Welcome to Web Wednesday!
Your digital peek into all things DYNAMIC CORVETTES!
First off, we would like to extend our invitation to all of our Corvette customers past and present to come join us for our annual holiday party. Here is the info!
A few weeks ago Steve, Kathy, & Tyler donated their time to help decorate our community for the holidays. Here is a video made by one of the volunteers of them putting up the lights!
Last week the guys started stripping the paint off one of our many restorations this winter. Here they are stripping the paint off the 1965 Corvette. If you have been following this project, previously we disassembled the vehicle to just the bare fiberglass shell. All of the removable panels except the doors are removed and openings are masked off. Once masked, they start to apply the paint stripper with a paint brush and work it into the paint with a Scotch-Brite pad. Once the paint is loose, the guys scrape it off with a plastic scraper and deposit the removed paint into a box of waste absorbent. The guys tell me that removing the paint from this vehicle was a real task even with a strong paint stripper. After the paint is off, we wash the vehicle with a mild dish soap to ensure that all of the paint stripper is removed.
The 1960 Corvette has been completely stripped. Previously, like the 1965, we removed all of the removable panels, removed the interior & windshield, and masked off the entire vehicle. The guys then started to strip the paint which surprisingly was coming off rather easily. They attacked the top half of the vehicle first and worked there way down. Pictured here is the tail end of the stripping process. Tyler and Corey are working on the lower sections and being thorough to get all of that old paint off. After the paint was off, they washed the entire body with a mild dish soap to remove any lingering paint stripper.
The 1978 Corvette Pace Car is rolling right along as well. Last week, we were in the process of making a rolling chassis. The chassis is complete and the guys have started to attack the body work. Corey started to strip the used front clip we had in our warehouse, while Josh and Tyler attacked the rest of the body with dual action sanders. Once they stripped the paint down on the driver’s side door, they discovered that it had been repaired once before and not a very good repair at that.
More progress is being made on the 1974 Corvette, nicknamed “Alice” by the owner. Previously, I posted photos of the bumpers coming off and the v-bar being removed. Here we have Steve, Ed, and Mark all pitching in a hand to install the new v-bar assembly. For all those wondering, the v-bar is a headlamp support right underneath the nose between the headlights and the hood. This bar is meant to support the fiberglass from sagging from the weight of the headlight doors. After the v-bar was installed and the epoxy cured, the guys rolled it over to the twin-post hoist and started to mask it off. Once masked they scuffed the finish with 36 grit sandpaper and Scotch-Brite. This scuffing helps the paint stripper bite into the paint to make it easier to remove. As you can see in the photos, they are making quick progress!
Ed has been working on the 1976 Corvette, replacing the rear suspension first and then working his way forward. Previously, we had completely stripped this vehicle and refinished the exterior. We have moved on to replacing the suspension and brake parts to get this Corvette back on the road safely. After Ed removed all of the rear suspension, he removed the rear differential cover to inspect the gear in turn everything looked good except the cover itself. The cover was cracked so we replaced it with a good reconditioned cover and a new gasket then topped the rear end back off with GM Axle Lube and Limited Slip additive. Ed has just about completed the rear suspension with the exception of trailing arm shims which are used in the alignment process.
