Thanks for checking in.
As I mentioned last time (and again in this video) I am searching for my next project.
With #ProjectSportsRoof settled in its new home and getting ready for paint, I’m looking for my always coveted C3.
I’m going to chronicle the search here and in my group on Facebook Average Guy’s Car Restorations and Projects https://www.facebook.com/groups/448659875541893.
This video kicks this search off. Enjoy.
TIM
The other day I was reading, yet another list of cars that someone had owed. Of course that always makes me think of my past rides (in some cases losses). I’ve recently lost my C6. Long story. Short version – catastrophic transmission/clutch failure (while racing) and a small fire in the rear. So the C6 is added to my list of past rides.
Today as I was running some errands in my red Ford Sports Trac, I was trying to recall how many red cars I’ve owned. So here the list of cars and colors.
1. 1966 Chevy Impala Vert, 283, automatic – Red
2. 1969 Dodge Dart, 318, 3 speed manual – Blue
3. 1970 Chevelle, 350, automatic – White
4. 1971 Buick Skylark – 350 automatic – White
5. Two Toyota Celica – blue/silver blue
6. 1974 Ford Torino, Cobra Jet, automatic – blue
7. 1984 C4 Corvette – 305 Crossfire, Automatic – Red
8. 1970 Ford Mustang – Bored .o40 302, 4 speed manual – White
9. 2007 C6 Corvette – LS3 – 6 speed manual – Black
Those are gone. My 73 Mustang is red – or will be red and my 04 Ford Sports Trac is red.
Thanks for reading.
Luxstang Wrote: I’m starting to get fed up with the car.
The more I do on it the more seems to fail.
Replaced the upper and lower control arms a few weeks ago. Took it for an alignment yesterday and the guy tells me he can’t adjust camber on the passenger side.. Turns out the hole in the rear ex-center washer is round so it no longer adjusts the camber properly. (Ok, when I replaced the control arms I could have sworn that washer was ok otherwise I wouldn’t have put it back in….)
Now I gotta wait for 2-3 days for a new set of screws with washers to arrive.
I had the wheels powder coated (and posted a thread about it) and I don’t like them anymore. The 18 inch rims rub with the new tires, I gotta get new ones but I don’t really want to either.
The rear windows are out of the car as I’m waiting for WCCC to fix my pancake motors, so no interior in the back at all.
Plus yesterday a big chip of paint flew off the rear quarter extension. I’ll need to try my painting skills on that….
I wonder if I shouldn’t just leave everything and simply drive the car into the ground as a daily driver and call it a day.
Hang in there with the Mustang, Luxstang, it will be even sweeter when you get it done!!!
My 73 is my second Mustang restoration (70 was my first) and my third personal restoration in the last few years. I can attest that you do run in to those periods of time when it seems that the car just doesn’t want to be restored.
Heck I bought and drove the 73, maybe 5-6 times and it bent a rod and burned a valve. Had the heads redone. Drove it 3 or 4 more times and then discovered a bottom end knock had to tear down the entire engine and send it out for machining and rebuild. While trying to get it back together I ran into wiring problem and drive train problems. Don’t even get me started on the rusted floor pans (now complete).
I restored my ’84 Corvette and I will tell you, there were day when I felt just like Luxstang (by the way he’s in Luxembourg). The Vette was powered by the infamous Cross-Fire engine. So many problems with the fuel system and multiple injector rebuilds, it was enough to drive you crazy.
Many folks do give up, you can find thousands projects on the internet looking for a new home.
But before you quit, go to the forums for you car, like Luxstang did, you’ll get some encouragement and maybe even helpful suggestions for getting through those periods. Con some friends or neighbors to give a hand. I found that a good motivator is to have neighbors come and see your progress. I have one neighbor that loves to look at what I’ve done and another (Dan T.) who has even spend more than a few hours giving me a hand with some of the tasks.
Restoring a car is not much different then most things you tackle in life. If you hang in there and stick it out to the end, it will be rewarding.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
My recent restorations:
 1970 Mustang – Multiple Trophy Winner. Self-Restored |
 1984 C4 Corvette – Multiple Trophy Winner. Self-Restored |
 1975 Fuel Injected VW Bug – $30k Frame Off Nut Bolt Restoration – Managed Project |
 1973 Mustang – In Progress. Follow #ProjectSportsRoof Self-Restored |
Thought I’d pass long an update on one of the sinkhole corvettes.
Three years ago, on February 12, 2014, viewers tuning in to their morning news witnessed and heard an almost unbelievable story – a sinkhole had opened inside the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and eight Corvettes fell victim… lying at the bottom of the more than 30 foot deep gaping hole. Fortunately, the cars and building were the only things damaged as it occurred in the early morning hours before anyone was in the Museum. The story captivated those who watched it, and while the Museum initially planned to put the past behind them, the interest in the sinkhole and damaged Corvettes was undeniable.
On Thursday, February 9 the 1962 Corvette, still covered in dirt and debris from the sinkhole, was removed from display in the Skydome and transferred to a garage bay where it will undergo restoration work to bring it back, better than ever. The on-going work will be performed in the Museum, and guests will be able to see the car’s progress, oftentimes as it is happening. In addition to visiting the Museum to witness first-hand the work being performed on the Corvette, enthusiasts can tune in to Facebook and YouTube where a number of videos will be published by the Museum, providing updates and progress reports.
See the complete article at National Corvette Museum
Thanks for reading.
Tim
Craftspeople and technicians at the General Motors Design Center are painstakingly restoring the historic 1 millionth Chevrolet Corvette damaged nearly 16 months ago when a sinkhole opened beneath the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.
The restoration crew is part of GM’s Mechanical Assembly group at the Design Center, which typically spends its time building prototype and concept vehicles. The white 1992 Corvette is a challenge because rather than build an all-new vehicle from the ground up, the workers are trying to preserve the original appearance of a production vehicle.
It is the second of three sinkhole-damaged Corvettes that Chevrolet has pledged to restore. The first, a 2009 Corvette ZR1 prototype known as the Blue Devil, was only lightly damaged and was returned to its original condition last fall. The National Corvette Museum will oversee the restoration of the third car, a 1962 Corvette.
Five other Corvettes swallowed by the sinkhole will remain in their as-recovered state to preserve the historical significance of the cars. They will become part of a future sinkhole-themed display at the museum.
Shared from: http://corvettemuseum.blogspot.com/2015/06/sinkhole-swallowed-1-millionth-corvette.html
If you are wondering about all those signature they are original to the car when it first rolled through the assembly line. This forced the restorers to fix parts that were originally set to be replaced completely.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
#Corvette
The long and twisted tale of the so-called VH1 MAX
, after sitting for nearly twenty-five years in a series of New York parking garages, has finally come to a close. According to a report in the New York Times, the thirty-six-car collection, which began as a grand prize in a television contest before finding its way into the hands of psychedelic graphic designer Peter Max, was recently purchased by a group of investors with the intent of returning the cars to their pre-infamy status.
via Peter Max Corvette Collection – Ultimate Barn Find? – Road & Track.
DAMN!!!
That’s an amazing find!!!!
Thanks for reading.
Tim
I could spend all day taking pictures of every car at any car show I attend, but that’s crazy (or so I’ve been told…whatever!!!). So here are some highlights.
Some Corvettes:
C3 and C4 arriving…there was only 1 C4 in the field!!!
One of the beautiful 60’s vettes – this one a 1967
One of the beautiful 60’s vettes – this one a 1967
One of the beautiful 60’s vettes – this one a 1967
Got to love those PIPES!!!!
StingRay
There were multiple row of corvettes, here’s just one.
Oh..and there was this other …Sting Ray
Oh..and there was this other …Sting Ray
More coming up.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
Corvette Graveyard in Upstate New York.
A Sinkhole Swallowed Cars at The Corvette Museum And Now Everyone Wants To Go | TIME.
A view of a sinkhole that opened up in the Skydome
Tourism up 50%….that’s great!!!
Tim
Look as though they will be attempting to pull out the Corvette Spider from the Sinkhole.
Digging out the Spider
The car was secured with straps attached to the other crane. They attempted to pull it out, but still too much dirt on the car.
Shoveling it off with the huge shovel/backhole.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Tim
