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Hello Corvetteforum world. I am introducing myself to this group and hoping to join in and share my new C3 experience. I just purchased a 71 in Ontario Orange that had been parked in a barn in Illinois for over 20 years. It is really rough but I enjoy wrench turning so it should provide hours and hours of fun. I am familiar with restoring old Brit cars and just completed an engine rebuild on my 75 308 Dino. I was looking for an old muscle car to keep me busy and I found it. I am new to the Vette world but reading through this forum it looks like there is a lot of helpful people to guide me through the minefields. My first challenge is to get the barn stink out of this car. Lots and lots of mice poop. I can't even bring it in the garage. It is sitting in the driveway and airing out. I guess my first question to the forum is a recommended manual. I am planning to do a frame off resto-mod so there has to be something better than the Haynes from the auto parts store. Much thanks in advance. Paul
Into the world of gauges. Yes, more turds. Notice how the PO hacked up the plate to get a computer in the dash. Found another but not quite the correct year. Old - 71 New - Not sure what year but with exception of compression ratio, most should be about right. Decided to brighten up the gauges with white paint. Almost went LED but I want easily dimmable (don't want to look for a remote) Dash pad came out OK. I thought a working clock without a big power draw would be cool. There was drama around this rack. I had unusual hole spacing then parts got lost at the chromer. I had a cow but luckily the parts got found.
Welcome to the forum.
Nice find! However, you do have some work cut out for you. Pick up an assembly manual as a reference and an even better one I have found is this forum. Pretty much any project or job has been done by someone here and can help out.
How is the frame on this one? What are your engine and drive line plans?
Good luck and keep us posted.
Welcome to the forum.
Nice find! However, you do have some work cut out for you. Pick up an assembly manual as a reference and an even better one I have found is this forum. Pretty much any project or job has been done by someone here and can help out.
How is the frame on this one? What are your engine and drive line plans?
Good luck and keep us posted.
Thanks Lobzila! I will use the forum as much as you all will put up with me. I am just not sure how much RTFM to expect
I am not sure on the frame. I kind of took a chance on this car but I thought since it was originally a CA car, maybe it will be ok. As soon as I can get past my new fear of hantavirus with all this mouse poop I will get to the inspection points. I just need a day to rip out the interior with a respirator. Then once the bad crap is out of the car I will push it in the garage and put it on the lift.
The engine and driveline plans are kind of up in the air. It has the 350 with the 3 speed automatic. The previous owner did put heads on it from a 70 I think. That is all I know now. As time goes on and I get a little smarter I will make a plan.
Welcome to the Forum & congrats on the 71.
I like the look of the hardtop . Get the power washer out & go to town cleaning.
Looks like quite the project, you can ask about anything here a world of experience. Some of us have lived & breathed Corvettes most of our lives.
Good luck.
Hello Corvetteforum world. I am introducing myself to this group and hoping to join in and share my new C3 experience. I just purchased a 71 in Ontario Orange that had been parked in a barn in Illinois for over 20 years. It is really rough but I enjoy wrench turning so it should provide hours and hours of fun. I am familiar with restoring old Brit cars and just completed an engine rebuild on my 75 308 Dino. I was looking for an old muscle car to keep me busy and I found it. I am new to the Vette world but reading through this forum it looks like there is a lot of helpful people to guide me through the minefields. My first challenge is to get the barn stink out of this car. Lots and lots of mice poop. I can't even bring it in the garage. It is sitting in the driveway and airing out. I guess my first question to the forum is a recommended manual. I am planning to do a frame off resto-mod so there has to be something better than the Haynes from the auto parts store. Much thanks in advance. Paul
Paul
Nice find if I can be of any help let me know I hav a bunch on books and manuals along with hundreds of personal restoration pictures
Wes
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Assembly Instruction manual, chassis service manual.
Dont bother with chilton or haynes except for very basic information unless you find one that was written back in 71 or 72.
Hantavirus is bad. I lived in Utah as an EMT and it was a big deal in southern Utah where the droppings would dry out and become dust. You can buy hepa filters for the shop vacs and a nice hepa mask and googles can be reused in future painting or sanding projects. buy lots of rubber gloves too. Maybe some surface wipes with Disinfectant, careful of ones with bleach on anything you dont want ruined like the vinyl unless you rewipe with something like a basic cleaner to get the bleach off. Bleach will kill anything so you dont need to go nuts with disinfectants. The lysol surface wipes are goood.
. I would just remove the entire enterior and maybe throw the carpets out. You can start with just taking the seats out, quick and easy and might make cleaning easier. Be sure to get the vents and heater all cleaned out too. Turning on the fan and getting a cloud in your face is nasty. Those seats look like old recaros and you should be able to get them recovered.
As a suggestion. Take before and after pics, not only for satifaction but for reassembly, especially dash and gauge wiring. Put everything in separate ziplocks and label where it came from, dash screws, console screws, seat bolts, sanity,.....
The ten things thread at the beginning of the general section shows where and how to look for rust. The windshild and the body mounts are the hiding places
Your car looks awesome. Keep giving us more pics
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; 02-23-2017 at 06:48 AM.
Assembly Instruction manual, chassis service manual.
Now that is a barn find! Great that you're saving this one. Welcome to the forum and good luck with the restoration. Post plenty of pictures as you progress.
Hi V,
Well!
Quite an interesting looking 71 convertible!
Probably the carpet and padding will need to come out to really get rid of ALL the stink!
Here are 3 books that many folks find useful.
The 1971 Assembly Instruction Manual (AIM). There was one for each year and it was used in the assembly plant in St.Louis.
The 1971 GM Chassis Service Manual. Again, there's one one for model year and was used by the Dealer service Departments.
The Shop Manual. (Overhaul Manual). This has specific rebuilding in formation for things like alternators and starters.
Good Luck as you get to know this car! I hope it's an interesting challenge but also gives you lot's of pleasure.
Regards,
Alan
I think you'll find working on it to be a bit different than what you experienced with your Brit cars or Dino!
Alright! Another 71 being rescued! Ours has been a journey so far, and it looks like you`re about to embark on a similar adventure! Agree with above posts... The Assembly Manual, Chassis Shop Manual, are required. And our own Alan71 archives are FANTASTIC! Welcome aboard!
Since you are doing a Resto-Mod, you may consider selling any original parts in the For Sale section of this forum. Doesn't matter how bad they may look, there's always a market for original OEM items.
Since you are an experienced "wrencher", I'll add a manual that you will need.... The Chevrolet Chassis Overhaul Manual. It is no longer in print, but you can find them on eBay, etc. from time to time. If you can't find one for your model year, one from '69-'74 would provide most everything you would need. It shows all the detail on complete disassembly, reassembly, and adjustments for ALL of the mechanical components in the car:
All of these can be rebuilt for less money than part store replacements; and the rebuilt unit will be of much better quality than some aftermarket cr@p.
You have a terrific looking car...well, it WILL be! Ontario Orange convertible with hardtop.... OUTSTANDING!!
Very nice find....hope you have very deep pockets if restoring to spec. Good thing is, it'll be worth some money when you're done! Dude before you liked later model parts it appears. Hope the drive line is original aside from the heads for value's sake. Still a great find no matter how you look at it.
Jim
Awesome to see the 20 year old dust all over it! Also, great to see another '71 being saved and brought back to life. However, without being frigid or insulting, this car will more than likely cost you more to restore than its ultimate (after) value. If you're OK going into it, then your end result will be a great car! It looks like a well optioned vehicle and is quite complete with some minor exceptions. I don't see, from the few pictures anything that can't be reversed or restored without the "normal" difficulties. I do however see what looks like rust at the lower "A" pillar, which probably indicates a further inspection of the windshield frame is needed....I say all the above to help!
I hope you enjoy the work ahead, I'm jealous and want to restore one more!
Congratulations on your find and welcome to the Corvette Forum!
The seats look suspiciously like Recaro LS seats. Back in the very late 70's Car Craft did an article on these seats and I went out and bought a set. You could have bought a nice Corvette back then for what they cost. I bought them for a BOSS 302 and absolutely loved them.
If they are Recaro's, the structure is incredibly strong and may well be worth restoring. At one time you could buy the upholstery from Recaro. I sold the Mustang and installed them in my '73 Corvette convertible. I lost some headroom, but they fit. I had to mount them without sliders to save an inch and my head still touched the headliner of the hardtop. Convertible top was okay however.
Good luck with the project and keep us posted on the progress.
Best of luck to you. It's a long, slow, expensive process, but when all done it's rewarding. Here are before and after photos of my 78 which sat in a barn for 8 years.
02-23-2017, 01:05 AM
Vibguy 1971 frame off restomod
Ontario Orange convertible with hardtop.... OUTSTANDING!!
