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Cleaned up the frame; solid all way round.👍🏼 Removed the dash, again, along with all the gauges. Besides affording clear access to the frame for wire brushing, I’ll also be able to get at the fuse box on the firewall a lot easier, for cleaning & checking fuses & connections. Eventually I’d like to relocate the fuse box for easier access. I don’t know whose idea it was to stick it up on the driver’s side firewall inside the car, but you have to be Harry Houdini to even see the dang thang.
Thanks guys! I truly appreciate all the encouragement & suggestions. I was considering brushing on Rustoleum’s Rusty Metal Primer, or spraying their acid-etch primer. I spent the day sanding & wire brushing various places I missed. My OCD kicked-in & I wound up going hog wild on the windshield frame some more. Since it’s in such good shape, I felt it deserves the extra attention. It’ll be a while before I can afford a new windshield, so I’ve got plenty of time to prep & decide on paint. This is a screen shot off of CorvetteHop’s YouTube video recommendation for priming. 👉🏼https://youtu.be/P6DO-PahL_U?si=keWqD332vOpQgr7Z
Acid etch? Or…
…Zinc Phosphate? I’ll need a rugged primer for the metal headlight cover panels too.
I’m thinking this might be the right stuff.
Looking at the windshield wiper bay & thinking about truck bed liner…this would be a good time to tackle that & make it fine.🤔💭
Last edited by 78Corvetter; Oct 30, 2024 at 12:06 PM.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Phosphour is a watery like thickness so it is easily brushed on or put on with a rag. As I said it chemicals converts any rust back to a metal shell and coats the rest of the bare metal so it will not rust. Then you can coat it with any paint you want. Paints wont do anything to the rust beneath but coat it...some do better than others to keep the air out to keep the rust from growing but it isnt a perfect or permanent solution as a direct chemical reaction would be
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Yes it does attack better where there is rust, where ther isnt you wipe it off. The directions explain how to apply it. Once dry you can put the etching primer on it as well. Its phosphouric acid.
I removed all chrome & plastic trim off of the birdcage, since it was easy & there’s lots of painted/rusty surfaces underneath it all. Passenger side T-top anchor plate needs to be removed & polished, new screws. This is a detail seen whenever the tops are off, so it has to look good. A backing plate on the T-top anchor hole isn’t welded in, so if you remove the two chrome screws, be prepared to catch it. Passenger side door jamb is next on a long list of smaller surfaces, out of sight most of the time. There’s a surprising amount of surface area beyond what’s visible when the car has doors & hood closed, t-tops on. Still more grinding to be done on the windshield frame. Will need a new abrasive wheel soon. I’ve the rest of autumn & all winter in the barn to whittle away at the wiring & vacuum systems, before painting. I removed the seats, all gauges & center console to minimize moisture during winter. It’s easier to work on wiring & vacuum lines. Until new weather stripping is installed, & painting is done, I’ll keep the pieces out to restore or replace them.
Since removing the dash to paint the windshield frame made access to the heater box a lot easier; & I knew the old heater core was leaking into the passenger compartment & needed to be replaced… …I decided this would be a good time to rip the heater apart. Getting at the two hoses in the engine bay, underneath this section of the heater box where they attach to the copper tubing that comes out of the heater core is next to impossible…
…so I cut the copper tubing with a reciprocating saw where they emerge out of the heater box, inside the passenger compartment. The remaining sections of copper tubing attached to the old rubber hoses then just dropped onto the ground. It would’ve taken a long time under the car to try loosening the corroded old hose clamps, so I recommend this method.
Last edited by 78Corvetter; Oct 29, 2024 at 09:23 PM.
Enjoying your build thread. As much as I like Vette’s and what you are doing, I also find pleasure in the background that I see in the pics. Your land, your old truck… Stuff I love, but don't get to experience. Great job so far on getting it done!
I painted the first coat on the windshield frame & center beam of the birdcage. I used Rustoleum’s Rusty Metal Primer since I already had it on hand & the metal was starting to rust again. Wiped it down with mineral spirits & brushed on a good solid first coat.
Last edited by 78Corvetter; Oct 30, 2024 at 02:22 PM.
With the dash out of the car, it’s easier to push wires out of the way and remove the hood release bracket, affording better access to the fuse box on the driver’s side firewall. I’ll clean corrosion off of the contacts with a dremel tool & apply dielectric grease, then put in new fuses.
Removed both plastic screens from the wiper bay & vacuumed out the grunge inside the drain channel, followed by a thorough blasting with compressed air. I’ll eventually finish out the wiper bay, probably using truck bed liner paint.
Shaking off winter torpor, work on the Corvette has resumed with replacement of the alternator belt. The one that was on there was too tight, with zero room for adjustment.
I haven’t run the engine for a couple of months so I’ll be shooting oil into the cylinders through the spark plug holes, taking off the valve covers, oiling up the lifters before starting up the engine.
Once that’s done I’ll work on getting the headlights, turn signals & heater operating.
On a practical note, a few weeks ago, after three years, I finally got the salvage title on the car from Oregon DMV. The new belt is just the right length.
