When restoring your classic Corvette, there is always the opportunity to take advantage of modern materials and new processes to improve the durability of the vehicle. Given a vehicle which you intend to drive often, (ie: not a trailer queen) and show occasionally, would you restore to factory correct appearance or completely correct?

For example, using epoxy primers on a C3- this type of material wasn't available when these cars were made but offer a huge improvement. Since the primer will be covered, who will know (except you!)

Whatta you think?

Mac :rolleyes:

 

I'm choosing correct appearance. I used the epoxy materials when doing the body work, along with the surfacer, primers and base coat / clear coat paint system. I plan on driving it and having fun with it.

 

But Laquer is correct for your car Mac, if you are planning to drive your car go BC/CC, then you will not have the cracking problems. Or, go with what makes you happy.

Tom

 

68 Roadster,

With a frame that beutifull, do what ever you want :D :D :D

Tom

 

Tom
As along as it's silver. I'm close enough :D.

 

Sorry, Riverside Gold here :D :D :D

Tom

 

factory

 

Okay, let's take the premise one step further- one could change a great many things about a car and still maintain factory correct appearance. Let's say I decide to 'gut' my motor and replace the already stout L82 innards for race componants- hot roller cam, roller rockers, stroked crank, use your imagination. Other than being faster than stink, who would know? Where do you draw the line? Certainly, a Vette would be one of the most unexpected 'sleepers' ever! Everyone expects a Vette to be hot, so if it's super-hot, who would know the difference?

Mac :cool:

 

Mac,

I would say a good percentage of corvettes born before say 1980 were given alot of "hot suppers" people that were buying them at the time were usually young men in their teens and twenties who beat the crap out of them, I am sure alot of the cars have rebuilt motors in them, My '66 I just sold had a rebuilt motor in it with a hotter cam, my '69 does not have the original motor in it right now because of a spun bearing, so noone will know/ I am sure there are very few with stock specs left.

Tom

 

If you have the original engine in your car, Mac, it makes no sense to "gut" your original motor and do all those alterations.

If you have this irresistable urge to grow hair on your back, bag the original motor and buy yourself a GM Performance crate engine, say a "fast burn" ZZ4 (385 hp). It will cost about the same (maybe less), will have a higher probability of success, will have a warranty, and when you are through acting "goofy", you can sell a real tangible asset (the ZZ4) and re-install the original motor, thereby restoring the value back to your Corvette. :D :D :D

 

Mac,

I faced a similar quandary when I obtained and started restoring my 65. It was in primer and gutted, with the interior changed (seat covers installed over top of seat covers and dyed door panels and dash pads) to black from silver vinyl. From the trim tag I knew that the car was originally silver pearl with a silver vinyl interior. By the way, I had all of the original engine EXCEPT the block. While I dithered over what to do: return to stock or ?, a friend asked this simple question: why are you doing it? to drive and enjoy (ie: for yourself), to sell (and hopefully realize a profit), or to restore as closely as possible to original, because originality above all else is important to you and you wish to preserve the car's 'value' (in someone else's eyes). I chose the 'drive and enjoy answer, and the car's now red (lacquer, because we could do it ourselves), with black (leather) interior and a 67 327 block with the original heads, manifolds used. To the uninitiated (ie: non-NCRS/NCCB Guru) it looks pretty stock (no flares, stripes, mag wheels). I even turned down the offer of my engine builder to put a little 'hotter' cam in it, and run a stock-style cam, lifters, pistons, etc. The most important thing (to me, anyway) is that it pleases ME, and despite the a/m changes, I've still got less money in it (don't even think about my time, because that was 'fun') than it's worth today even as a non-stock, modified car.

All of that said, if you've got a basically original car to start with, perhaps the idea of keeping it as stock as possible and looking for another one to do up YOUR way, is the best course of action...economically, at least. It all comes down to personal preference...

 

Anything you can do "under the covers" to improve reliability, durability, and performance is not detectable. Of course, an L-79 cam is detectable in an L-75 during a PV, but blueprinting is not, nor are viton seals, etc. The only part of the paint that is visible is the color coat on the surface.

Duke

 

Unfortunately, my motor is not original. Ron D checked my block # and it's from a '79- 195 horse, but it has targetmaster heads and will light the tires in all four gears, so I'm assuming it's been hotted up already. I've never had to work on the engine to date.

I think I may upgrade to fuel injected engine (maybe with a 6 speed :cool:) in the future (as budget allows :cry ) but for now, I'm working to improve the overall enjoyment of the car; sandblast & repaint frame, replace all mounts and suspension bushings, all brake & gas lines stainless, etc etc etc. I expect Ron D will be posting some more pics soon. The frame is done and it's time to start re-assembling soon. My car is too low optioned and too high mileaged to be truly collectible, but it's been in the family since 1986 and I want it to be more dependable so I can take longer trips and not have to be worried about coming home on a hook.

I feel bad for going away from "factory original" but as Tom McCabe observed, there's not too many out there who are completely original.

Mac :rolleyes:

 

Oh Cheer up Mac. I hate it when I tell people they don't have the HP they think they have :D When you put the gas peddle down it does what its supposed too, no one will ever complain. To put you on track in the world according to Ron. When a Vette gets up in the milage in your vintage, in my eyes it becomes some what null and void. Meaning one has to look a lot deeper than a paint job. With what we are doing to yours is turning back the clock. sure the miles are still there but I think "condition" is almost more improtant, of which yours will be a youngster once more . To cheer you up even further lets play the average game. Total production for your year 30,464 units of which 25,521 are coupes. Plop the L-82 option in and you have just knocked out 24,754 units that didn't come with that option. The fact that your car doesn't have PS brings it down even further as 27,872 did and then you factor in that 24,168 cars that year did come with PB of which you car does not. Sort of makes you wonder how many yellow L-82 no steering no brakes vettes are out there don't it. Plus the fact of being if I remember correctly, is that its an export to Canada which puts your car in a very low percentage bracket on its own. I think you have a bit of a rare bird there my good man when you start doing the numbers. Coupes 84%, L-82 19%, No PS 8%, No PB 21% roughly and then you can divide those up to figure out the rest. Mix in the color and the export thing and you can plainly see that your car is probly in the low double digits at most. Hmmm not just your regular Nuclear Banana after all EH!!

As for it not being numbers matching in the engine department. When it comes time to do the engine, look for a dated block with the correct casting numbers on it and you'll be as close as you can get to stock this side of finding the original block and that will build even more merit in most serious Corvette peoples eyes. As for whats on my engine stand at the moment Consider it a test mule and do what you want with it and kick it up a notch

I now step down off the soap box :D




[Modified by Ron D, 12:04 AM 9/29/2001]

 

Good speech! After that, I'm thinking I should start lookin' for a well seasoned 73 casting and prep me a numbers-almost-matching engine :crazy: since most everything else is correct, except for the frame which some ne're-do-well powder coated, but hopefully them NCRS judges will never notice, right? :rolleyes:

Mac


[Modified by Mac, 6:05 AM 9/30/2001]