j_usmc86

This car has has been in my family since 2000 (It was my dad's from 2000 to 2010 and then my brother-in-law's until last year). When I got it it was entirely original other than the paint job (It was repainted and had a new decal set put on it in 2012), however it the interior was in really rough shape and it needed work mechanically. I thought I'd post updates throughout the journey as I intend on completely redoing the interior and restoring under the hood. I hope I am able to help others along the way as well as receive help and advice from others who have done the same!

Here are a couple before and after pictures from the new paint job and decal set. It was repainted at some point but it was not a very good job as there were no decals and the big stripes were painted. The end result was much better! This was done 2012.

j_usmc86

I don't have many shots of the interior before I started doing work, but here is some of what it looked like when I got it. I pulled all of the carpet out and vacuumed it and shampooed it. I also pulled out all of the trim pieces and dash and repainted them last summer to buy me time until I could replace them. Also the seats were in terrible shape so I left seat covers on them. This was done in July of 2018.

Needs some TLC!

Not sure if the seats had ever been removed. Original carpet needed clean terribly.

I remember my dad repainting the gauge bezel but it still looks rough. Also the lens is very foggy.

Seat backs and bottoms need painted

Dove right in and disassembled the interior for repainting

EP1978

The paint looks great. Good luck with the interior and engine bay, both of those can be huge projects in their own right.

j_usmc86

August, 2018 - At the time I didn't have the budget to throw at the car, so I was basically just trying to make what I had look as good as possible. The AC wasn't working and the car got very hot, so I put sound/heat barrier down while I had the carpet out. I was also able to order new door panels as a must because they weren't repairable and were a major eye sore. Got new console pieces in and installed. Already a world of difference from the month prior!

Dash has been painted and reinstalled. It will do for now!

Planning on ordering a new dash at this point. Too much work to try and redo this one. Still looks much better with new paint!

New frames for the battery and storage compartments in the back.

Replaced the shift boot, shift console, shift ****, gauge cluster bezel and air vents. Much better!!

New door panels with freshly painted arm rests! Makes the interior on a completely different level, no more eye sores!

j_usmc86

Thanks! I'm in the middle of doing the interior now, just trying to catch up with photos. New replica seats and dash are being made, can't wait for them to come in!

j_usmc86

This post catches the project up to date (2/20/2019). I have ordered a plethora of components for the interior including the big three (new dash, new replica seats and entire carpet set). The new carpet came in and I have the driver and passenger sides installed and am working on the rear. I also still have to replace the carpet on the back of the seats, the sides of the center console, the kick panels and the storage doors. Anxiously waiting for the new seats and dash to arrive!


I haven't seen these seats uncovered in 18 years! The new ones are going to look great!

Amazing how you don't realize how faded 37 year old is until it's next to brand new carpet!

Good dry fit for carpet.

Fits like a glove

The back is a little trickier

L-46man

You are doing a bang up job my boy....I'm proud of you. There are other young men on this forum who are train-wrecks ready to happen.

I have an 82 CE....you will be happy with it....great cruiser, great car for car shows....there won't be another one there.

Send me an I/M with a real e-mail address and I'll send some pix of an original 18k mile example.

BRAVO! ENJOY!
Unkahal
ps not so sure about the duct tape tho....even if it is a duct....if you HAVE to go that route...use ALUMINUM duct tape and paint it.

oh! shizzle!......THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO FREEDOM.

Drifter36

Very nice looking restoration! My 82CE journey began about 2 years ago. I’m rapidly approaching the need for new paint and decals.
Question
where did you source the decals and the hatch hinges?
thanks

j_usmc86

Thanks Drifter! I'm not 100% sure where the decals came from since the car was my brother-in-law's when it was repainted, however Corvette Mods, Ecklers, Ebay and many other companies carry them. The problem is that a full set runs around $1,300 which is insane in my opinion. As far as the hatch hinges, when I got the car they were stretched to the point there was about a 1 inch gap along the top edge of the window. I haven't figured out why no-one makes a reproduction of these as they are a very simple design and would be very cheap to make, therefore very profitable. Anyway, my immediate fix was to drill new holes further in on the roof panel after removing the hatch struts, allowing me to move the hinges up enough to close the gap. I currently have the struts removed and won't put them back on until I can source new hinges. I am going to check with the engineering department at a nearby university to see if they can reproduce them for me! Hopefully they are willing to help me out, and if they are I will let you know, who knows maybe I can get a few sets out of them.

Drifter36

Thanks for the quick response!
i think the problem with the hatch hinge supply is strictly marketing. Only 6 k+/- CEs were made and the hinge was a one off for this model year. So there’s no market incentive for anyone to produce them. If you have any luck finding a machine shop, let us know.
Sorry for 20 questions but where did you find the GY eagles? I could only find two tires with the white lettering in the correct size. Cooper and Goodrich
Bob

j_usmc86

Those tires were over 20 years old haha. I actually just had them replaced with the Cooper Cobras. Corvette America has the Eagle GT II tires, but they are $460 EACH. Wasn't worth it to me to spend almost $2,000 for a different set of letters haha. The Cooper Cobras look just fine!

j_usmc86

Unk thank you! Although I'm not a fan of the color, I do love the car, partly because of the sentimental value and partly because it was the end of the best style of corvette in my opinion. As far as the ductwork, I have black Flex Seal tape that looks like it came from the factory that way. I'll upload a pic when I get a chance. I will message you my email also.

L-46man

Phoenix Graphix has the decals and stripe packages.. Somewhere around $1400 for the entire set.

The MYTH that the hinges need replacing is just that. Please search for my article on Renewing the rear hinges and rear window. I'll look for it in a while.
The hinges have reached their yield point by now....you can readjust the hatch and they will give you ANOTHER 37 years of service.
I did mine over three years ago and they haven't moved a millimeter since then.

good luck CE brothers.

UnkaHal

j_usmc86

The problem I had with mine was that they stretched beyond the adjustment point that was built into the car and I had to make new holes further in from where the sliders would reach. Even then they didn't go quite as far as I would have liked (barely seating the glass against the weather strip), so I do plan on getting some new ones made in order to have a fully functioning rear hatch without the frankenstein project hiding under the roof panel.

L-46man

No doubt that it's a big project....took me 12 hours to achieve perfection.

Unfortunately the hinges/ 'C' brackets are no longer available...a long time ago.

Tough enough finding the escutcheon U trim that goes around the hinge pockets...big bux for some little trim parts!

UnkaHal

L-46man

Open letter to CE owners....if someone would 'give up' temporarily the C brackets...I'm a design engineer...I would re-design them, Create a Solidworks CAD file and then ANYONE can submit this to a machine shop to have them CNC'd.

I'm not taking mine apart...they work FINE! lol

Just a Thought.

UnkaHal

j_usmc86

Yeah I just ordered a set of U trim pieces. Not sure how anyone loses them, but needless to say I cringed at the cost haha. I emailed a guy that used to manufacture them to see if he has the dimensions. I am looking at getting them made for me (and possibly a few extra sets) but I don't know what the original spacing was between the bolt holes since mine are stretched and I don't want to guess based on what I see with my car. Hopefully he has something for me!

Drifter36

Mine were just dried out and brittle and broke as soon as I touched them. New ones are excessively expensive for a piece of plastic.
Unc, what do you mean by “C bracket”?

L-46man

...it's the trim on the basket handle that surrounds the cut-outs for the 'hinges'. Mine are bronze plastic x 2.

Clarifications further....the actual hinge for the back window is mounted INSIDE of the basket handle to the 'roll bar/birdcage' The C shaped black brackets mount to the window....it's a multiple piece assembly we call the hinges.

Unk.

j_usmc86

He is referring to the hinges that open the rear glass.