DMITTZ

That is very nice of you to say. It certainly is lots of fun getting our older Corvette's working and looking as good as new (or better than new) again. Gives a sense of satisfaction. Lots of very talented people on this forum. I still feel like my car has a ways to go before it is up to par but its slowly getting there.

I really enjoyed reading about the high quality work you have done on you 86'. It takes a fair bit of time and work to restore the interiors on these cars, yours is going to look great. I need to do a bit more work on my interior at some point as the seats are tired looking... I also liked that you are taking the time to get the little details right like the lower windshield mouldings.

Hats off to you to take on doing the paint I know that is a ton of work, it will look awesome with the new paint and the CCW wheels!

Amazing how long it takes to get the wheels i didn't realize they were that back-ordered. I know waiting for parts can be a little frusterating, living in Canada it always seems to take at least a month to get anything for the corvette from a USA vendor.

Looking Forward to more updates.

CVG323

very nice. subbed

I love the classic lines and corners of early C4's

C5R USA

Thank you for your observations, praise, and input. I agree that it is a time consuming process to make sure all the "details" are taken care of. I'll be the first to admit, that I'm nowhere near being an expert on the restoration process but, I've certainly advanced over the years knowledge wise on what it does take for everything to come together. That's been part of the fun, learning. The other fun part was checking off a needed mechanical repair completion, that I kept in a journal for the 1st phase. I stuck with the game plan.....Make sure the '86 gets to the point where it drives and operates like it did when it came out of Bowling Green, and then work on making it look as good as when it came out of Bowling Green.

In a sense, I felt an obligation to the previous owner when I purchased this car from him to see the restoration all the way thru, and do it right. I know it was something that was hard for him to part with but, the Military has a habit of transferring you on short notice and the luxury items are usually not factored in. I know how I felt, after getting a great deal on a 1972 coupe. 2 weeks later, I was selling that car because I was being deployed to the Middle East.

The prepping and painting of the car will be handled by Mike Godat of Elite Customs. Body work is one of those things I leave to an expert, which I'm nowhere near, and you know working with fiberglass is an art form. Hats off to the guys that know how to work with fiberglass.

The CCW wheels, I already factored in as taking a long time to get. I believe they were bought out by Weld Wheels in the past few years and the operation is not the same. After listening to some fellow C5 owners complain about the length of time it took to get their wheels in the recent past, I just chalked that up as one of things I was going to have to deal with if I had my heart set on CCW.

Just an update as well.....Monday is usually the day I do my check-in's with the body shop, and nothing to report on as of today. Elite Customs works big time volume on collision repair, and they are always in demand. Just one of those "factors" I have no control of but, Mike understands that I won't be breathing down his neck for instant results. We want everything done right the first time and documented with progress photos.

C5R USA

Just an update, and nothing to report or photos as of today.....My new windshield arrived about a week ago, and that's about it. Unfortunately, they keep getting slammed with collision work, if that's any indication that people can't drive work a damn( or distracted in most cases).

Time for it to be completed by the end of summer is slipping away rapidly, and honestly my hands are tied in that regard. I travel abroad for work, so I don't have the luxury of being around my car, even for things I could do to speed up the process. Frustrating to the nth degree, nonetheless.


Bear with me....We'll get there eventually.

jsmcol

I really appreciate the fact that people are willing to spend the money to bring a tired early C4 back to life. I bought an '86 convertible new, and it was a GREAT car, had a blast in it.


That is a really cool color that you picked, should look fantastic on the car, give it a "stealthy" look to it.


Have fun, hope you don't run into too much in unexpected costs.
Figure what you want to spend, add 50% and that will be what it takes to complete a project like this!


Good luck, and keep us posted!


Jim

C5R USA

Thanks Jim for the praise and advice....

Yeah, the unexpected cost thing, I would say overall has been kept to a relatively small portion in the big picture.....I just went in with the mindset that I was going to have to replace or repair most everything, and that's why I've taken the 5 years to make sure it's done right and document parts and repair purchases.


I really didn't have a budget cap in mind when I started this because I knew it would be far cheaper to restore a early C4 than a chrome bumper C3 which I initially was in the market for.....My bottom line is to bring this car back to full glory with some contemporary enhancements, that's honestly the measure of my resolve, and I'll see it thru.....Hopefully sooner, than later


Just some enhancement parts I've bought recently to add to the already long list.

1)HID Conversion headlight kit, projector lens, 6000K white, with 55w ballasts and HID fogs
2) All exterior light markers and reverse to LED.
3) Most interior bulbs upgraded to blue LED.
4) Corsa exhaust

C5R USA

I returned home this past weekend, and just wanted to relay some update on the progress.....Mike at Elite Customs assures me that he will be able to start making some real progress in it's makeover in a 2-week time frame....Ok, fair enough.....In the meantime, I've taken the liberty to get some other things done.


I took the car out for an extended drive, and it ran beautifully....I didn't like how the brakes reacted after awhile, it seems I was able to go deeper with the brake pedal and that's never a good sign, and I wasn't driving it hard....So we're going to nip that in the bud. I went ahead and ordered a set of stainless steel brake lines for starters and then I'll go thru the system to make sure every other component is functioning optimally.


I'm going ahead with installing the Champion radiator, and the new horns, and after talking with Gateway Powder Coating earlier today, I dropped off the intake, runners, and valve covers. I really didn't like any of the silver finishes that they offered, and after browsing thru a plethora of colors, I decided that I'd be a little radical and go with Illusion Purple for the intake and runners, and still have the valve covers in wrinkle black. I'll see how everything turns out but, if it looks as good as I'm hoping, then I'll have the alternator shell powder coated as well. My new Corsa exhaust arrived today and I'm going ahead with having that installed as well.

Stay tuned, I'm hoping to have some progress photos in the near future.....Things are looking on the up and up.

C5R USA

Well folks it's been almost a year since I last posted about a status concerning "Project 1986" because I virtually have nothing to show for my wait. It's not from lack of wanting to get it done, enthusiasm, or funds for that matter. It boils down to a body-shop guy who is swamped with work, then unfortunately having his father pass away, who spearheaded the "fine arts" of what went on in that shop, and then his mother just passed away within the past few days. I happened to get home a couple days ago, and personally went over to the shop and had a long talk. He said, "Tom, I can't thank you enough for your patience, and I apologize for giving you various start dates, and then not following through". I said, "Mike, I tell you what, chances are when you begin to actually work on the car, I won't be around, why don't you just surprise me with a phone call, and then I'll know", lol!! Again....I hear the 2 week start routine bit but, I'm not holding my breath anymore. To me, it's still worth the wait. Trust me, I'm beyond frustrated about it, and I wish I could share some photos or at least relay some progress but, it's just void at this time.

The only thing I can update is that the CCW Classics I ordered several months ago, are now in my possession and still in their shipment boxes from CCW. I'm not going to send them off for chroming until I know that he's started underway with the resto.

As soon as something changes, I'll be more than happy to pass along some progress. Keep the faith, I'm trying my best to do that as well.....

myredhead1

You sir, are a very patient and understanding man. Good luck in finishing your project.

junkyard_dog72

I'm excited to see the progress of this car. Gray is an excellent choice on an early C4, I went with Shark Gray Metallic from the C7 on mine

C5R USA

Patience is one way of looking at it, lol!! However, after dealing with this project, and the delays, just reinforces my belief to never undertake a full blown restoration again.
Thank you for your kind words. It'll get done....I know it will.

Thank you Sir....Shark Gray Metallic was a consideration as well as Watkins Glen Grey but, after I saw Galaxy Grey in person, I was like, "that's THE one".

I'm still excited as well about getting this car done but, in effect I feel like I've been watching paint dry in the meantime. Thanks for following along, I'll be more than happy to report progress to you and everyone else of bringing the tired "old gal" back to life.

Sabre34

Thanks for the progress report. The gray will look great. My '03 Corvette was Medium Spiral Gray. I loved that color. Enjoy the process!

C5R USA

Greetings folks, a thread I started 2 years ago, greatly anticipating some positive progress for this restoration has been anything but, positive. I don't know about the rest of you but, I can assume that most you are a lot like me in wanting projects/goals completed in each given fiscal year. It's beyond frustrating to be at the mercy of someone who's services you need, and you keep getting put behind through no fault of your own.

After a solid 2 months on the road, (Mecum keeps me quite busy). I got home Monday evening. With no time to waste, I made a point to stop by my body shop guy's place on Tuesday, where the '86 Corvette has claimed residence for the past 2 years. I had some targa top hardware and door panel trim that I needed to bring out anyway. Upon arrival, I surely was not ready for what I saw in one of the garage bays, and just sat there a minute to actually absorb it....Yeah, you guessed it...The '86 has FINALLY been pulled in, and work is about to commence. Mike actually comes out (keeping our Covid-19 protocol distance) in effect. Hey Tom!! What's up stranger?! I said, Mike I was actually dreading coming over here, because I get depressed every time seeing my project not getting any TLC but, today I'm just speechless.

He tells me that the collision business has virtually dried up and business associates of his in the same field have had to lay people off because of this pandemic....So, he tells me it's time to start knocking out projects that have long been overdue. I said Mike, I'm only home for 4 days but, I thank you for giving me something to look forward to when I return home next time.

What can I say, other than I'm looking forward to sharing some progress again with you all in the near future. Stayed tuned!!

Project....1986 in the bay getting ready for it's makeover.

ghlkal

There's some good news. Let's hope they can get the work done soon, and you can enjoy it

zachaeous

I went through a rebuild of a early c4 (1984). I bought the car in 2011 in pretty rough shape. I rebuilt the entire car over a period from 2012 to 2019. It was a long process and the last thing I did was rebuild the front and rear suspensions. The car was a sentimental purchase as I had a new 84 and 86. I wanted to rebuild the car better than it was when new. It took me all this time to do the work on the car myself with the exception of the transmission. I had it gone through at a local dealer. The car does run better and drives better than the new 84 I had back in the day.

Hang in there it will be worth it when you 86 is completed. My 86 was a early car without the aluminum heads and was black with black and grey cloth interior w/Z-51. I am happy that your car is going to get some tlc and looking forward to your progress.

Here is a pic of the car back in the summer of 2019 after it was completed, I changed the color of the car to Carbon Flash w/red interior.

C5R USA

I can't convey my feelings in words how incredible your car has turned out, I mean that is just a grand-slam, and I admire your painstaking approach to making it better than when it left Bowling Green. I share that passion as well. My '86 is an early edition also. The vision I have for the car is to make it look like it came from the factory, with the exceptions of wheels, modern HID and LED lighting, and a few other subtle cosmetic enhancements. Just having completed all the mechanicals a few years ago, the car was so fun to drive then even looking unsightly but, it deserves to look like it operates.

ghoastrider1

I to have an 86 that I am going thru. I had it painted same stock color (gold), tranny rebuilt, headers with full true exhaust with x crossover..ect,ect..Looking for a set of wheels now' I kinda want the outside looking good before going inside. I do race it sometime here in Indy/ 1/4 mile. Yours look great and hope to have mine in as good a shape as yours.

C5R USA

Sounds like you've completed some decent work to your '86 with all the mechanical enhancements you listed. 3 things that sold me on undertaking this particular '86 was that the engine and transmission had been rebuilt and the original black paint had already been stripped. A solid starting point as far as I am concerned. I remember back in 2013 whenever I needed to move or drive it, all the wires normally under the drivers knee pad, we're just all hanging down, and I felt like I was stealing the car with having to toggle wires to get it to turn over, lol!! I don't miss those days. She's definitely come a long way.

You'll get there with what your wanting to accomplish as well. It just takes patience, very detailed record keeping along with receipts, and documenting your mileage on mechanical upgrades/repairs if you plan on still driving it during it's rebirth.
Good luck to you and thanks for the praise!!

C5R USA

Progress is coming along nicely, I don't have any photos to share as I'm on the road but, assured that it's happening. I'm out in California this week, and managed to get the CCW Classics to Wheel Concepts in Camarillo for chroming/powdercoating.

I've been searching tires for quite some time and not having any luck coming up with Michelin in both sizes that I want. 275/35/18.....315/30/18. I've been looking at Yokohama Advan as a 2nd choice but, I had Yokes on my C5 and didn't care for them much. Anyone have a recommendation, I'm all ears.

C5R USA

Just got home and made a point to run out to the body shop, and take a look at the progress being made....Just about every panel has been removed for sanding and prepping. Unfortunately, the rear and front fascia has been cut into too deeply from previous body work, and in general weren't in good shape to begin with. 34 years takes a toll. Luckily, Just Corvettes is less than 2 miles from my house, and they have a plethora of C4 body parts, so I will purchase a couple good ones.

Wheel Concepts has about another week to go on finishing up the wheels before they are shipped.

Just some quick photos of the body work/and disassembly:








Hood and both doors getting TLC refinishing, sanding, and prep for paint!!
34 years of elements, has taken it's toll on old fiberglass with nicks, chips, and weathering.