new member Orlando, FL
02-01-2014, 05:05 PM
#1
Heel & Toe
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new member Orlando, FL
Hey everyone my name is Bryan. I'm not a Vette owner yet but unless Corvettetron sells his before the 10th or so I will be. That being said, I've been thinking about some improvements I'd like to make and was looking for opinions. The car has an AC leak but the system itself has no apparent damage or flaws. I'm looking at about 200$ to get it fixed at a decent shop. Is it better to do it yourself or take it to a shop? I know the old refrigerant is old and banned all over the place, expensive, and hard to find. So if that's the case I'm not sure if the shop is going to rape me or not. I'm pretty mechanically proficient. I've rebuilt a 1989 Kawasaki 750 Vulcan, a 1985 Yahmaha XJ700(air-cooled), a 1995 Kawasaki 600E (which currently has a hole in one of the water jackets in the engine and is for sale cheap! Got a couple of pieces painted black high-gloss to go with it too, plus another piece I was halfway through when the bike died.), and a 1996 Triumph Sprint 900(Sport Executive). So I'm pretty confident with some of the excellent walkthroughs on here there isn't much I am going to have trouble with doing. I've already decided to do the electric water pump swap and the dash repair and I basically have no questions after reading a few of them. However, I don't have any tools to work on ACs so I'd have to buy all of them (except for a compressor and compressor tools). Price isn't my concern so much as quality, and I've read some horror stories about the process. If I'm completely competent should I do it myself, even if its more expensive than taking it to a shop? Also, I'm planning on refreshing the audio system, wires and all, and I had an idea for a connection mod and I'd love to hear someones opinion. I was thinking of buying all new OEM plug and shrick wrapping them together then squirting high-temp orange RTV into the holes. I do this on my bikes since I usually am parked outside and it's worked wonders for me. The Triumph has yet to have an electrical prob and it loves outside 24/7. A year and some odd months exposed to the environment in Florida with no issues is difficult on a bike down here with all the damn rain we get, almost every day for 3 months. I also plan on putting new tires shortly after I buy it and was wondering what anyone might think of these tires.
Link---->http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire-...w/tire-details
After all that I'll be powder coating different things in the engine one color or another, preferably as close as I can to the paint color but I may or may not be able to find that color so I might go with a neat metallic color, like yellow or red/black with a bunch of smaller metal parts chrome powder coated (like hose-clamps and bolt heads and stuff.) or something. I haven't seen the engine in person yet so that's still up in the air. I've done it quite successfully on all kinds of my bikes parts because it's so much easier and cheaper than repainting them, and the paint is much more durable. I could even use a ceramic kind that would aid in cooling the engine. I did that on my XJ700 air-cooled bike and it helped tremendously! It also still looked pretty darn good a year later if I washed it.
After that I'll move to the worn interior. I'm doing a full carpet replacement in black, with weather boots in the floorboards and door sill protectors.
Link---->http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1984-1987.html
Then I'll work on the doors. I'm looking into air bags but I might also just insulate them and replace the panel, armrests (carpet comes with the kit mentioned above), all the seals and rubber things inside the door itself, and possibly take a look at the power window motors and see if they could use replacing. I deliver stuff to an electric motor rebuilding company every so often and I might just take them there and get em re-wrapped. Also replacing all the wiring and sealing it as mentioned above. Then I'll move to the center console and dash. I'm thinking or replacing all the plastic and the shift boot and such, but I also forge knives from steel cable as a hobby and make jointed plate armor for another so I might try and make my own out of aluminum and powder coat it. It would take a looooong time to get it perfect, but once I did, I'd have some very unique interior pieces, especially if I did the entire dash, center console and other stuff. It would also let me change the speedometer into something newer that doesn't have the LCD screen issues the stock one has. Not sure if I'm going digital or dials but I've found a lot of both that look really nice. I'll wait until after I've driven the car for a while to make that decision.
Then it's on the the stereo system if the old system hasn't pissed me off too much yet. Not sure where to go there, I have no experience with systems since I've never owned a car, so I'm still looking. Open to advice there if anyone has recommendations.
After that I'm gonna take a look at the rims. Depending on my financial situation at that time, I may just get some new ones or have the stock ones chrome-plated, whichever is cheapest. If I keep the stock rims I'll be putting these on to keep em looking nice without as much work. Link---->http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...eels+%26+Tires
I'll prolly replace all the light-bulbs and such long before almost everything, but the headlights are going HID and everything else will be LEDs (blinkers, stop lights, license plate light). I'm doing any lighting effects at all, just replacing all the stock bulbs. I did this recently on my Triumph, plus adding a tiny amount of accent lighting shining on top of the rear tire, and the amount of draw off the entire system was pretty impressive. Seems like it really helped my older bike so I'm hoping the benefits will also extend to an older car.
I may end up making my own seat covers at some point, most likely black and a color that matches the interior or exterior out of marine grade seat leather. I did that to my Triumph 6 months ago, also in black, and its been really really nice. It still looks great too, and like I said above, she lives outside. This way I can also ensure that my stitching is strong and doesn't pop like some I've heard people complain about. Most likely I'll stitch that by hand. It'll take a lot longer, but it won't cost very much. I made a chain-mail shirt that has over 16,000 rings in it that have to be opened and closed individually, so I know I have the patience for it.
Steering wheel may get replaced to something that has colors matching the interior, preferably leather.
After that, I think I'll pretty much have what I want as nice as I can get it. I will prolly start powder coating little metal things all over the car, inside and out. Especially if I can take them off easily and put em back on fast. I can powder coat something in about 1 hour if its small enough to fit in a toaster over, so I'm thinking eventually I'll have 90% of this car powder coated. That alone should make the car last significantly longer without corrosion problems or concerns.
So that's all the stuff I'm planning on doing, almost in that order. I'll be keeping a record on here as well, mostly for taking not purposes and records for a future buyer if I ever sell it. Did I mention it's a slightly famous car? It was on the Bullrun season 3, which I think is a neat little bonous. I was fooling around with the idea of throwing a small lcd screen in the glove compartment space to play all the video I can find of the car just for kicks. That way all my passengers know my car is famous lmao!
If you read through it all I appriciate your entusiasm for this car and am open to sugestions. Not sure if I mentioned it above but this will be my first vehicle with 4 wheels, a roof, and a windshield after 3 1/2 years of only having a motorcycle. (I can't tell you how excited I am!) That being said, I've never done most of this stuff so I know there are things someone could tell me to make stuff easier or better. Feel free to voice an opinion!
Link---->http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire-...w/tire-details
After all that I'll be powder coating different things in the engine one color or another, preferably as close as I can to the paint color but I may or may not be able to find that color so I might go with a neat metallic color, like yellow or red/black with a bunch of smaller metal parts chrome powder coated (like hose-clamps and bolt heads and stuff.) or something. I haven't seen the engine in person yet so that's still up in the air. I've done it quite successfully on all kinds of my bikes parts because it's so much easier and cheaper than repainting them, and the paint is much more durable. I could even use a ceramic kind that would aid in cooling the engine. I did that on my XJ700 air-cooled bike and it helped tremendously! It also still looked pretty darn good a year later if I washed it.
After that I'll move to the worn interior. I'm doing a full carpet replacement in black, with weather boots in the floorboards and door sill protectors.
Link---->http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1984-1987.html
Then I'll work on the doors. I'm looking into air bags but I might also just insulate them and replace the panel, armrests (carpet comes with the kit mentioned above), all the seals and rubber things inside the door itself, and possibly take a look at the power window motors and see if they could use replacing. I deliver stuff to an electric motor rebuilding company every so often and I might just take them there and get em re-wrapped. Also replacing all the wiring and sealing it as mentioned above. Then I'll move to the center console and dash. I'm thinking or replacing all the plastic and the shift boot and such, but I also forge knives from steel cable as a hobby and make jointed plate armor for another so I might try and make my own out of aluminum and powder coat it. It would take a looooong time to get it perfect, but once I did, I'd have some very unique interior pieces, especially if I did the entire dash, center console and other stuff. It would also let me change the speedometer into something newer that doesn't have the LCD screen issues the stock one has. Not sure if I'm going digital or dials but I've found a lot of both that look really nice. I'll wait until after I've driven the car for a while to make that decision.
Then it's on the the stereo system if the old system hasn't pissed me off too much yet. Not sure where to go there, I have no experience with systems since I've never owned a car, so I'm still looking. Open to advice there if anyone has recommendations.
After that I'm gonna take a look at the rims. Depending on my financial situation at that time, I may just get some new ones or have the stock ones chrome-plated, whichever is cheapest. If I keep the stock rims I'll be putting these on to keep em looking nice without as much work. Link---->http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...eels+%26+Tires
I'll prolly replace all the light-bulbs and such long before almost everything, but the headlights are going HID and everything else will be LEDs (blinkers, stop lights, license plate light). I'm doing any lighting effects at all, just replacing all the stock bulbs. I did this recently on my Triumph, plus adding a tiny amount of accent lighting shining on top of the rear tire, and the amount of draw off the entire system was pretty impressive. Seems like it really helped my older bike so I'm hoping the benefits will also extend to an older car.
I may end up making my own seat covers at some point, most likely black and a color that matches the interior or exterior out of marine grade seat leather. I did that to my Triumph 6 months ago, also in black, and its been really really nice. It still looks great too, and like I said above, she lives outside. This way I can also ensure that my stitching is strong and doesn't pop like some I've heard people complain about. Most likely I'll stitch that by hand. It'll take a lot longer, but it won't cost very much. I made a chain-mail shirt that has over 16,000 rings in it that have to be opened and closed individually, so I know I have the patience for it.
Steering wheel may get replaced to something that has colors matching the interior, preferably leather.
After that, I think I'll pretty much have what I want as nice as I can get it. I will prolly start powder coating little metal things all over the car, inside and out. Especially if I can take them off easily and put em back on fast. I can powder coat something in about 1 hour if its small enough to fit in a toaster over, so I'm thinking eventually I'll have 90% of this car powder coated. That alone should make the car last significantly longer without corrosion problems or concerns.
So that's all the stuff I'm planning on doing, almost in that order. I'll be keeping a record on here as well, mostly for taking not purposes and records for a future buyer if I ever sell it. Did I mention it's a slightly famous car? It was on the Bullrun season 3, which I think is a neat little bonous. I was fooling around with the idea of throwing a small lcd screen in the glove compartment space to play all the video I can find of the car just for kicks. That way all my passengers know my car is famous lmao!
If you read through it all I appriciate your entusiasm for this car and am open to sugestions. Not sure if I mentioned it above but this will be my first vehicle with 4 wheels, a roof, and a windshield after 3 1/2 years of only having a motorcycle. (I can't tell you how excited I am!) That being said, I've never done most of this stuff so I know there are things someone could tell me to make stuff easier or better. Feel free to voice an opinion!
02-02-2014, 01:43 PM
#5
Good luck with your potential purchase. Welcome to the forum from snowy Indy!
02-04-2014, 06:35 PM
#9
Welcome to the forum! It's great to hear that you may own a Corvette soon. Keep us posted on the process
. William R.
Chevrolet Customer Care
02-04-2014, 09:20 PM
#10
Heel & Toe
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I test drove her about an hour ago. I knew Vettes were fast and powerful, but I wasn't quite prepared for that! Seemed like if I even breathed on the gas it revved higher than I expected. She's sounds great too, that exhaust works very nicely on her. Mechanically she seems perfect. All the improvements stated in the ad were present and looked new, engine looked good, wiring looked good (that was my biggest concern), handling is nice and tight, no movement from the steering knuckles, back tires need replacing soon, air filter needs replacing, but I planned on that anyway. The speedometer acts crazy, saying your doing 110 when your going 50, but I suspect it might be a crossed wire. Then again, the milage gage spins way too fast too so I'm not sure. The heat stays on (btw I live in Florida so that's a concern) so that's got to be fixed asap The interior is definitely worn in, but that was mentioned in the ad as well. The paint/body is nice btw, no major flaws, scratches, dents or dings.
The main thing that concerns me is the break in the windshield, which wasn't mentioned in the ad. It's in the bottom passenger side, almost at the outside edge of the window. That might be a deal-breaker, I'm not sure. I can deal with a ratty interior because it'll give me an excuse to customize....but a damaged windshield isn't just expensive, it's a ticket. I'm gonna have to research some to see what it'll cost to replace it but I already know it won't be cheap and I already know I prolly can't do it myself. If he's not budging on the price (5,000) I might have to walk on this one.....DAMNIT! Anyone have any advice? I've never had to replace a windshield and I'm not even remotely sure what the price range I'm looking at is.
Also, there was a strange looking black ball thing in the engine well right under the driver headlight. It had a small diameter air hose running from it back to the fire wall. It split in two before the wall and went in opposite directions but I couldn't track it from there. Anyone know what that thing is?
The main thing that concerns me is the break in the windshield, which wasn't mentioned in the ad. It's in the bottom passenger side, almost at the outside edge of the window. That might be a deal-breaker, I'm not sure. I can deal with a ratty interior because it'll give me an excuse to customize....but a damaged windshield isn't just expensive, it's a ticket. I'm gonna have to research some to see what it'll cost to replace it but I already know it won't be cheap and I already know I prolly can't do it myself. If he's not budging on the price (5,000) I might have to walk on this one.....DAMNIT! Anyone have any advice? I've never had to replace a windshield and I'm not even remotely sure what the price range I'm looking at is.
Also, there was a strange looking black ball thing in the engine well right under the driver headlight. It had a small diameter air hose running from it back to the fire wall. It split in two before the wall and went in opposite directions but I couldn't track it from there. Anyone know what that thing is?
Last edited by backlash1818; 02-04-2014 at 09:55 PM.
02-04-2014, 10:24 PM
#11
Heel & Toe
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Thanks man! Doesn't look like I have much to worry about mechanics-wise, mostly cosmetic. I'll start a thread when I get the car and document it. Looking forward to working on something with 4 wheels for a change.
02-05-2014, 04:44 PM
#12
,William R.
Chevrolet Customer Care
02-05-2014, 05:33 PM
#13
Heel & Toe
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Yeah things have changed since i test drove it least night. I started a new thread about the test drive and asked for everyone's opinions. So far I haven't had anyone say they thought I should buy it. And I think the thread is around 15 replies or so long now....guess I'll be passing on that one. It's a damn shame though, I was so friggin pumped about it!
02-05-2014, 10:15 PM
#14
Yeah things have changed since i test drove it least night. I started a new thread about the test drive and asked for everyone's opinions. So far I haven't had anyone say they thought I should buy it. And I think the thread is around 15 replies or so long now....guess I'll be passing on that one. It's a damn shame though, I was so friggin pumped about it!
We're confident you'll find a perfect match!
William R.
Chevrolet Customer Care
