Must be that time of year. My focus seems to be on the things that drive me nuts. And "elusive parts" are near the top of my list.

For a while, it was the 67 chrome interior door pulls that are a direct replacement for the flimsy plastic ones present in all stock c3s. Found those; NOS, too. I was stoked but it took me a month and comparatively big dollars to end that bout of OCD.

But the thing I reference here is that part you know you have in your garage, but you just can't lay your hands on it. You know you saw it, but just can't remember where.

I looked for weeks for this little gem.


I suspected I wasn't stupid enough to throw away something until I knew I didn't need it. Thankfully I was right.

Kudos to any of you who knew what it was before I type its purpose. When I found it in the car, I had no idea.

Within the halo, on both sides, there is this captured 3 hole nut that receives the odd triangular t-top bolt and two smaller bolts on a stainless plate. Somehow, this elusive part had come unstuck and fallen past the little shelf within the halo. When I went to put things back together, needless to say, there was nothing there to connect to. I had a vague memory of finding what I thought might be that piece, but the Bud Light induced fog prevented any specific recollection of its location. After an exhausting search of the parts I stored for reassembly and the parts I stored in my back garage that I deemed unnecessary for this project, but wasn't yet willing to part with, I finally stumbled upon it, cleaned it up, and using a tube camera snuck the part back into place within the outer wall of the halo. It was like doing surgery in that old "Operation" game. A small magnet on a telescoping rod, some luck, and a lot of cursing later, I managed to put it all back together. Surprisingly without the help of the aforementioned Bud Light.

But, man, talk about the black hole of time! And not just the surgery. The locating of these "little" things absolutely kills progress. Like the glasses you look all over for that are on top of your head, or the ratchet you can't find because you left it in the frame rail after tightening a bolt, or that one damn bolt you need to finish, or or whatever. It eats so much precious time looking for these things.

What's it been for you? What's that one elusive part you need to buy or have but can't find, and what weird (or not) place concealed it for so long? Just curious. (I know I'm not the only one.)

 

That looks, to me, like a perfect example of a part that should be measured and saved for a 3D printer file. As our babies get older, things like this will start to disappear. It may only be needed 1 time in 10 years, but to that guy, it would be gold.

Chuck

 

Too late for that, Chuck. She's already back in. But you're right. That should have been done. I'd also need a 3D printer and scanner.

 

Anyone seen my upper left rad bracket?
yup
M

 

When i was rebuilding the engine back in early 2014, getting ready to bolt on all the accessories, do you think I could find my water pump? I searched high n low for it for a few days, no luck. So I told myself, ok it's the original 72 pump, better put a new one on the new engine.
So did all the research for part numbers etc, decided on a Edelbrock unit. Ordered, then waited for delivery. Get home from work a couple weeks later, parcel there, old man says what's that, I say new pump, he's says what's wrong with old one, I say cannot find it. He walks out into my shed and says what's this then.....
I'd been walking past it on the shelf all that time with blinkers on. It blended in with all the other parts.
To this day it's still sitting on the same shelf, same spot, just in a visible Edelbrock Water Pump box.

 

The chrome door pull ***** are available in chrome plated steel for about $14 each. Most vendors carry the cheaper plastic ones, but the steel ones do exist.

I always warn anyone contemplating changing their t-top rear striker plates to be careful how they remove the hardware, so as not to lose the nut plates. People have claimed that they're attached to the b-pillar, but I've parted a lot of Corvettes, and I've never found any that were attached to the body in any way.

 

It's always like that. I look high and low for a part I know I have. Order a replacement, usually about a week after installation I find the part while looking for something else that I can't find.

 

Yep. Been there. Done that. At one point I had 3 sets of shoulder belt covers for exactly that reason.... Speaking of, I know they're around here somewhere. Where in the world...

 

I have it here on top of my tool box, Mooser.

Seriously, I have a stock one I can send you. I went with a champion three wall aluminum radiator and the upper brackets no longer fit. I'll have to fab or find something else.
Let me know if you actually do need one.

 

Lol.
No I'm good, I was just linking to an old thread I made back in 2014 where I "lost" my elusive part and eventually found it hiding




But I really appreciate the offer. This group is the best for helping each other
M

 

I snapped the screws off in one of mine and failed at drilling them out, so I had to surgically extract that backing plate. As luck would have it, I didn't throw it out after making a new one, so I just measured it and drew it up in Sketchup.

The plate is 1/4" thick. I eyeballed the hole locations with calipers for the drawing. When I made mine, I used the outer trim piece and some transfer punches to mark the hole locations before drilling, but these locations should be pretty close.


I couldn't attach the .skp file so I just attached the screenshot with the dimensions, but the screenshot makes it look like I picked arbitrary points to measure everything off of, but they are all measured off the bottom right corner in the photo.

 

Right on, Ron. You da man.

There ya go, Chuck.

It's funny to me how many unique parts we come across taking 'em apart and putting these beauties back together.

Happy wrenching, all!