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Hey guys, been wanting what felt like an eternity to put up this post and today is finally the day, Betty is home and went for her first ride today!
(Full disclosure, purchase agreement with my wife gave her rights to naming choice , we compromised on the title of this thread because you know, Vetty)
Needs some work but birdcage and frame have been thoroughly inspected by a mechanic who works exclusively with classics and has a chrome bumper of his own - to me that was the most important aspect when buying a car given my location (Waterloo, ON, - LOTS of snow during the winter months)
Taking this as a learning opportunity to working on cars (been years since i touched one with my dad and it was a BMW E30i from 89, not much in common with a Vette. I already have a looooong shopping lit and will definitely be relying on this community to help make those a reality haha. Looking forward to sharing progress and learning from and with you all! Here she is:
Shopping List:
17x8 US MAG Wheels U111 RAMBLER Matte Gunmetal Machined (+ tires) Bilstein Shocks Front and Rear
Flowtech 31106FLT Ceramic Headers (still have to price out getting a set of 2.5" exhaust VS having a shop do it)
Replace all struts bushings, tie rods, etc
Replace steering wheel with appropriate oyster 3 spoke
Indy Pace car front spoiler
And that should be it for this year! I'm sure i'll need help accomplishing some of those things but that's about what i'm comfortable doing on my own based on the wealth of information present in the forum and i already got the Haynes manual to help along the build
Exited to be part of the Corvette family!
Antonio
Last edited by antpgomes; Jun 20, 2021 at 07:06 PM.
FYI: Take pics before you remove a part from the car...
pics do not forget how it fits a month later
Solid advice that I've already got to appreciate first hand trying to fix the horn contact assembly (turns out there was an old FIAMM installed that's shot). Let's just say keep rewinding YouTube videos to double check all is where it belongs really isn't a productive used of time
And thanks again for your advice prior to buying the@doorgunner , it is much appreciated!
Last edited by antpgomes; Jun 20, 2021 at 08:42 PM.
Welcome from another 79 owner. I love the blue, and wish mine were that color. Those would also be my #1 choice for aftermarket wheels. I too had a spoiler on the back of mine for many years before I got around to adding the front pace car spoiler. I'm glad I finally did, I love the look of both spoilers on the car. Congrats on the new ride!
nice looking vette. my wife owned one and drove it for about 8 years,only sold it as she would pick her mother to go shopping and as her mother got older it was difficult for her to get in the vette. I think they are one of the nicest vettes for cruising.good luck with it. mike
Not the most exciting updates, but figured I'd post them while I wait on a bunch of orders to arrive.
This car was clearly safetied without having a mechanic lay eyes on it and I have a long list of little of things to go through before I put it through safety again. Most of them I was likely going to do them anyway - first project was tackling the loose steering column.
This was the state of the rag joint:
Unsurprisingly, the car was incredibly sketchy to drive even just around the block on a paved construction area.
Got around to disassemble the old rag joint, did a light soda blast and painted with steering column coupler with high temp enamel paint and voila:
Steering is tenfold better! Calling this a temp replacement as down the line i'll likely install a u-join or borgesson steering but for now i'm pretty happy with it - this was my very first corvette project too!
Next on the list:
Tackling suspensions, both front and back!
Got Bilstein HD's for front, Sports for back, going to be replacing all the bushing, sway bar end links, ball joint assemblies, and just about any other 40+ year old rubber pieces.
Will be posting updates as I tackle these much bigger projects and likely report back with very many questions
ONE QUESTION: Did you make sure you tapped the new rag-joint down far enough so the lower bolt fit into the notch in the steering box shaft?
Yes the second notch is fully snug under the bolt but I'll try and tap it a bit further down once I get a small peening hammer.
That was mostly a test fit to diagnose whether this was the primary cause of the loose steering column
Last edited by antpgomes; Jun 28, 2021 at 10:18 PM.
Not many updates to report other than Betty leaving me stranded on the side of the road a couple days ago.
Still unsure what the issue was but thanks to many of you I at least know what to look for in detail. That being said, she's up and running again and will be soon getting new boots and a suspension upgrade.
While I wait on parts, I got the car on stands and had my first good look under the rear section and it appears there's a few sketchy things going on
There's lightbulbs just hanging there (and my taillights and license plate light are all working fine)
this thingamajig is also hanging there....looks like a buzzer covered in gunk? Some sort of alarm perhaps? I have many questions
Lots of rubber to be replaced
Is it time for a monoleaf?
and finally, exhaust - i'll post my conundrum in a separate reply
I want to change my headers because these honestly look like garbage.
That said, I keep toying with the idea of putting side pipes. Suppose I didn't:
Should I still replace the whole exhaust system with true 2.5" pipes? (These ones have an outer diameter of ~2.2175in and the catalytic converters have been hollowed out)
I'm also not sure whether the leaf spring needs replacing right away or not. I ordered B6's for the front but would super appreciate your input on getting a monoleaf spring for the back. From what I've read, it seems like if i did that, I could/should get B8's for the rear?
Got around to swap the sketchy cable at the ignition coil for the proper one with the tower connector (still unsure if this is part of the issue that broke the Vette last week but alas, better safe than sorry)
Started disassembling all the headlights to replace with LEDs (was initially only going to do the front but I realize I have the bubble taillights which I do not like so those will be coming out too)
In the process, I found out that apparently I am the proud owner of the mythical Ford C3
Been a while since I posted any updates but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! Been learning lots in the process of taking the Vette apart and really excited to do an overall refresh on all things rubber, suspension and interior!
Some pics of what I've been up to:
Managed to get all the body mount out (#4 cage nuts need replacing and so does #3 driver side which took me about 4 hours to get out and made me want to invest in an actual torch (it broke on the wrong side of the nut i guess)
Floor pans didn't look so good but having taken a wire brush to clean them up a bit and spraying with rust check, they are solid
Last edited by antpgomes; Aug 7, 2021 at 02:49 PM.
Still debating on whether I attempt to do the trailing arms myself or just get new ones...inclined towards the latter although i do need to get the tools
79 Blue Vetty Build Thread
, we compromised on the title of this thread because you know, Vetty)
- LOTS of snow during the winter months)
(it broke on the wrong side of the nut i guess)
