The One Millionth Corvette Restoration
One of General Motors' major milestones is reaching one million Corvettes. Unfortunately, the one-millionth was one of the cars that fell into the sinkhole, and the restoration was not easy.
1. 1992 Corvette
The 1992 Chevrolet Corvette is part of the C4 generation, and when it was new, it came with a starting price tag of $33,635, and $40,145 for the convertible. The legendary American sports car came with a 350 cubic-inch engine, which delivered 300-horsepower and it was known as the LT1 V-8 Small Block engine. Only 20,479 Corvettes were produced in 1992, but one of them meant the world to GM, as it was the one-millionth Corvette.
>>Join the conversation about The One Millionth Corvette Restoration right here in Corvette Forum.
2. The Sinkhole
The one-millionth Corvette found a home at the National Corvette Museum years ago, but the secured walls of the facility had failed to keep it safe. On February 12, 2014, a sinkhole opened up at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, eating up eight extremely valuable Corvettes. The sinkhole measured 20-feet deep and 40-feet in diameter, and although the one-millionth Corvette wasn't the most expensive, it certainly had the most sentimental value to it.
>>Join the conversation about The One Millionth Corvette Restoration right here in Corvette Forum.
3. The Decision to Restore
The decision to restore the 1992 Corvette was a no-brainer, simply because the vehicle meant a lot to the designers, as well as the enthusiasts. The process wasn't going to be easy, however, as the car was completely salvaged. The team involved in the restoration vowed to try and keep as much of the one-millionth Corvette as possible, which would play a huge role in keeping its history alive. The Corvette was moved from the museum to the Design Center at General Motors' Technical Center in Warren, Michigan to begin the restoration.
>>Join the conversation about The One Millionth Corvette Restoration right here in Corvette Forum.
4. The Restoration
The restoration involved over 30 craftspeople and technicians from General Motors and the process lasted for four months and required over 1,200 man-hours to finish. The Corvette had been autographed by every single person that was involved in the original production, and only two components with autographs on them couldn't be saved, so the team had to scan the signatures and transfer them to the new components.
>>Join the conversation about The One Millionth Corvette Restoration right here in Corvette Forum.
5. The Repair and Replacement
To bring the Corvette that represents the success of the legendary sports car back to life, the team had to replace the hood, the front fascia, and the lower panels. Numerous other parts had to be repaired, like the wheels, the front sub-frame, the leather seats with the "1,000,000th Corvette" embroidery on them, and the 5.7-liter LT1 engine. After a tremendous amount of work, the one-millionth Corvette gets to carry on its history and continue being one of Corvette's biggest milestones.
>>Join the conversation about The One Millionth Corvette Restoration right here in Corvette Forum.
For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance or repair project, please visit our how-to section in the forum.