When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi all. I'm new to the forum, but not Corvette. I bought my '62 as a basket case in 1975. The PO had tried (unsuccessfully) to shoehorn a 427 into her. He threw away or sold the 327 along with (as I would later learn) a variety of 'small parts'. So right from the start, I knew I had a driver, not a resto. I bought a boneyard 327 and totally rebuilt it with Corvette spec parts including the 097 cam and 2x4 manifold (yes, I know they stopped them in 61, but they look so cool). Working on the car and chasing down parts kept me sane while pursuing a residency in Family Medicine at the University of Utah. By the time I finished residency (3 years), she was road worthy so that summer I drove down to New Mexico, across to the Grand Canyon, through Death Valley and up the central valley of California to wine country. After some time in Napa/Sonoma, I drove all the way down highway 101 (this is before it fell into the ocean) to San Diego. I didn't quite follow Highway 66, but I did hit Flagstaff, Houston, Detroit, Canada (from Detroit to Niagara) on my way to NH where I started practice. Sometime in the early 80's, I pulled the body off, had the frame sandblasted and epoxy coated and replaced all the fuel lines, brake lines, etc. along with as much of the rubber parts as I could. About that time, the 327 block cracked (from water not entirely drained out by the #7 cylinder). This time I got a 350 from the boneyard and rebuilt it to LT-1 specs. The only variation from LT-1 was the use of Rhodes "leaky lifters" which I LOVE. I also added MSD ignition and a Pertronix magnetic pickup. It has been my 'summer car' ever since and I drove it a lot.
I retired in 2008 and my wife & I moved to Panama, selling everything we owned. I couldn't bear to part with the 'vette, so I gave her to my daughter who at age 3 had crawled under the dash with her little hands to help Daddy work on "noisy big car". Long story short, I now live in Panama in the winter, but have a summer home in NH. My daughter has a child (the apple of my eye!) who cannot ride in the car until she gets out of a car seat, so I have my 'vette back, at least for now. When I drove her back to NH from CT, I was appalled by the handling. Something surely is not right. So tomorrow she goes into the shop of a trusted mechanic to see what needs fixing. It will also get a new radiator and water pump to (hopefully) cure the overheating; a new top will be needed. Well, I've always enjoyed working on her so I guess I'll be busy and happy.
Glad to have found this forum. Oh yes, I am a member of SACC.
Would be happy to hear for any old vette fans in SW NH. We are in Dublin.
Welcome to the Forum, Mark, and congratulations on your long term C1!
Appreciated your back story covering your 30+ year project car. Great that your daughter got to keep it, and great that she "loaned" it back to you for now.
I share your appreciation for the Duntov 097 cam. We had one in the '57; just could not get it to idle below about 1000rpm. Oh well, gas was cheap then.
I share your appreciation for the Duntov 097 cam. We had one in the '57; just could not get it to idle below about 1000rpm. Oh well, gas was cheap then.
The Rhodes leaky lifters really calmed down the idle and gave much better low end without hurting the upper. I don't know why you never here about them any more.
The Rhodes leaky lifters really calmed down the idle and gave much better low end without hurting the upper. I don't know why you never here about them any more.
As far as I know Rhodes is still manufacturing lifters but I don't know if the still have the groove or slot that deliberately lets the lifters bleed down at low rpm. This was a great way to bump up vacuum at idle and have brakes, windshield wipers (yea, early days), etc, working better. Unfortunately I learned about these lifters after the '57 but did use them in a few other "big cam" engines. The no adjustment benefit of hydraulics and basically the sound of solid lifters.
I am sure many members in the C1/C2 sections will benefit from your years of C1 experience!
'62 in NH
