back in the mid 70s. I have considered going that route with my car today, or at least have a pair available to use now and then. I live in Louisiana and we had some really hot and miserable days down here. Might be nice to not have a window above my head in the summer months. I had the rare M1131 tops on the car I have now. Didn't realize they were rare (and almost impossible to match) until I dropped one inside the car and broke it. If I would have had the fiberglass tops, maybe just a scratch. So, I have aftermarket glass tops now and not that thrilled with them.
Well, at 64, I don't have enough time left to make all the mistakes first. You have acquired some nice skills and you sharing them here will undoubtedly help others down the road.
I agree, not much time left for making mistakes, hopefully both of us are done with that!
Interesting that you decided to go with the fiberglass T-tops. That is what I had on my first C3 (a 74) back in the mid 70s. I have considered going that route with my car today, or at least have a pair available to use now and then. I live in Louisiana and we had some really hot and miserable days down here. Might be nice to not have a window above my head in the summer months. I had the rare M1131 tops on the car I have now. Didn't realize they were rare (and almost impossible to match) until I dropped one inside the car and broke it. If I would have had the fiberglass tops, maybe just a scratch. So, I have aftermarket glass tops now and not that thrilled with them.
My reasons for going with the fiberglass t-tops. 1. My initial plan was to run a stripe or stripes across the top of the car, and I thought it would look better with the painted fiberglass tops. Not sure if I'm still going to stripe it, may just do something on the hood and leave it at that. Not sure yet. 2. I sold the glass ones for $530, and paid $100 for the fiberglass. I like having the extra $430 to spend elsewhere, and the glass ones had some issues that couldn't be fixed. 3. Lighter weight, easier to handle 4. I like the look. If I was going with a more stock restoration I would have kept the glass ones.
That's just Krylon satin black, nothing special. My thought is I wanted to use something I could easily touch up or respray if needed down the road. I put about 5-6 coats on since the rattle can paint goes on a little thinner. Hope this helps.....
Last edited by Johnnycyclone; 05-31-2019 at 12:30 PM.
I have no budget, and no capacity, for such an impressive restoration, but kudos to you for amazing stamina and quality!
Well done sir!
Thanks puniphorous, I appreciate the compliment. I ran out of stamina this past year, and didn't get much done. It was nice to take a break and now I am actually looking forward to working on it again.
In an effort to keep up with Chuck, I spent some time in the garage this week. I'm focusing on the T-tops for now. Here is a pic or two of the current fit.
Center gap is nice and even, just over 1/2" gap which is a little much so I will probably work on getting that a little bit smaller.
I have the same problem on both sides for the rear gaps. They are much narrower at the center and widen out when they get to the outside.
I had to remove all of the previous work and get back down to the fiberglass so I can start building up the edge. Remember I started out with the glass tops and so the previous work needed to be removed. The center of the tops are also a little higher in the middle so I will have to raise the halo some also.
05-22-2019, 11:48 AM
You have acquired some nice skills and you sharing them here will undoubtedly help others down the road.
