1965 Corvette – Frame Off Restoration
1965 Corvette
This Corvette was sitting in a pole barn for about 30 years. The owner has decided to pull it out and get it restored. After driving down to where the vehicle was located, Steve quickly discovered that the brakes where completely rusted solid and the wheels would not move. Using the wench on the flat-bed tow truck, they slowly pulled the Corvette from the pole barn, through the grass and onto the flat bed.
Once the vehicle was at our shop, we quickly got to work on removing the rusted up brake system so it was easier to move. Ed, Josh, and Steve started the disassembly process, carefully noting everything that needed to be replaced and what could be saved. They quickly determined that the frame was not salvageable, but continued to make progress by stripping the paint while a frame was located.
Once a frame was located, Ed and Josh started to install the suspension, fuel/brake lines, and fuel tank. At this point, they removed the body from the original frame, removed the engine and sent it out to be completely rebuilt. Once we had a new rolling chassis, they installed the body onto it and rolled it into the body shop.
In the body shop, she was filled, sanded, rubbed, and massaged until the body was absolutely perfect. They applied a coat of Slick Sand primer and continued to sand and wet sand the body for a smooth, glass-like finish. After another application of primer, this time a sealer, they continue to wet sand and once again make the finish smooth as glass.
The owner wanted to keep the original color of Silver Pearl, which we happily obliged. After 3 coats of base and 4 coats of clear, the Corvette exited the paint booth for it’s date with more sandpaper. Tyler and Corey wet sanded the entire body, fresh with paint, until they got every spot. Followed up by Al with the buffing wheel and rubbing compound to bring the luster and shine back after wet sanding.
After all of the paint work is completed, the vehicle was rolled back into the mechanical shop in which Ed and Josh assembled the interior, reinstalled the doors, installed the brand new tinted, shaded, and date-coded windows, and got the vehicle running. Upon completion of the restoration, we took the vehicle out on the road for a series of test drives to work out any bugs that might have occurred during the restoration process.