That seat cleaned up nice! I would pull off the kick panels and check the #2 body mount area for rust. Also there are frame repair pieces available when you get that far.

 

The shifter **** is excellent! Good luck!!!!!

 

Thank you 75.
Here are some more pics

 

Picture upload test. Just tried to upload a bunch, no joy yet.

 

Ok here we go........


I love the lines of the 1970 C3



LEFT FRONT FENDER WILL BE A CHALLENGE DOWN THE ROAD TO SEAMLESSLY BLEND IN.



All open ports and holes are now covered to prevent varmits from making home.



Again, some of these pics already loaded. I will organize better to go step by step with before and after shots as I move along.

 

Just had to show this again.



Back of drivers seat.



Left front fender was just put on over pieces of original. Total rewiring down the road. For the near future, mechanic Sparton wiring will be used.



Center console insides.



Darn it, previous owner didn't leave Gold brick behind.

 

Piece by piece I will disassemble and take into my house for refurbish. Steering column.



If only this steering wheel could talk. 163000 miles. No junk yard for this baby.



Steering column.



Splines are in good shape, fits right into other end of steering mechnisim.



Yep, at least these are cut with room to reattach if necessary. But, total replacement in store considering plug and contact housing.

 

Gas pedal/Brake pedal mechanics to be done, for now the clutch pedal only one to be refurbished completely so I can engage clutch.



Just had to put another picture of this guy.



Removal of speedo and tachometer.



Front view of speedometer and tachometer.



Everything must come out. And no, that is not fire damage.

 

More pics

 

Steering column removal, lot of vacuum lines.



Blobs are some sort of insulation, not rust.



All rubber bushings to be replaced everywhere.



Transaxle seem in good shape. Will replace all universals.



No rust leaf spring.

 

Disc brakes. Tires in good shape. Also Cragars,need polished,



Fender mounted over old original fibreglass.



No signs of accident or collision anywhere.



Hopefully integrity ok.



Not original motor. I guess, no VIN number correlation on flat stamped area upfront of motor .

 

Headlamp mechnism





Left side headlamp I think. I have got a lot to learn.



Clear green anti-freeze.

 

Door VIN number adds up.



Surface rust on frame.



Some more pics of valve innards











Time will tell. I just got to do this right, or not at all.



Yep, almost made a mistake here. The world had a chance to ****** this up.

 

Well, now what to do first. I plan on full body removal , birdcage removal. Then get down to start frame refurbish. Suspension, brakes to follow. Big question as tof the manifolds.....stock or headers. Talk to you peeps soon.

 

Whats really odd to me is how rusty the steering column is and the rest of the car I thought was in better than expected shape. Was the column already disconnected and sitting away from the car? It is more rusty than I would have guessed?
Keep up the pics they are great to look at.
jim

 

You have a good point Jim. There is a level of rust throughout the car. I would like to say it as surface rust.The steering column is consistant with all the other surface rust, it matches the level of rust as is on the insert area where the steering column inserts into with the splines. As I hold the steering column in my hand, its not as bad as the picture might illustrate. Signs of MAJOR rust I am first hand familiar with, rusted out floor boards, severe frame rust, other areas with crusty destruction. In my own personal opinion, I am very pleased with the overall condition of the car. Yes, body work is going to be tricky. All the wiring and suspension, brakes, interior will be a challenge. A concern is the motor, seems to be in good shape.When I say good, I mean at least I can turn it and there are signs it was running not long ago.(within a few years). I checked to see if the VIN number was on the motor, but, it looks like a no go there. When I put the air filter on, it does not add up to the hood I got. It would need another 3-4 inches for the hood to be put on, would need a scoop intake or something. I got a burning feeling to pop some manifolds on the motor and try to crank it. I put 50/50 it would crank. But, then there is the possibility engine has cracked block or something. By looking in on the valves, the motor has a lot of crusty buildup. But stepping back, it looks like someone dropped in another motor at some point and then stopped. Where is the radiator? Where are the exhaust manifolds? To do this right, I guess I should forget about starting it up. I guess, to do it right, is to rebuild the motor and check out whats what. Which means, motor teardown. I have broken down some areas I want to prioritize to attack this project.
INFRASTRUCTURE/SUSPENSION/BRAKES/MOTOR/BODYWORK/ELECTRICAL/INTERIOR/WINDSHIELD/PAINTJOB.
Of course tires,radiator,a/c others. Yes, at the end of the day, if I got to do it, I gotta do it right. I will keep the pictures up, step by step. Large procedures and small procedures, I will keep you posted. Have a Nice Day.


The home grown mechanics bay. Hey, where there is a will there is a way.



Training wheels for now. Makes Corvette mobile, saves wrecker fees should if have to go from hrer to there.Winch worked good the night I got the car, pulled all 3000 pounds right up into place.



This was the bad side I saw when first saw it on Ebay. Its always a risk to buy from Ebay. Gotta look for 100 percent feedback rating, but, at the end of the day it is a gamble.



It is clear the left front fender was an add on, but,<br/>when the fever hits, common sense goes out the window. And of course the Cragars blind all good thinking.



This is the only concern I have with the frame.



When in doubt, paint it black. Just ask Batman.



Instrument cluster.



Anyway you look at it, at least for me, Corvette in front yard is a good thing.

 

Don't throw anything away. I would think in worst case scenario, you can get all of or most of your money back in parts to sell. You would just have to be patient.
jim

 

While the blue door sticker says 1970, the seats, center gauge cluster, steering wheel/steering column and front clip aren't from 1970. Kind of a hodge-podge of parts.

You mentioned the floor boards in Post #39, not being rusty. In 1970, the floor boards are fiberglass. A few years later(?) they went to metal floor boards. If they are metal, you may not have a 1970.

Is the VIN on the A-Pillar and the Frame for a 1970? Do they match the VIN on the Title of the vehicle?

Good luck, you're a ballsy guy with that project!

 

Thats a good point, the front clip is not from a 70. I would scour this car for VINs and make sure it is what the seller told you it was. Maybe you can get a refund from ebay/seller if its wrong ?

 

All good points. You see, I learn something everyday, that makes sense that the floorboards are possibly fiberglass.

Lets just say, I don't think my end goal is to make an original perfect Corvette. My goal is to make a Corvette that is a sound car, looks nice and can get up and get away from a Jaguar as of the Legend of Jan and Dean with the song- "Deadmans Curve." Something fun to drive.

And to learn with hands on experience. " a hodge podge car", a Frankensteinn creation, whatever. Its my Corvette. When I am done with this project, the Corvette will be a valuable asset to me.

So, lets move on to my latest work. I could easily replace the steering column with a much better one. I could have taken it all apart, sandblasted it and put a high acrilyl perfect paintjob on it, replaced all the wiring and made the perfect restoration to it. But, for now, I just cleaned it up, cleaned it and stopped the rust. I also got a perfect understanding of how it works, what wiring is there and also the various mechanical operations of it including the key starting components. So, here are a few pics for your enjoyment. No need to pick it all apart, it is what it is.