The Force Awakens...

Thanks Chrome... I didn't even know that foam barrier existed... tho I thought I saw something behind the block.



Do I need to remove the wiper door mechanism to access that? I hear that is a royal pain.

Yes, I plan to get medieval tracking down that leak.

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Say... looking at the perished rubber at the top of the shock mount. Is that a good indication that these are old shock absorbers? Would they need to be replaced? And are they junk quality? The corvette's ride is very "spongy". My plan is to replace all the control arm bushings with polyurethane or del-a-lum and add a fast, new steering box (Borgeson). A set of HD front and rear anti-sway bars can wait. Do these shocks play a significant role in the sponginess, or should I not worry about them just now.

Yes, that foam barrier is very important to stop the extremely hot airflow from the motor heating up the trans tunnel and the rest of the floor area. Don’t forget there is still another molded piece, covered in reflective foil contoured to fit up to the tunnel with clips. All necessary to address the extreme heat transfer to the cabin.

You don’t have to remove the wiper door but it makes the job easier.

Since these are not oil filled shocks you can’t judge replacement by any oily film around the shocks, any bounce test doesn’t work all that well, so the condition (which includes the rubber grommets), date code (if any), model series will help decide if any change is needed, but since you don’t know any history of these shocks on this car and with the spongy ride - it’s a very safe bet money will be well spent on a new set.

Rich
 
There are some tricks I learned to remove and re install the wiper door screws that makes everyone pull their hair out in frustration. Contact me when you’re ready to tackle that head on.

Also check for the missing tail for the door weatherstripping. The cheaper replacement pieces don’t come with that tail and you will get water down into the bird cage without it or the cheap add on piece.
 
A note to consider about “the spongy” feeling you are experiencing. Any worn, loose or missing rubber on any suspension or steering component is going to contribute towards a spongy or loose feel in your steering and should be replaced ASAP.
 
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Nobody noticed the NSA TRAC king device.:rolleyes:
 
So it begins...

It is time to retire the Corvette (I still need a name for it) for the winter.

ne thing that really irritates me is the fact that the interior color is too dark. It should be a bright blue; nearly electric. And that is fine... but the dye, or paint?, is chipping and rubbing off ! It is driving me nuts !!!

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The gaps between the door panels and the doors are driving me nuts too.

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Let's start by yanking the seats...

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Yes, that is toothpaste in the footwell next to the fire extinguisher...

In fact I hate the gaps that seem to be all over the place in the interior trim.

Soooo many things need attention, for example:
- Ammeter needs to be replaced
- Key ignition for crank does not work and was replaced by a push button start
- Dash bulbs are out
- Too much play in stick shift
- Dubious wiring
- Paint is even chipping off the horn button
- Clutch safety switch was disabled
- Reverse interlock is missing.

And the list does on.

This coming Friday I have a buddy over and we plan to yank the engine.

I want to get a look at the clutch. Check is the rear main seal is leaking (The clutch linkage needs attention too, BTW). I want to detail the engine bay and tidy up the spaghetti of wiring. I want to get a closer look a the headlight operation - they should be faster ad more synchronized. At least I would like them to be.

Then there is the firewall the cage riveted panel; I want that weather sealed. There seems to be a slight leak there.

Aaaaand finally, I want to rebuild the front suspension - at least the ball joints and bushings.

Hand brake needs attention too - I pushed the car into the garage not realizing it was fully pulled.
 
Stripping the interior...

I notice that spraying upside down seemed to be challenging for the PO. Note the lighter color on the cross trim.

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Yanking the steering column out was an interesting experience...

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The bolts are missing at the base of the steering column... and so it the interlock bracket on the otherwise of the firewall.

Who does this??? I can understand removing the interlock cable to the trans... not removing the bracket entirely. I cannot imagine this is safe. It must also detract marginally from the steering feel.

Why ?!?!?!
 
Here we get a closer look at the steering column - Bubba strikes again.

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Step one on the ignition key worked fine -ACC. Step two, cranking, did not. Tis was confirmed with a DMM.

Bubba bypassed the problem with a push button start in the side of the radio side panel in the footwell... which, granted, looked cool.

However... the ignition switch looked new. Had it failed already? That odd bolt (with several washers) THAT ISN'T EVEN THE CORRECT SIZE quickly caught my eye.

It turns out the switch is slotted adjustable. All you had to do was slide it down the column a little and properly bolt it down. DMM confirms it now works.

Again... WHY ??????????
 
Bubba strikes once more...

Bubba spliced this (not even wrapped with the gooey electrical tape that seems to be all over he car) and plugged it in the LPS spade on the fuse panel.

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I am suspecting he did this because he did not realize that the fuse was the wrong one, too big, not properly seated and with the variator... giving problem. I noticed that I could not dim the control panel lighting. So, maybe ?

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This was the radio wire. Crimped... sorta. Then twisted and taped... and twisted and taped AGAIN closer to the radio. It just fell out !!!! It is a miracle this radio even worked !!!

Who does this???

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This will be for the Spring, but in the meantime, the parts came in.

They look quite beefy. They are not Corvette parts but rather NEW UPPER & LOWER TUBULAR CONTROL ARMS FOR 58-64 CHEVY IMPALA BEL AIR BISCAYNE

The lower ones will need to be adapted - flipped around and the anti-sway bar brackets will need to be moved around as well.

The uppers I will "slot" to get more castor. They certainly have enough meat on them to do this.

They were $280 for the pair. It made economical sense as they are beefy enough to slot the shafts for more castor; they include del-a-lum bushings; and new ball joints. A del-a-lum conversion alone of my stock arms would cost more than these.

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First, your original color Blue is Bright Blue that ran for 68 and 69 only, it was repeated later in 1977. The dye job that is wearing off is the Dark Blue for years 71 and 72 only. 1970 had Royal Blue.

If the vinyl fabric cover that is glued to the dash and door pieces is cleaned well (DO NOT SAND OR SCUFF SURFACES!) you can spray with the appropriate dye and for wear protection a light but even coat of quality (and I do mean QUALITY) clear coat. Matt finish will dry looking identical to OEM.

On plastic parts use a quality adhesion promoter prior to your dye coating. Again, no sanding or scuffing.

Realize that different substrates with various surface textures can appear differently even though the same dye is used. Most all cars of the past had a variety of color shifts on interior parts due mostly from the manufacturing processes.
 
This photo of yours . . . . . . .
And my photo is exactly how my vette was when we were first planning to ship my vette to you. I did however have all new top quality interior parts and all new hardware throughout. I never thought you would have wanted to receive something in this state, so I was trying to get things together when my heart died last year and put me out of commission for a while.
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3FB27DF5-953F-4553-9517-15191A057394.jpeg This is what your car’s interior color looks like (white car) The first is a 1970 interior and the last one is my Corvette.EB395CC3-78DF-49AB-8E50-A4B2666E30AA.jpeg 90C176BB-1D39-48D6-9BDD-FA4C447CD676.jpeg
 
actually the bright blue is a 77 door panel (see black insert), but colors are the same for 68, 69
 
Corvettes never came with a Race Quality Shifter.
Just Pontiacs Did and a Few Oldsmobiles.

THE HURST 4-SPEED MUNCIE SHIFTER.

HURST COMPLETION PLUS Is Hurst aftermarket like used in Trans Am and GTO.
To use it in your C3 Corvette the floor likely will need to be cut.
Cut the console to fit.
Or remove the console.

The Factory Chevy 4speed shifter is JUNK.
Corvette too. Looks nice. That's all it can do.

Other option is the Tremec you want.
$7-10 k money.

HURST Super Completion shifter is around $300.00.
 
Your gong to need an air compressor so you can do painting with a Spray Gun.
5-15 gallon tank capacity will work for what you need to do.
 
I recall Yenko using Hurst shifters Dorian.
A small handful of Yenko C3 Corvettes were built.
Just recall ancient magazine articles today from 1980s I read as a kid.

Have to research.

HURST Megaboot shifter was often used to cover up the big hole often.
 
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