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BamaNomad
09-10-2021, 09:10 AM
OK.. we DO have a forum for 'Non-trifive Chevy Projects', so Over the next days/weeks I'm going to try to pick up with this project thread and get it off the ground. We'll begin with when the bought the car in October 2017. This was the day she returned from trailering the car back from Ohio where it was purchased, and here it is resting after being driven into the shop. Sue's desire for a 'older Corvette' began after she and TrifiveRichard had collaborated on his '56 Chevy HT, and when it was finished she wanted to DRIVE it a lot more than Richard wanted it to be driven (He may want to comment on this part!).. :)

Here they are posing in front of the '56 HT just after completion...
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She wanted an older car which was updated with all the modern conveniences along with 6-spd manual trans and modern HP engine, and after some consideration she decided it needed to be a 1st gen Corvette, so their search culminated in the purchase of this car.

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TrifiveRichard
09-10-2021, 02:11 PM
If others on this forum are interested in following the corvette build progress, ok by me too.

Any comments?

BamaNomad
09-10-2021, 02:19 PM
Sue wanted to drive/enjoy it for awhile before we began ripping it apart, so she did... up until it stranded her one day while driving thru town! :) At that point (June 2018), she and Richard decided it was 'time' to begin disassembly and after a few days it looked like this...
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Another day or so of stripping more parts and it was nearly ready for a 'degreasing'...
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567chevys
09-10-2021, 03:02 PM
If others on this forum are interested in following the corvette build progress, ok by me too.

Any comments?

Yes Please do


Thanks Sid

carls 56 (RIP 11/24/2021)
09-10-2021, 04:01 PM
so cool, nice progress.-------->you know what's coming!!!!!!!!!!!! what you do after lunch?

BamaNomad
09-11-2021, 06:12 AM
We completed the disassembly and then applied some degreaser to the greasy/nasty parts and then pressure washed the body to prepare it for stripping the old paint..

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BamaNomad
09-11-2021, 06:27 AM
After assessing the fiberglass and seeing some old (not so good) repairs to the front clip, Richard and Sue decided they wanted to replace some/most of the front clip, but the rear portion mostly seemed good, so we first chemically stripped the top layers of paint and got it nearly down to the fiberglass, then they had a local 'bead blasting' (or soda blasting?) company to come and strip the remainder of the paint off the rear clip..

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Richard had already ordered the needed fiberglass parts from Sermersheim's Fiberglass. Sermersheim has changed names (https://scorvette.com/) as a result of the original founder/owner passing away, but they have done the best and most correct fiberglass parts for early corvettes for many many years, using the correct formulation and press molding the parts just as Chevy did in the 50's. Richard and Sue knew they wanted the best fiberglass people doing the fiberglass work, so they had the parts shipped to Masterworks Automotive (http://www.mwauto.com/aboutus.php) in Madison Heights, MI as they would be taking the car there for the fiberglass work.

BamaNomad
09-11-2021, 07:00 AM
Right after purchase of the '59 Corvette Richard ordered a chassis from Corvette Corrections in Seguin TX so that it would be ready when they needed it. Richard had experience with Art Morrison as he put one of their chassis (with 9" F rear) under his '56 Hardtop, but Richard had also gone with me to Seguin, TX when I retreived my Corvette Corrections chassis for my Nomad, and he got to see how their chassis are built and met with Billy Dawson and his wife Sherry and their crew there in Seguin and he chose their chassis for the '59. To get the chassis a little sooner, it was agreed that Billy would build their chassis in time for the large NCRS show in Florida which is held in January each year, he would use their chassis for 'display' during that show, and we would meet him in Mobile AL on their way back to Texas, which we did. We met Billy in a hotel/restaurant parking lot very early one morning and unloaded the chassis from his big enclosed trailer to our open trailer (after changing out Billy's tires/wheels for some 'rollers' we'd taken with us).
The following photos show Billy's dual rail custom frame mounting the C4 Corvette front cross member/suspension and RnP steering, brakes and rear suspension/diff. Richard chose the Dana44 option for his rear and got the 3.45:1 rear Posi gearing. The final photo shows the chassis loaded on our trailer ready for the 350mi trek back to Huntsville.
https://www.corvettecorrection.com/c-1-frames/

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BamaNomad
09-11-2021, 08:52 AM
Before the '59 Corvette was transported to michigan for the fiberglass work, Richard and I discussed whether it should go on the 'original '59 Corvette chassis', OR the new custom Corvette Corrections chassis. I was concerned about the effect of doing fiberglass work atop the 'new' chassis and I felt that Billy's custom chassis would match up to the Corvette body just fine. But of course Richard had the decision to make and he wanted the body repair and adjustment to be made atop the chassis it would live on. So we mounted the body atop the new chassis before it went to Michigan... Here are some photos showing the body mods necessary to fit to the Custom Chassis, which were limited to a removal of the front of the spare tire carrier (to clear the Dana 44 IRS differential) and some trimming of the inner fenders to clear the new C4 front suspension.

The original frame was in good condition with the only significant rust being the 'battery tray'. If anyone needs a good early chassis (frame, suspension, etc) contact Richard and he would probably deal on it. Richard also has a decent chassis that came from his '56 HT (California car), and also a front subframe/suspension from his '69 Camaro that are all occupying space in the side yard of his shop... :)

Original '59 Corvette chassis...
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Adjustment to the spare tire well to clear the rear differential IRS
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Trimming of the front inner fenders to clear the front C4 A arms...
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And now the body is ready to be sat down upon the Corvette Corrections chassis.
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We adjusted the shims for the mount positions and bolted the body down to the new chassis for the trip north. Richard addressed the concern of keeping the new chassis clean by covering it with a plastic sheet before final body mounting.

BamaNomad
09-11-2021, 11:39 AM
A couple of months later the fiberglass replacement and repair was complete by Masterworks, and Richard and Sue made another trip north to retrieve the car. Here are a few photos of the finished fiberglass repair and replacement.

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As is viewable from the last photos, Richard had the shop *recess* the body for the front/rear emblems rather than have them sit atop the body.

BamaNomad
09-11-2021, 12:24 PM
With the return of the car to it's shop in Huntsville, Richard spent a bit of time fitting the jewelry (headlight and taillight bezels), bumpers and bumper brackets, windshield frame, grill etc to the body...

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Rocketman
09-12-2021, 04:07 PM
Wow. That is going to be quite a car. That is not a low budget build for sure. Thanks for sharing.

BamaNomad
09-12-2021, 08:51 PM
No, not a low budget build but neither was their '56 HT! :)

Here are photos of the new LT1 engine and 6spd transmission (Connect n Cruise package) that they ordered.
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And lest I gave you the impression that Richard wtih a little help from me did all that earlier work, here's a photo of Sue getting involved in disassembly (removing steering column)... and she got a little dirty too, yet could still smile at the camera! :)

PS. She chose the engine and 6-speed Tremec trans as well, and she drives one daily, as she loves to row thru the gears manually!~


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Al_Dente
09-12-2021, 10:16 PM
The smile doesen't even look fake. That's a good sign that your help isn't going to simply walk away.
Are you going to chuck the plastic covering on that engine (some claim that such trim pieces trap heat) or does the plumbing underneath look almost as ugly as that on my former Audi turbo-Diesel of which I ended up chucking the plastic?:

enigma57
09-12-2021, 10:43 PM
Thanks for posting the Corvette build here, Gary! This is top drawer all the way. The new chassis will make a world of difference in ride, handling and braking. And the subtle changes recessing the Corvette emblems to be flush with the body lines will not detract from the character of the car appearance-wise.

I'm lovin' it!

Harry

P.S. >>> Does the original chassis have the 3" wide brake shoes and matching drums? Or were those used in C-2 'Vettes in the years just priour to the use of disc brakes?

busterwivell
09-13-2021, 04:58 AM
Loving this build. Keep us posted on updates.

BamaNomad
09-13-2021, 06:24 AM
This project got put on *pause* for a year or so, while Richard was renovating a building he purchased, moving parts/cars from a property in TN that he had sold, etc, so hopefully we are nearly back to working religiously on this project (I know Sue is in favor of this!).. :) Richard and Sue left his past weekend and won't be back for a few weeks, so what I'm doing right now is 'catching up' on our past work on this car.

The Engine and Transmission installation waited awhile due to several shipments of the Bell-Housing which came in damaged, but finally they got a good one and the drivetrain was installed on the chassis.

Here are a few photos of the process of installing the flywheel, dual-mass pressure plate/clutch, etc. There was a fairly complex shimming arrangement we went thru before mounting it all up.

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It will use a hydraulic clutch just as their '56 HT did...

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BamaNomad
09-13-2021, 06:47 AM
Once a good bellhousing was received (Lakewood/Quicktime Safety Bellhousing), and the Flywheel and Pressure plate was prepared, the engine was set into the chassis and the transmission and clutch system was installed. The transmission is a Tremec Super Magnum 6-speed.

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When two old men are doing such jobs, we rely on any help we can get when lifting heavy objects... :)

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BamaNomad
09-13-2021, 07:02 AM
Once the Engine/Trans assembly was on the chassis we rolled it back under the body and lowered the body back onto it...

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By the time this last photo was taken, Richard had already designed/machined some special bracketry for firewall mountings.

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And we installed the Holley mid-mount front runner accessory kit. I think both Richard and myself can 'bless' the Holley Midmount accessory kit for anyone considering such.
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This kit keeps all the accessories very close to the front of the block by providing a completely different water pump housing with all the mounts included for the accessories. The water pump internals are separately replaceable thru holley. The gen V LT1 kit also included the 'Super Damper' as shown.
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The continuation of this thread will likely have to wait a few weeks until Richard returns from their trip, as he also designed custom mounts for the firewall mountings for the Vintage Air evaporator and lines, the CPU, Oil/vapor separator, master cylinder and hydrovac units which I had little to nothing to do with and thus have no photos of those parts... (Maybe he can post some photos and explanations for those items from his phone/laptop while he's away?)..

carls 56 (RIP 11/24/2021)
09-13-2021, 02:19 PM
beautiful build.---------> what you do after lunch?

enigma57
09-13-2021, 09:26 PM
Beautilful! Well planned and executed. What a wonderful car this will be when done!

Happy Motoring,

Harry

WagonCrazy
09-13-2021, 09:45 PM
dang, that's gonna be a saweeeet Corvette restomod. :p Keep posting progress pics. This makes me want a 59 vette restomod some day.

BamaNomad
09-14-2021, 07:15 AM
My personal opinion is that the '59 and '60 models are the 'best' of the first generation Corvettes (in spite of the fact that the '62 got the 327 engine)..

Beginning with the '58 models, they got a little wider on the inside and had more space and legroom for a larger person. The '58 has some undesirable features like the 'rub-board' hood which holds water/dirt and is non-functional and totally unnecessary. The '58 also has the 'trunk irons', again which are totally non-functional, unnecessary weight and cost to rechrome.
The '61/'62 models, while they got the 'ducktail' rear clip, which is OK to even a nice feature, they also 'lost' the teeth grill making the '60 the last model with the toothed grill.

1959 and 1960 models are almost identical with the only difference being the direction of the seams on the seat upholstery, and one can always swap in a '62 or later 327 ci engine.. :)

Of course Sue's '59 is getting a 500 hp engine and 6 spd transmission which is even BETTER... but I've cautioned her that she must be very careful 'using' that much horsepower in such a lightweight and short wheelbase car! (they can swap ends with you very quickly in this situation!).. :)

Al_Dente
09-14-2021, 08:50 AM
Well, in that case, if Sue's not living alone, pulling the stunts that you've just mentioned would more likely turn that Corvette into a Widowmaker, rather than a Widowermaker

BamaNomad
09-14-2021, 07:12 PM
Richard sent me a text today with additional photos (of work that he did all by his lonesome), unfortunately since I wasn't involved with that work, I have no idea what to say about the photos.. so maybe he will post some of those with some text to go along with them...

TrifiveRichard
09-15-2021, 06:51 AM
I will, although it may take a little while. We’re in CO right now, having driven from AL. We'll be here a few more days, then on to CA, be there a little over a week, then drive back to AL. I’ll update when I can.

BamaNomad
09-15-2021, 08:08 AM
Richard! Good.. :) I received the photos you sent, but without some 'information' on what, why, and how I'm afraid the photos wouldn't mean much. :)

enigma57
09-25-2021, 10:16 PM
:) Look forward to seeing the pics when you are ready to post them here!

HB

BamaNomad
09-26-2021, 05:01 AM
The next photos will have to wait until Richard returns from his and Sue's trip... maybe soon! :)

PS. Richard did allow me to use his paint booth while they were away, and I spent parts of 3 days this past week cleaning, hanging, and painting my black parts (bumper brackets and others), and my interior garnish mouldings, etc (all remaining parts that needed to be Victory Red)... so Thanks Richard. I'm going over this afternoon to clean up and pick up my red parts! :)

TrifiveRichard
11-01-2021, 03:00 PM
We finally returned from our trip to CO, on to CA, back to CO and then home to AL. While in CO, we stopped to see Laszlo in Ft Collins, enjoyed talking with him and his wife, and seeing the updates to his 56 Nomad. We were on the road for 6 weeks, enjoyed it, but glad to be back in the shop!

I’ve started back on the Corvette, working to get ready to spray epoxy primer on the complete body. There were 3 areas that needed work: pedal modifications, bonding backing plates to the firewall, and prepping the underside for priming.

Pedal modifications included revising the clutch 'rod' attachment point to the pedal, addition of a clutch engagement switch and addition of clutch and brake pedal stops. The following pictures show the pedal assembly mods and the assembly thru the firewall. I use the clutch and brake switches in series to control the trans reverse lockout solenoid. Also, we're using a Hydoaboost power brake booster on the Corvette. I used one on the 56 HT, and I won't go back to a vacuum unit again.

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There are 3 backing plates, 1ea for the clutch master cylinder, the gas pedal, and the a/c evaporator unit. The backing plates for the clutch and gas pedal are to distribute the force when the pedals are pushed. They are machined out of aluminum and panel bond adhesive is used to attach. Gas pedal bolts thru the firewall are only for bonding, holes filled later. The gas pedal is mounted to the plate with 3 bolts, and the plate allows for 3 mounting positions. I believe the center location is correct, but this allows for adjustment. The gas pedal was provided with the GM Connect and Cruise kit and connects to the ECU, no mechanical connection. For the a/c, I made a bracket that attaches to the evaporator unit, and it bolt to the firewall plate in 4 places, makes it easy to install. The holes in the plate are for bolting up the ECU mount and engine fuse/relay assembly on the engine side of the firewall.

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The last activity has been scraping and sanding undercoat from the rear wheel wells, and filling unused holes. The body was soda blasted some time ago, but not the underneath side. Gary pressure washed it with Simple Green and got most the crud, but not the undercoat. it's taken a couple days, but the wheel wells are now clean. Also, in the picture, you can also see the cutout of the spare tire well needed to clear the C4 IRS rearend.

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BamaNomad
11-01-2021, 04:56 PM
Good job Richard! I'm glad you finally made it back and hope you keep up posting the updates on 'Sue's Corvette'... :)

The fenderwells looks great; you did a very good job removing the undercoating.. :)

I also really like the aluminum plate reinforcements for your MC, swing pedal assembly, AC evap mounting, etc.. :)

What primer do you plan to use on the body (over and under)??

Ohhh.. and Happy Birthday! Richard had his birthday Saturday! ... 74.. and still 'playing with cars'.. :)

BamaNomad
11-09-2021, 06:50 PM
Richard has been working on Sues 59 Corvette since he returned from their trip (and before they go on another one).. :) He finished cleaning the bottom of the car, scraping and even sanding the fiberglass! Today Dick and his 'crew' assembled to try to get some Epoxy Primer (SGI black epoxy) on the bottom of the car.. Here are some photos..

Here Richard is blowing a few bits of dust off the body before the primer was applied..
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And here Richard is inspecting the primer after his crew put on 3 good coats of SPI

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Richard desires to apply Semigloss Black urethane to the floor shortly.

Some one here please convince him to use a different color than black? A black underbottom will soak up heat from the pavement and IMO there should be contrast between the bottom of the body/floor and the chassis (which is powder coated semi gloss black). note: 1st gen corvettes did not get any coating, not even primer, on the bottom of the floor; just bare beige/yellow fiberglass.

TrifiveRichard
11-09-2021, 07:07 PM
Thanks to Gary and friend Trey for the help today. Any luck and we should get the remainder of the body in epoxy Thursday.

TrifiveRichard
11-11-2021, 01:39 PM
The Corvette's body is now in SPI epoxy. I don't know how may of you have body-worked a fiberglass car, but this is my first (and may be my last!). Im going to be itching from fiberglass for the next week.

The steel-bodied cars clean up nicely with media blasting (I use aluminum oxide). There is very little prep before epoxy sealing. The corvette we blasted with soda, to minimize the media digging into the fiberglass, even then, there are some places it dug into the glass. The other problem is the soda blasting doesn't do a good job of removing all the paint. So, the groves and contours tend to have paint left. This had to be sanded out, it feels like most of it went into my arms...

The SPI epoxy appears to be sandable, so the initial bodywork will be done directly on it, later spraying high build primer and blocking. I still have the doors, trunk lid, and a couple other pieces to sand, so I'm not done with that yet, but making progress.

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BamaNomad
11-11-2021, 02:10 PM
Richard, The epoxy is serving as your 'gelcoat' for the fiberglass; SPI recommends 3 coats exactly for that reason I suspect. The fibers need to be captured in either gelcoat or in the epoxy. Apply the heavy built primer for the sanding, otherwise you'll be exposing the glass fibers by sanding off your gelcoat (the epoxy)...

It looks good, but the fibers are impossible to see when they are sticking up thru the paint... so apply your high build primer before sanding... IMO... :)

TrifiveRichard
11-11-2021, 02:39 PM
good points Gary, I'd rather be safe than sorry later!

TrifiveRichard
11-16-2021, 01:56 PM
I followed Gary's advice and didn't sand the epoxy, just Scotch Brited it to remove any crud that got in it. Today we sprayed the body with PPG K38 high build primer. Now we can start blocking to see where work is required.

Also, spent much of the week sanding/preping more fiberglass items: the doors, truck lid, soft top cover behind the seat, and the console between the seats. They are now ready for epoxy. I still have a few fiberglass items to clean up for epoxying. I'll be glad when done with cleaning/sanding bare fiberglass!

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BamaNomad
11-16-2021, 03:14 PM
It looks good Richard! (Much nicer in gray than black).. :)

PS. SPI does market 2K (high build) primers. They call theirs Turbo 2K. I just called Tony and ordered a 2-gallon kit of White Epoxy (which I will mix with the black to achieve the best shade of gray. He says the SPI 2K primer mixes at a 4:1:1 rate (4 parts primer, 1 part activator, and 1 part reducer) and should be sprayed with a 1.8 or 2.0 tip on your gun. He makes the run up here on Mondays unless we need it earlier he can make a special trip. (I can wait til Monday on my epoxy)...

Let me know if you need or want some help sanding.

TrifiveRichard
11-16-2021, 05:20 PM
When I get to sanding the high build, I’ll give you a yell. FYI, SPI makes 2 high build primers: 2K high build and 2K turbo high build. Based on reading their literature, the turbo is a fast dry version. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to use PPG K38 or go to the SPI 2K high build (mixes 4:1, no reducer) but not the turbo, it tacks up too fast for our use.

WagonCrazy
11-17-2021, 11:12 PM
I'm in love with your Corvette already. Just ship it to CA when you're done. :cool:

markm
11-18-2021, 07:31 AM
I like it too, nice to see a thread like this on here for a change.

TrifiveRichard
11-18-2021, 02:05 PM
Thanks guys, it should be nice when completed, although working with fiberglass is getting to me! I have cleaned/sanded most of the remaining glass pieces and plan to epoxy them Tuesday. I’ll be glad when they are all in primer. Then a few repairs and blocking, and on to paint.

TrifiveRichard
11-30-2021, 02:48 PM
I'm done sanding to bare fiberglass. Parts included doors, hood, trunk lid, deck lid, kick panels, passenger tray and support, and seats console. My hands and fingernails were really tender! DA work was easy, but hand sanding details was tedious.

The parts have been ready for epoxy for about a week, but the weather hasn't cooperated. The epoxy mfg says don't spray below 65 degrees, and we haven't made it to that yet. The problem isn't shop temp, but paint booth makeup air temp. I don't have heated makeup air. Looks like the next few days will be in the high 60s, low 70s, so we're keeping fingers crossed we can spray.

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Last week I also gathered up most of the remaining steel/aluminum parts needing to be epoxy coated. These were bead blasted and cleaned with wax and grease remover. They are ready for epoxy, as the weather permits.

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Started blocking the body. Blocked the initial high build coat on the passenger side, skim-coated with filler, blocked, then repeated. Side looks pretty straight. After completing this on the rest of the body, we'll mount the body on the new chassis and final-fit the doors, trunk lid, and hood. The body needs to be on the frame to get body gaps right, especially the doors. After this, we'll epoxy the body again, high build, and block one more time. We need the last epoxy, since we've sanded to bare fiberglass in some areas.

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Belair-o
12-01-2021, 05:55 AM
Your preparatory work looks great! Lots of work done.
BTW, I like the bin/rack system on the wall in your shop (and with labels so you can narrow down which bin to look in first).

markm
12-01-2021, 06:36 AM
I am almost more inpressed with the organization of the bin/ rack system .

TrifiveRichard
12-01-2021, 02:20 PM
I’ve collected cars and parts for many years, as many of you have. It was frustrating knowing I had a part, but couldn’t find it! The bins came in handy, and I can usually find what I’m looking for within 1 or 2 bin searches. The shelf units are made from 1x1x1/8” angle iron with 3/4” plywood.

BamaNomad
12-01-2021, 04:57 PM
You guys don't know the half of it, just from the photos here... :) Richard is about the most organized person I know, certainly in the car enthusiast world... :)

PS. it probably screws his mind over when he comes over to help me... seeing my jumble of disorganiztion.. :)

Dualfours
12-01-2021, 05:18 PM
Following along on this, love those early C1 Corvettes. Have to agree on the organization of the parts and accessories. Very impressive.

TrifiveRichard
12-01-2021, 05:46 PM
You guys don't know the half of it, just from the photos here... :) Richard is about the most organized person I know, certainly in the car enthusiast world... :)

PS. it probably screws his mind over when he comes over to help me... seeing my jumble of disorganiztion.. :)

There’s always more than one way to do it, Gary! Lol

markm
12-02-2021, 06:37 AM
You guys don't know the half of it, just from the photos here... :) Richard is about the most organized person I know, certainly in the car enthusiast world... :)

PS. it probably screws his mind over when he comes over to help me... seeing my jumble of disorganiztion.. :)

According to my GF I have the world biggest mess. I do find it annoying when I buy something use it and then find a NIB one the following day.

TrifiveRichard
12-03-2021, 03:55 PM
The weather was warm today, probably 70 degrees or so, and we were able to epoxy paint. All the fiberglass, steel, and aluminum parts previously prepped were hung in the paint booth today and sprayed. It was a little crowded in the booth, with 44 parts, but it worked. I believe we had a dozen fiberglass parts and 32 steel or aluminum small parts.

It was good to get all in epoxy, since I don't expect the weather to cooperate much longer this season. Hopefully, we will have one more warm day and we can get the fiberglass parts in high build primer and the steel/aluminum parts painted final satin black. If we can do this shortly, within 7 days, the epoxy doesn't need to be scotch brite sanded. That obviously saves a fair amount of repeated effort/time.

After this, we will be focusing on continuing to block the body and other fiberglass parts, as well as fiberglassing some small problem areas.

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BamaNomad
12-04-2021, 12:00 PM
Hopefully the weather will cooperate for a while longer so the primer can be completed... and the metal parts painted with semi-gloss. Richard, tell everyone what you use to spray the underside and hidden metal parts as I'm not sure I remember correctly, but I do love the gloss level achieved.

TrifiveRichard
12-04-2021, 03:07 PM
Gary’s pulling my leg, but ok I’ll bite. For a body-off, nut & bolt restomod build, I tend to not leave steel unpainted, regardless whether it is visible or not. I don’t care to have it surface rust. Aluminum, same way, I don’t want it to oxidize either, although some aluminum I will leave alone, or clear coat, if I want the contrast.

I use Eastwood’s satin black for most metal parts. I’ve used it for years, it’s catalyzed, easy to apply, has a nominal 60% gloss, and it lasts. The other thing I tend to do is spray the underbody and associated parts the same satin black. I really don’t want the underbody to standout, I want it to fade to the background.

What do the rest of you guys do? I know Gary likes things the way the factory left them.

BamaNomad
12-04-2021, 06:30 PM
Actually I wasn't pulling your leg, Richard.. I really like the gloss/sheen on your black semi-gloss parts and the fact you're using an activated paint, but I wasn't sure I could say exactly what you use. And I'm curious what others here use for the black semi-gloss parts??

No, I'm not a fan of a black underpan. On an original restoration, I prefer to see 'simulated' red oxide primer (but done with a catalyzed urethane paint). On a 'custom car', I like seeing strong contrast between underbody and the chassis...

TrifiveRichard
12-05-2021, 05:54 AM
Here is the info on the paint, with part numbers on the cans, in case others care to try it out. The console is the one Gary and I modified for the 56 chevy, adding 9" to the center section and removing 7" from the rear. The paint is Eastwood's satin black, and it’s about a 60% gloss.

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BamaNomad
12-05-2021, 06:43 AM
The 'reason' I like it so much, is that IMO the 'gloss' level is just about perfect for the underhood black parts (inner fenders, radiator support, etc) for a trifive restoration (and for many other years of GM cars up thru the mid-70's at least), AND it's a catalyzed urethane for toughness.

Belair-o
12-06-2021, 08:34 AM
Hi Richard,
Thanks for posting the specifics on the satin paint you are using.
Regards, Doug

TrifiveRichard
12-06-2021, 04:57 PM
Hey Doug. It does have a nice finish, hopefully others will find it useful.

Belair-o
02-12-2022, 01:44 PM
I bet that Vette be looking mighty fine by now.

TrifiveRichard
02-12-2022, 02:37 PM
Took a month off Doug and was in your country, Granby CO mostly. Since we returned, I’ve been fixing holes and cracks in the fiberglass, with Gary’s help glassing. We’ve also been applying a skim coat of filler on the body and blocking it off. I’ll take a couple pictures tomorrow and post.

Belair-o
02-13-2022, 06:50 AM
Hi Richard,
Good to hear! I love those GEN1 Vettes, and appreciate your posts and pics.
Thanks, Doug

TrifiveRichard
02-14-2022, 03:47 PM
Spent most of the time since we returned from CO fixing 63 year old fiberglass, including repairing cracks and filling holes not needed. We have also applied a filler skim coat to the body and most other fiberglass parts, as well as blocking it down.

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Overall, the 59 body is in nice shape with little delamination problems. Given that, there must have been at least 20 stress cracks, most on the lower rear body, along with the deck lid that fits behind the seats. In addition, we glassed over close to a dozen holes that weren't needed.

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We've got probably another week's work on the body and it'll be ready for another sealer epoxy coat and high build primer again. Then fitting doors, hood and trunk. Final blocking on this should then get us close to color time. Thanks to Gary, BamaNomad, for helping with most fiberglassing work.

There is one outstanding item left before painting, the door handles. Sue doesn't like the factory ones. She's been looking on the web for ones she likes, and it looks like she's settling on Mini Cooper handles. They will take some modification, since they are cable-attached to the door mechanism. I'll have to see how difficult this will be to adapt.

Belair-o
02-15-2022, 06:24 AM
Hi Richard,
Lots and lots of work you and Gary are doing. Love seeing that classic shape. As I see your shop organization again, I again see what a great example it is.
Regards, Doug

BamaNomad
02-15-2022, 08:22 AM
Just a couple of comments:

1) Dick's level of 'organization' is certainly at a professional level ... :) and he's got enough room in his shops, and enough 'plastic containers' to make sure he continues that! :)

2) I have only spent 4 or 5 days helping do the fiberglass repairs, and I don't mind that as I like working on Dick/Sue's car projects in his shop; he has much more resources in his shop (except for fiberglass repair materials) than I Do in mine! :) I do wish the 25-26 miles between our shops were less and we didn't have to drive thru Huntsville to 'visit' and help! :)

3) Dick assists me in my shop on my 'custom Nomad' whenever I have to deviate from 'original restoration' type tasks! He's my 'customization' expert and his help has been invaluable to me on my Nomad! :)

The following comment/suggestion is for anyone preparing to restore a Corvette (or other fiberglass car):

1) BEFORE you strip the old paint off the car, examine the surface and paint carefully to find/identify/record Any/all cracks in the paint! The cracks in the paint are due to cracks in the fiberglass, and if they aren't repaired properly then the NEW PAINT will crack in the same locations pretty quickly! So this step is important...

2) photograph the paint cracks after circling/marking them with a marker. Retain the photographs for later use during repair efforts.
3) After stripping the paint from the fiberglass, REPAIR the fiberglass First before doing anything else! Refer to your photographs to make sure you find them all. Grind out the cracked fiberglass and around the cracked fiberglass so you have sufficient good area for the new fiberglass to hold on, and remember that you'll be finishing the surface back to the original surface height - you don't want to grind/sand off all your new fiberglass when doing that! If the back side is accessible it is even good to build up the back side the same way to provide increased strength for the fiberglass in that area to handle the future stresses.
Stress cracks generally occur near to the point where the body is attached to the frame - and also sometimes where heavy trim items are mounted directly to the fiberglass, and also in areas where the body stresses are concentrated (in the curved openings of the body around doors, deck lids, trunk lids, hoods, etc.).
4) Our repair efforts on this car were hampered a bit by NOT following the above steps and also by 'applying epoxy primer' to the body before the cracked areas were located and repaired, which caused Dick more effort to FIND the stress cracks.

I hope this note helps those of you who do this in the future.. :)

TrifiveRichard
02-15-2022, 02:54 PM
Hi Richard,
Lots and lots of work you and Gary are doing. Love seeing that classic shape. As I see your shop organization again, I again see what a great example it is.
Regards, Doug

There’s actually 3 of us working on the 59: myself, Gary, and another friend Trey. Trey is an excellent painter, as well as body prep. He’s doing the blocking. Appreciate the comments on the shop organization Doug. As I’ve said elsewhere, it helps me keep track of all the many parts to a nut and bolt, body off build.

markm
02-16-2022, 06:39 AM
I bet its going to look better than new.

TrifiveRichard
02-16-2022, 02:36 PM
Hopefully it will, Mark. We’re finding a number of spots in the factory body that ‘dip’ enough, some close to 3/16”, that they need to be filled with glass before filler. We’re getting there though and should be nice when done.

TrifiveRichard
02-25-2022, 05:50 PM
Making progress a little at a time. Fixed some cracks in the rear trunk area and continued with skim coating and sanding the body. In addition, I worked on the rear wheel opening lower fender lips.

I initially saw a few small cracks in the rear of the trunk spare tire well. I started grinding out the cracks and tapering the fiberglass. It turned out that there were really two longer cracks almost all the way across the bottom back.
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I cut a few strips of fiberglass cloth, enough to cover the cracks twice, applied activated resin to the body and strips, and put the strips down. This is a messy process, and latex gloves are a must.
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After 3 hours or so, the resin is cured, and the glass can be sanded. Putting two layers of glass down ensures there's enough to sand without going through.
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The final step was to apply a little Vette panel filler and sand and it's done. Also, you can see in the picture at the center, bottom, another sanded, repaired area. This started out as a small, about 1/2" square area that looked like a small delamination. By the time I ground off the delaminated area, it was probably a 6" square area! Again, it took two layers of glass cloth and filler to build it back up.
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Another problem I ran into is the Corvette doesn't have a rear wheel opening fender lip for the last 8" or so, and the fender merges cleanly with the wheel well. This creates a problem when painting the body and underside different colors, there's no natural paint line divider. In order to fix this, I built up a fender lip out of fiberglass for that last 8". This gives a clean paint line divider.
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We're about done with the skim coat/blocking for now. Hopefully, we'll apply another coat of epoxy and a couple of high build within a week or two. It depends on how many other surprises we run into.

Belair-o
02-26-2022, 06:13 AM
Hi Richard,
Stinkin' surprises! Good job on getting it sound and cleaned up.
Noticed your drop light - is that LED - do you like it - manufacturer/model?
Thanks, Doug

BamaNomad
02-26-2022, 06:32 AM
Richard, beginning Monday we're supposed to have a great weather week! .. almost 70 by Thurs/Fri... :)

TrifiveRichard
02-26-2022, 05:51 PM
Hi Richard,
Stinkin' surprises! Good job on getting it sound and cleaned up.
Noticed your drop light - is that LED - do you like it - manufacturer/model?
Thanks, Doug

Thanks Doug. The light is not LED, though. It’s an inexpensive fluorescent from Harbor Freight and has actually been reliable.

Belair-o
02-27-2022, 06:42 AM
Thanks for the info, Richard.
Regards, Doug

Custer55
02-27-2022, 07:44 PM
Nice looking repairs. That extra area you added should make the body stronger as well. Makes me itchy just thinking about working with fiberglass though.
Brian

TrifiveRichard
02-28-2022, 05:54 AM
Nice looking repairs. That extra area you added should make the body stronger as well. Makes me itchy just thinking about working with fiberglass though.
Brian

thanks Brian. I’m not itching so much anymore. Don’t know if I’m getting use to it or the primers have sealed most loose glass. Yesterday we completed the initial skim coat/blocking activity.

Now I’m focused on changing the hood pins/receivers to ‘60 style ones. This will result in the hood release cables routed in the interior under the dash and not dangling under the hood. Naturally, they aren’t located in the same body bolt holes.

BamaNomad
03-02-2022, 07:32 PM
Richard works on Sue's '59 Corvette every day, but today i went over and assisted him install nut plates under the fiberglass to retain '1960 style' hood retention latches to the body. Richard liked the 1960 style better than the '59, probably due to the way the cable releases are routed. Richard had already made some minor fiberglass mods to the firewall to facilitate this mod, and had also made some 1/4" thick steel nutplates for retaining them.

Here are a few photos:
1) The nutplates
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These would be mounted under/behind the fiberglass retained by steel rivets and bonding cement as shown in this photo:
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We installed the screws to hold the plates in place while the cement cures and also while installing the rivets. Afterwards Dick had to grind off the short piece of rivet stem which didn't pop out; here he is doing that...

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and shown here are the pretty chrome 1960 latch plates that will be installed after paint.

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PS. It reached nearly 75F here today.. been a beautiful week and supposed to continue thru Saturday before a little rain chance on Sunday! (Spring is coming!)

TrifiveRichard
03-24-2022, 05:11 PM
It's been a while since I've updated progress, so this post will cover a number of activities.

We fixed another approximately 30 more cracks, mostly on the underside of the body. Seems like everywhere I looked was another crack! Then, we sanded the underside, trunk, interior area and front inner fenders with 180 grit. These areas are now ready for final sealing and painting, which will be done after color is applied to the body. These areas were blown off, taped off and papered over to prevent overspray getting on them from the hi build. Given the time it took to prep the areas, we didn't want to sand them again!

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After this, we went into the paint booth and applied another 2 coats of epoxy sealer to the body, in preparation for the hi build primer. It was easier to apply the epoxy to the entire surface, that to just the bare fiberglass exposed while blocking.

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The SPI epoxy instructions say to let it cure for at least 48 hours before applying paint over it, but it must be sprayed within 7 days, or it needs to be sanded with 180 grit. So, we waited out the 48 hours, and went back in the booth and applied 2 coats of Evercoat hi build. The primer we used goes on pink and turns gray when sanded, making it easier to see low spots.

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The polyester hi build dries within a couple hours, so we were able to move the Corvette out of the paint booth and onto the lift. We removed the body from the rotisserie/h-frame and set it down on the chassis, and bolted it down. Now we are ready to bolt on the hinges for the doors, trunk lid, deck lid and hood to work the seams and merge the lines.

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Along the way, we decided to change to door handles out for a pair that are 1970 Jag XJS-vintage handles. They are more streamlined and offer a cleaner appearance, at least we think so. It turns out they are almost bolt-on. The mechanism is the same as the originals, just need to extend the rod that connects the handle to the mechanism.

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Now we're on to fitting the doors, etc.

BamaNomad
03-24-2022, 08:02 PM
Good update Richard! :)

I LIKE the pink primer! Since Sue hasn't decided on a color as yet, maybe she should consider 'Panther pink'?? :)

busterwivell
03-25-2022, 04:13 AM
Just amazing!

Belair-o
03-25-2022, 09:54 AM
Hi Richard,
That is an amazing build and should be a real jewel when all done!
Regards, Doug

TrifiveRichard
03-25-2022, 02:36 PM
Thanks guys, putting hinges on now. Shouldn’t be long and we’ll see how everything fits. Hopefully we’re not too far off.

TrifiveRichard
03-27-2022, 06:32 PM
Spent the majority of the last couple days bolting panels in place on the Corvette. Once these are in place, we will work the gaps and body lines.

First up was the deck lid behind the seats. The hinge assemblies for the deck lid and the trunk lid are packaged together and interact to keep the two from hitting each other when open. These were previously cleaned up and painted satin black. Putting these inplace under the center divider turned out to be a chore, since they wedge under the top lip and need to be forced in place, then bolted down. I noticed in the assembly manual, the design was changed for the late 1959 Corvette, and the assembly is shorter, slips right in, and steel spacers are put under the assembly, then bolted in place. Turns out, there are a number of small, but significant, changes made mid year. Naturally, we have the early 1959 car, oh well!

Once the hinge assemblies were in place, the deck lid bolted down easily. Next was the deck lid latch. it is located on top of the center seat divider/glove box, so that was installed, latch mounted, and deck lid is solid.

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Next up was the hood. It's been on a few times, so we know it fits fairly well. We just used paint stir sticks to center it, and bolted it down at the front from under the grill area.

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From this point, we continued to the trunk and the doors.

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I'm sure we'll be moving things around some by the time we're done, but at this point, we're ready to start working the body gaps and lines.

Custer55
03-27-2022, 08:12 PM
Looking good. Sometimes when working on these old cars you have to wonder what they were thinking the way some of the things were designed. I have had a few choice words for Ford designers while working on the 39 Ford as well as my son's 59 Mercury.

BamaNomad
03-27-2022, 08:19 PM
It's looking good Richard! :) Let me know if you need a couple of extra hands!

TrifiveRichard
03-28-2022, 05:38 AM
Looking good. Sometimes when working on these old cars you have to wonder what they were thinking the way some of the things were designed. I have had a few choice words for Ford designers while working on the 39 Ford as well as my son's 59 Mercury.

thanks Brian, agree, sometimes I just scratch my head and wonder what they were thinking.

TrifiveRichard
03-28-2022, 05:46 AM
It's looking good Richard! :) Let me know if you need a couple of extra hands!

will do, Gary, thanks

markm
03-28-2022, 08:49 AM
Looking good. Sometimes when working on these old cars you have to wonder what they were thinking the way some of the things were designed. I have had a few choice words for Ford designers while working on the 39 Ford as well as my son's 59 Mercury.

Been saying that about FOMOCO most of my life.

TrifiveRichard
04-12-2022, 06:20 PM
We're about half way thru aligning panels and getting clean, straight gaps and panel alignments. We have about completed the doors and hood, and have the deck lid and trunk lid to do. We also have the front grill area to work.

The doors gave us a bit of a challenge. Turns out the top of both doors were about 3/8" lower than the front fender tops, given one lines up the cove top and bottom lines, as seen in the following picture (you may need expand the picture to see the difference).

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Looking back at pictures of the old front end and door alignment, the tops were the same height when the cove lines were aligned.

The new frontend is a 3 piece installation: first piece is the frontend fender tops, with the front grill area and the dash top. Second and third piece was the cove section for each side. What appears to have happened is the first piece was installed about 3/8" higher than the old one. Then, the cove sections were installed, aligning the cove lines with the doors. Thus, creating the problem. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter how it happened, just needed to fix it and move on.

So, the first job was to add fiberglass to the tops of the doors, then add fiberglass filler to even out everything. We still have a little filler work left.

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After this, the edges of the door were worked. You can also see in the next picture, the corners of the gas door were worked, following the contour of the door. This picture also shows the cut in the center dash section. This is discussed later.

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Next, the hood was installed, aligned and gaps and lines worked. This turned out to be pretty straight forward. The new later model hood pins and receivers fit great and we had no surprises.

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The next problem was with the dash top. It's part of the new frontend, being integral to the press-molded top piece. The problem here was that the dash top was not level. The end closest to the seats was off level by about 1/2" over the approximate 8" end. This too was most probably an installation problem putting on the new frontend. This can be seen in the next picture. The picture was taken looking to the rear of the car, from in front. This was fixed by slicing the dash, as seen in an previous picture, then clamping and fiberglassing the high side down. The difference shows in the last picture.

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Now, it's on to the deck lid and trunk lid. Both have some fit problems we have yet to work out.

BamaNomad
04-12-2022, 08:31 PM
Good write up Richard! While I've been miserable sick at home, you guys have been working and getting it done! :)

Gary

busterwivell
04-13-2022, 04:32 AM
Get well quickly, Gary. My wife just got put back in the hospital yesterday, so my days will be tied up there for a while.
Absolutely beautiful work, Richard.

BamaNomad
04-13-2022, 05:06 AM
Thanks Bill. I'm getting better.. today is my 11th day of being 'laid up' (no able to do anything), but the past 24 hrs I've laid off the meds to see if I'm getting well or not.. ( a bad head cold with sinuses draining like a river or all plugged up!). With the amount of pollen lying all over everything, my allergies might also be a part of this.. Anyway Thanks. I hope your wife is better soon!

Just a comment about Richard: He uses the word 'we' a lot when describing his work, and he does get some help - occasionally from me and another friend who does his painting (and some sanding?).. but Richard is there working on his 'current project' essentially every day (7 days a week) from 6-8 hrs a day and sometimes more. As a long time retired engineer hobbyist, he's more dedicated to his auto hobby than most people are to a full time job! It inspires me to see him work like he does, and being as organized as he is doing it.

I haven't been over to his shop in probably a month, so I've been feeling left out.. :) He's also volunteered to come and help me pull the '350 trans (for rebuild) from my '56 Nomad, which hopefully we can do if I ever get over this crud! .. and of course, he is my 'go to' guy whenever I have anything 'custom or modified' that I have to do to my car(s)... :)

Belair-o
04-13-2022, 06:58 AM
Richard,
Those are some major misalignments you have been faced with - great job on your repairs - looking great!

Bill,
Sorry to hear your wife is back in the hospital - prayers for her recovery.
Regards, Doug

TrifiveRichard
04-13-2022, 02:25 PM
Thanks for the comments, guys. Bill, hope your wife's hospital stay is short.

I think I'm beginning to learn working on this fiberglass stuff, lol. I still prefer steel bodies, though. Worked today to finish the dash, just needs a little filler. Now its level, and on to other things.

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Took a little time out and installed the grill surround and headlight rims. These fit reasonably well, but do need some work. There are some gaps between the headlight rims and the body that need to be filled. There are also some fit problems with the grill surround. The center pieces don't fit the body squarely, and the side pieces don't fit the body contour well. After a little work, these will fit well.

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The deck lid really has a factory fit problem, the passenger corner is completely above the adjacent body contour. I'm still thinking about how to fix this one...

markm
04-13-2022, 02:25 PM
I would love to have this car it would be a great place to use my early Powerpach heads with 1.84 305H/O valves. .060 forged 283 pistons.etc.

TrifiveRichard
04-13-2022, 02:28 PM
I would love to have this car it would be a great place to use my early Powerpach heads with 1.84 305H/O valves. .060 forged 283 pistons.etc.

They are still out there Mark! Although, they seem to be getting more expensive by the week...

busterwivell
04-13-2022, 07:32 PM
Thanks, Richard. I don't mean to hijack your beautiful work post here, but another surgery tomorrow. Prayers are welcome.

markm
04-14-2022, 06:13 AM
They are still out there Mark! Although, they seem to be getting more expensive by the week...

My expierence with fiberglass repair mas been limited to header pannels on Camaros and Cutlass. Oh yea, L88 2nd gen Caqmaro fiberglass hood repair, ever make a 1/4 mile pass win no hood pins. No where near the talent you have shown on this car.

Good luck to you and yoyur wife Bill.

TrifiveRichard
04-14-2022, 01:35 PM
My expierence with fiberglass repair mas been limited to header pannels on Camaros and Cutlass. Oh yea, L88 2nd gen Caqmaro fiberglass hood repair, ever make a 1/4 mile pass win no hood pins. No where near the talent you have shown on this car.

Good luck to you and yoyur wife Bill.

My experience is limited too, Mark. As I said, I think I’m getting the hang of it though. Gary started me off and I just keep going. Having said that, I’m still thinking about how to fix the deck lid without creating more problems. I may need to get Gary’s help again!

My best wishes, Bill, on the surgery and results, also.

BamaNomad
04-14-2022, 07:58 PM
I was well enough this afternoon to work on my tractor, change over to mulching blades, and got started on my lawn (haying mostly being the first time of the season!).. I'll see you Saturday morning. Hopefully I can help a little...

WagonCrazy
04-14-2022, 08:26 PM
That's looking great Richard. I can't wait to see it in final paint.

TrifiveRichard
04-15-2022, 05:11 AM
Thanks Paul, we’re getting there a little at a time.

TrifiveRichard
04-17-2022, 03:47 PM
We've had a problem that the deck lid rear passenger corner was a 1/4" above the adjacent body panel, and the edge around the corner (about 5") was high, just not as high as the corner. It looked to me as the panel was mis-shappened. The following picture shows the problem, which was there when we purchased the vehicle.

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The initial plan to level things out was to fiberglass under the corner area and sand off the existing corner. We removed the lid, and I started marking the area and amount to be removed. It became clear very quickly that I would be removing all of the existing panel for a couple inches, both top and underside panels. Thinking the over, it became apparent we were going to have another, potentially more serious, problem re-establishding the edge profile, as well as in merging the edge with the main panel area. I really didn't like that situation, and really should have seen the consequences earlier!

The next potential approach was to use a cut off wheel and remove the existing edge, reposition it, and glass it back in place. This seamed easier, but still had concerns with blending it back with the lid and body. So, this approach wasn't that appealing either. I'd kind of run out of ideas, and thought another set of eyes might help.

Gary, BamaNomad, came out yesterday and we discussed the problem. He suggested making a template of the "good" lid driver side corner and see how it compares to the "bad" passenger side corner. Interestingly, they were virtually the same. My initial assessment that the deck lid was the problem was wrong! So, next we decided to make a template of the area near the corner on the driver side body panel. Then we took that to the passenger side, and the profiles were the same, again! Our initial reaction was obviously 'how can this be?' Looking at the passenger side body corner closely, it had a low spot that looked like a sander from an earlier paint job had dug out fiberglass at the corner!

At this point, we decided to put the deck lid back on and look carefully at the corner. Previously we had used shims between the hinges and deck lid to level out the seam, best we could before sanding and filler work. While re-installing the deck lid, it became clear that we didn't need the 1/16" shim on the outer bolt of the triangle-pattern hinge. This was the bolt nearest the problem corner. Thus, helping lower the lid some.

As a result of filling the 'hole' in the body and removal of the shim, we removed less than 1/16" of glass from the lid. We have started the sanding/filler work on the deck and trunk lids, as shown in the following picture.

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Gary's 'extra set of eyes' was invaluable in getting beyond my 'assumption' the problem was the lid, and allowed us to really understand the problem. I am very grateful for Gary's help, thank you Gary!

In addition to this work, we finished up on the gas filler, too.

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Glad to have this one behind us and moving on.

Custer55
04-17-2022, 07:52 PM
Nice work! It always helps to have a 2nd set of eyes to come up with a sution.

WagonCrazy
04-18-2022, 03:29 PM
Sometimes getting a 2nd opinion helps. In this case, it did.
Carry on!

TrifiveRichard
04-25-2022, 02:46 PM
We've finished up matching the deck lid, body and trunk lid, and we've moved on to the 'jewelry' on the frontend. This will be the last of this phase. After this, we have some modifications to make, like engine air duct/cleaner and the like to make. Then, we plan on putting the assembled body back on the rotisserie, shoot one more time with high build, block again, and we're ready for sealer, water sanding and putting some color on this thing!

The following pictures show the matched deck lid, body, and trunk lid.

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The next item was to match the headlight bezels with the body and the top fender spears. Before starting this, it seamed like a good idea to first checkout the headlight mounting surfaces on the front fenders to see if they were pointing in the same direction. Vertical was fine, horizontal was not. The passenger side was off 3/16" to 1/4", depending on where it was measured, across the 12" dimension of the bezel mounting surface. The driver side was fine.

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More fiberglass and fiberglass filler, and we have the two pointing pretty close, less than 1/16", in the same direction. I know it's hard to see with my 3rd photograph below, I was a little over center, oops. I also did a string check, from the trunk key hole, to verify the headlights were pretty close to perpendicular to the car center axis, and they were.

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Once the headlight mounting surfaces were pretty square, we focused on matching the bezels and fender spears with the body. we masked off the bezels and spears, since they have already been chromed/polished. Then applied a filler skim coat, a little sanding, and we're close enough for me.

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At this point, we're moving on to the grill and bumper surrounds. We've started work on the center grill piece. It needs a little more work, then we'll skim coat the lip resting on the body.

WagonCrazy
04-25-2022, 05:12 PM
My corvette (oops, i mean your wife's corvette :D) is coming along nicely.
Got to do it right on getting those gaps and trim to fit snug.
this is a 100K+ restomod corvette being built. No sacrifices. Only high attention to detail.
Can't wait to see it in paint.

TrifiveRichard
04-25-2022, 05:31 PM
Thanks Paul. We’re getting there slowly, but we’ll make it to paint before too long. And yes, you’d have a fight on your hands with Sue, she’s wanted a 59 corvette for a long time!

BamaNomad
04-25-2022, 09:07 PM
It's looking great Richard! :)

TrifiveRichard
05-01-2022, 01:47 PM
Been working on setting and blending the grill and bumper surrounds. I am surprised at how poorly many of the body parts fit on the fiberglass body. I'm not sure if this is unique to this vehicle or typical of early fiberglass corvettes, but it takes quite a bit of fitting to get moldings to reasonably fit. Holes need to be enlarged, mating fiberglass needs to be sanded down and back, as well as fiberglass needs to be added in other areas. This was especially true on mounting the surrounds.

Also, the chrome and stainless pieces set on top of the fiberglass body. I don't happen to like the look of the pieces overlapping the fiberglass. The alternative is to build up the fiberglass enough to be level with the chrome/stainless pieces. Then, the fiberglass needs to be tapered to meet the existing lines. This blending takes a little time, but looks significantly better, IMO. It's taken about a week, but the work on the four surround pieces is about finished, with a little touchup remaining.

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The final work in this phase is to mount/blend in the front parking/turn signal lights. After this, we'll touch up the epoxy and shoot high build one more time. This will be blocked, then we're ready for water sanding and a sealer coat, then finally paint.

But before this, there're a few mods to be made yet. These include: building and integrating the engine cold air intake and filter, fitting the splash panels to the aftermarket frame, locating the stereo speakers, amp and subwoofer, locating the fuse and relay panels, and a few others.

BamaNomad
05-01-2022, 01:51 PM
your dedication and hard work is showing, Richard! :)

Keep it up... :)

55 Rescue Dog
05-01-2022, 04:17 PM
Great work, and they did not fit anything well back when they were new.

Custer55
05-01-2022, 09:21 PM
Looking good Richard, I am sure the fit of everything will be much better than it ever was from the factory when you are done!!

busterwivell
05-02-2022, 05:06 AM
Going to be the best 59 Corvette on the planet.

TrifiveRichard
05-02-2022, 06:48 PM
As many of you know, 20-22 May is the Smoky Mountain Classic Chevy show in Pigeon Forge, TN. We’ll be going, along with BamaNomad, Gary. Hope to see/meet some of you at the show.

I have some work to do on the 56 to get ready, so progress on the Corvette will slow down some this month. I appreciate your comments/suggestions on the Corvette’s build, thank you.

For those who haven’t seen the 56 build posting, I’ve added a few pictures here. The drivetrain is a 525hp LS3, Tremec Magnum close ratio 6-speed, 3:70 9” rear w/31 spline axles. Chassis is Art Morrison, brakes Wilwood. Interior was done by Paul Atkins Interiors here in Alabama.

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BamaNomad
05-02-2022, 07:55 PM
Hopefully you are going to DRIVE the '56 to PF??? :)

WagonCrazy
05-03-2022, 07:24 AM
One of these years, I'm going to fly out to Pigeon Forge for this show and meet you guys. can't make it happen this year though. :(

TrifiveRichard
05-03-2022, 01:53 PM
That’d be great, Paul. Plan it for next year!

BamaNomad
05-03-2022, 09:25 PM
For planning purposes, I'm pretty sure that the Smokey Mountain Classics Show is always the weekend in May that contains the 3rd Saturday of the month, and generally last from Thursday (arrival day), Friday and Saturday show days, and Sunday (awards morning)...

markm
05-04-2022, 06:11 PM
I really wish they would move that national show around the country.

BamaNomad
05-04-2022, 06:33 PM
Mark? Where are you located? Kansas? Oklahoma? you're about in the middle of the country and could make them anywhere...?

PS. The Trifive Nationals have gotten so large, and it's so hot, (and I've gotten so old).. :) ..
I'm liking the pigeon Forge show better (only ~300 cars, but always has parts, in a great hotel with everything in the parking lot, and in a beautiful part of the country (Smokey Mountains).

TrifiveRichard
07-03-2022, 03:53 PM
Started back on the Corvette, after a break attending the Pigeon Forge Classic Chevy Show and taking a trip to Colorado. We moved the car out of the body shop area and put it on the lift last week.

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Now we can complete a number of misc items not yet done, including covering the PCV catch can, modifying the front inner fender splash shields, fabricating the cold air intake, mounting the stereo speakers, and a few other items.

First up was the PCV catch can. The gen V LT1 PCV system vents the valley, heads and oil pan. The vapor is fed into the cold air intake and eventually burned. Also, any oil that condenses in the can is drained back into the oil pan. The factory can is located behind the water pump and its pulley. It's the black item in the picture behind the water pump. I could have probably used an aftermarket catch can, but decided to stick with the factory one.

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The factory gen v LT1 doesn't have a power steering pump, it's electrical, so we bought the Holley mid mount accessory system, which locates everything close and in front of the motor, and contains a type II power steering pump.

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Thus, the PCV can needed to be relocated, and it's on the passenger firewall. It's shape was functional factory located on the motor, but it's really an eye sore standalone, so I made a cover. That cleans it up a bit.

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The last item just completed is the modification of the splash shields. The aftermarket frame has two rails on each side and the spacing is different from the factory frame, thus the shields needed to be reworked. I had earlier purchased stock aftermarket shields, and they were a good starting point. The factory passenger shield required some trimming and one slice/reweld, and it fit fine. The driver side shield took a bit more. It wasn't mounted the same way as the passenger side, and was a different shape. It's not clear why the two shields were shaped so differently, but I wanted both to look the same, so it was reworked, cutting into 4 sections, reshaping the bottom, trimming the sides and welding the sections back together.

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Next, I plan on working the cold air intake and air filter.

BamaNomad
07-03-2022, 05:00 PM
Nice work and writeup Richard! :)

busterwivell
07-04-2022, 04:06 AM
Thanks for the update from "Masterpiece Garage".

Belair-o
07-04-2022, 07:32 AM
Thanks for the update from "Masterpiece Garage".

I agree!
Buster, Excellent name you gave Richard's shop (and posts)!

TrifiveRichard
07-04-2022, 07:43 PM
Thanks guys, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to put together the shop I want, and I don’t build vehicles for others, so I can build them the way I want, too.

FYI, I’ve started accumulating parts for the next build, given the shortages and price inflation. It’s the 69 Camaro you may have seen in the background of some of the pictures. I’ve purchased a gen v LT4 and Tremec 6speed, along with a full frame Roadster Shop SPEC chassis. I figured the 650hp/650ftlb motor would be a bit much for the factory front subframe.

TrifiveRichard
07-15-2022, 11:54 AM
Been working lately on getting the engine 4" cold air tube and filter mounted. There isn't a lot of room under the hood and in front of the engine. The a/c compressor is in the way of routing the tube to the passenger side, so it has to go to the drivers side. After trying a few options, it was also clear there is only one path that would work, and this required relocating the radiator fill cap/tube and hood-hold mechanism. The radiator fill tube was in the way of the cold air tube and the hood-hold mechanism was in the way of the filter element.

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I also wanted the filter to draw in outside air and not heated motor/exhaust air under the hood. Therefore, the air filter had to be in a box, with access to outside air. Turns out there is a 5" diameter hole already in the driver side radiator support wing, and it is in a usable location. It was originally used for the fuel injection tube to the air filter box mounted on there fender well. Also, the box couldn't block the power steering pump cap access on the motor. The final consideration is there is not much space between the underside of the hood and the radiator support top. Since the hood was so close, I decided to make a template of the underside of the hood at a few critical places. Thus, I could be confident with air box/hood clearance.

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With all this, I had enough to make an air filter box and lid.

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The box and lid clear the hood templates and provide access to the power steering pump cap.

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There are still a few details left to do, along with painting, but this completes the majority of the work on the air tube and filter mounting.

BamaNomad
07-16-2022, 05:16 AM
Richard. That looks good! I've got to get back over there and get caught up on Sue's 59 Corvette work... :)

I'm not sure what all you did there with the templates, but maybe now that my ticker is 'fixed'..(hopefully :), you can come over and show me how that works on my '57 Nomad? :)

TrifiveRichard
07-17-2022, 03:38 PM
Worked the last couple days on fitting the hydroboost and master cylinder. As indicated before, there really isn't much room under an early Corvette hood. Even the original single reservoir master cylinder required small a cutout at the top corner of the hood for access to the master cylinder top for removal. Installing a hydroboost and 2 reservoir master cylinder requires a bit more work. There were 3 areas requiring work: the hydroboost accumulator clearance, the master cylinder top clearance, and the master cylinder top bolt access.

The hydroboost can be mounted in 1 of 2 orientations: with the accumulator up and the hydraulic line connections down, or rotated 180 degrees. Digressing a bit, the accumulator (natural aluminum colored tube in picture below) provides enough stored pressurized fluid for 1 to 2 powered brake pedal actions in case the motor dies. After that, the brakes revert to manual mode. After looking at the 2 options, it became clear that the fluid lines would not be accessible if they were up, because they would be under the fender with virtually no clearance (actually, the fiberglass would have to be ground away some). Mounting with the accumulator up meant the inner fender had to be cut away to clear it, but the lines would be accessible. Decided to go with this option, even though it requires more fiberglass work later.

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The next clearance issues were with the master cylinder: clearing the underside of both the fender and the hood. Clearing the underside of the fender just took a little "clearancing" and the master cylinder tucks under the fender. The interference with the hood will take some surgery on the hood, and some more fiberglass work later. (have I mentioned there isn't much room under the hood?)

The last issue related to access to one of the master cylinder top removal bolts, since it goes under the fender. The next picture shows the access hold drilled in the weatherstrip area for access. I'd preferred not to punch the hole, but it's acceptable since it's covered with the hood down and isn't too conspicuous.

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Working the master cylinder required installing the pedals, and there are some modifications to these. The original brake and clutch pedal pads and quite large, especially considering the small area at the floor. Although difficult to see in the next picture (only one I have), the size of the pedals can hopefully be seen.

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I like the size and shape of the 69 Camaro pedals. The Corvette brake and clutch pedals were reshaped, including trimming and welding, to match the Camaro size and shape. as seen in the next picture. Another change was made, removing the hand parking brake assembly and replacing it with a foot pedal assembly, again a 69 Camaro design.

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Another mod is visible in the picture, the block that holds the top end of the steering column and the pedal assembly. This places the Ididit tilt column in the right place for the new speedo/tach bezel shown in the next picture. This bezel removes the small tach that sticks out from the main gauge level, and provides room for a tilt column. The bezel is a design by Paul Atkins Interiors/Hot Rods. The small gauges are standard for oil pressure, water temperature, voltage and gas. The top gauge assembly will be a Dakota Digital unit, per the artwork following.

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This about completes the brake-related modifications on the Corvette.

BamaNomad
07-18-2022, 07:06 AM
very nice modification work Richard! and great writeup in your posting! (I don't envy you having to make all these mods, but I may have warned you a bit when I asked you 'Why do you need a 495 hp LT1 in a '59 Corvette' (long ago).. :)

TrifiveRichard
07-18-2022, 03:16 PM
Thanks Gary, and the mods are all a part of building a restomod. A lot of the work is what I consider “packaging effort”. Although, early Corvette’s are really limited on head room space above the motor, there’s only 2 to 3 inches, and less toward the fenders. But that’s ok, we’ll find room for all we need.

WagonCrazy
07-19-2022, 07:33 AM
Lookin' good Richard. I have a hydroboost setup in my Nomad too, and inverted it like yours. But theres alot more room under the hood and between the valve cover and inner fender than what you have there. Plumbing the lines will be fun on yours. :eek:

TrifiveRichard
07-19-2022, 03:31 PM
I’m a fan of the hydroboost setup. As your 57, I used one on the 56 bel air ht, as well as have one for the 66 Chevy II. They take very little foot pressure and provide a rock solid pedal.

TrifiveRichard
07-21-2022, 03:30 PM
I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I posted the bezel gauges. The following is the one that we'll be using. The mind is a terrible thing to lose! Lol

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Belair-o
07-23-2022, 08:59 AM
Richard,
That is purty! I do think I would opt for more indicator marks and labels on the speedo, but that is just me.
Regards, Doug

BamaNomad
07-23-2022, 12:32 PM
True enough Doug! I'd put a 120 mph speedo in it rather than the 160... that will help and show the digits that he'll likely be using! :)

markm
07-23-2022, 04:26 PM
True enough Doug! I'd put a 120 mph speedo in it rather than the 160... that will help and show the digits that he'll likely be using! :)

Good plan, who needs a 160 speedo, I don't.

TrifiveRichard
07-23-2022, 06:23 PM
I agree with you guys, will need to see if I can get it modified to 120.

BamaNomad
07-23-2022, 08:30 PM
The original '59 Corvette Speedometer was in fact a 160 mph speedo, but that was mostly for impressing the folks who didn't know any better! :) But that 160 mph speedometer occupied the entire space so the mph were spread out a lot more than in that half-size spread in the new one.
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markm
07-24-2022, 07:49 AM
Sorry, I was thinking 57 Chevy, I cannot imagine driving anywhere near 160 in a new 1959 Corvette. Today Who would want to take the risk in such a classic.

TrifiveRichard
07-30-2022, 02:57 PM
Previously had finished the fiberglass mods to the doors to mount the Jag door handles. They are from 1970/1971 Jaguar XJS/XJ12 vehicles. As noted, the fiberglass mods were pretty easy, and they result a more streamlined look (IMO), and more importantly, Sue likes them better (LOL).

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There were 2 mods needed in order to connect the handles to the door-opening mechanism: re-size the handle hole for the connecting rod, and change the length of the connecting rod. The Jag handle hole is larger than the factory Corvette handle hole. The size difference is shown in the following picture. The picture also shows the difference in where the hole is located on the back of the handle. The Jag location is approximately 2 1/4 inches higher than on the factory handle, but the actual movement distance is virtually the same.

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The modified hole and rod are shown in the following pictures. The hole was welded up and a smaller one drilled. The rod was cut and a piece welded to both ends. The picture also shows the backing plate for the handle. This is a factory part, with the holes modified a bit for the Jag handle.

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The final result is shown in the next picture. This doesn't show the top end with its keeper in place, given it is time consuming to put on. It includes a spring to keep the rod in place, a couple washers, and a cotter pin. They are factory Corvette, and no mods were required.

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This completes the Jag door handle mods. On to the next one...

BamaNomad
07-31-2022, 05:56 AM
Nice work Richard, and nice photos and writeup! :)

I had opportunity to visit Richard yesterday afternoon and really liked the progress he's made recently on Sue's Corvette; not only the condition and fit of the fiberglass, but also the modifications he's had to make to accommodate the new LT1 engine package, AC, power everything, etc.. :) Note: the last photo also shows his modification to add electric door locks to the '59 Corvette and eliminate the key locks!

PS. Richard was also good enough to give me the door regulator springs from his original '56 HT regulators - he converted that one to power windows also! Additionally he even insisted that we degrease and beadblast the springs before he would let me leave! :) Hopefully with these springs getting close to 'unobtainium', I can rebuild my original Nomad regulators and make my windows function properly! :)

TrifiveRichard
08-02-2022, 04:18 PM
The gen v LT1 is circa 2017 Camaro design and uses a radiator reservoir (surge tank). The crate engine instructions indicate the engine can be configured with or without one, as long as the engine steam lines return to the radiator or reservoir above the heads. Since the factory used a reservoir, I decided to also use one. I purchased a factory reservoir and have mounted it, but not yet plumbed it. The factory reservoir is pictured below and contains 3 ports: a bottom 1" port to tee into the radiator hose path, a smaller bottom port to connect to the engine steam ports, and a top pressure overflow to connect to a hose and vent to the ground.

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The reservoir is non-metallic, irregularly shaped, and has factory mounting locations. Thus, it can't be welded to, isn't easy to package under the hood, and limits the attachment points. in addition to this, the mounting locations under the Corvette hood are limited, and the inner fenders are irregularly shaped. All this made it an interesting situation.

After considering potential mounting locations, it became clear there was only one viable location: passenger side, toward the rear of the engine compartment, partially under the fender. This meant I have to relocate the engine fuse/relay box that came with the motor, given I'd already mounted it, and it would now be under the reservoir and not accessible. Such is life! I'll work that later.

Thank goodness for cardboard templates, I was able to mock up the critical geometry, match mounting points, and make the mounting bracket, as shown in the following pictures. In addition to the mounting bracket, I decided to add support doublers for both the fiberglass side and the bracket side, the bracket is 16 gauge steel (.059").

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The bracket mounts to the passenger inner fender, up top.

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With the bracket mounted, the reservoir is mounted.

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Done with the reservoir mounting, and the plumbing will be done later. On to the next one...

BamaNomad
08-02-2022, 08:07 PM
Again, very good work Richard! :) Sue wants to drive it to Pigeon Forge next May.. for the 'expanded' Smokey Mtn show! :)

Now fuse panel (relocation), and where to mount four 7x9 speakers? :)

TrifiveRichard
08-02-2022, 08:46 PM
My target is to get the Sue’s Corvette to the upholsterer by the end of the year. Given we make that, we should make Pigeon Forge in May.

And yes, I think I’ll work on relocating the engine fuse panel next. I’m still thinking about the speakers, subwoofer and amp. Not sure where they all will go yet.

Belair-o
08-03-2022, 07:47 AM
Richard,
Your reservoir install looks great, all looks so clean under the hood, like it was designed from the factory. Very nice!
Regards, Doug

BamaNomad
08-03-2022, 08:16 AM
... designed/built in Richard's Custom Factory.... :)

TrifiveRichard
08-03-2022, 02:39 PM
Thanks Doug, appreciate the comments. I do try to have things look like they belong, lol.

TrifiveRichard
08-04-2022, 03:58 PM
Continuing to fit/mount non-factory items on the Corvette. Found a new home for the engine fuse/relay box, since I had to relocate it. Also, been working at the frontend of the car, locating the a/c dryer.

The options are limited to mount the fuse/relay box under the hood, ensuring it would be accessible for checking fuses or replacing relays. I considered mounting it in the interior, but the fuse/relay panel is hardwired to the engine harness and would require an approximate 3"x5" hole to go thru and then have to be blocked off. I didn't like that idea. Thus, it's under the hood. The one place that is available/accessible is behind the motor in the area where the windshield wiper motor was located. The corvette now has a Raingear system and the motor is located under the dash. I had intended to leave the area unused, but the fuse/relay box needs a home, so that's where it's going. Turns out it was an easy mount, just punch 4 holes, and it's done.

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The next item needing a home was the a/c dryer. I usually mount them on the passenger side on or near the radiator support, which provides easy connection to the compressor and the condenser. Again, there's no reasonable location on the engine side of the radiator support. The hood support is in the way and the inner fender shape precludes mounting there. There is room in front of the radiator support, on the passenger inner fender. Only problem was the fender slopes in this area. So, the dryer mounting bracket had to be beveled to mount the unit more vertical. I machined a doubler for the underside of the fender to keep the bolt tightening flat. The dryer is now mounted, using a rubber gasket since the fender where the dryer mounts isn't truly flat.

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These are mounted, on to the next one...

BamaNomad
08-04-2022, 04:33 PM
Richard? Can you reach/access the new location for the fuse/relay box??

TrifiveRichard
08-04-2022, 05:54 PM
Sure, and the two side snaps that keep the lid on are easy enough to release.

TrifiveRichard
08-12-2022, 03:07 PM
You may be thinking this should be quick and easy: cut a hole in the panel, drill 4 holes for screws, instal the speaker, and put the grill on. Well, it wasn't quite that easy for a few reasons.

The front speakers could potentially mount in the doors or the kick panels (and probably some other places I didn't consider). I eliminated the doors for a few reasons: the speakers could potentially get wet, the space is quite constrained and it would take quite a bit of surgery to fit the speakers, and lastly I'd have more wires to run to the doors. Mounting the speakers in the kick panels eliminates these problems, although it brings up some of it's own. As can be seen in the following pictures, the kick panels have quite a bit of space available, although the foot-operated parking brake precludes the speaker and/or grill from extending beyond the kick panel. In addition, there's not lot of space in the passenger foot well, so it's better to keep the speaker inside the kick panel, rather than mounted on the surface and extending into the foot well.

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Thus, the front speakers are going to be mounted to the aluminum substructure behind the kick panels, and the panels will be either drilled with holes or cut and grill cloth applied, based on the interior guys preference. The substructure locations were drawn on the kick panels to ensure the speaker holes didn't create another problem. It didn't, and the speaker mount panel template was made. It turns out that the same template flipped worked for both sides. With this, the plates were made, holes drilled and plates mounted.

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The speakers were test fit, and all's well, LOL.

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Front speaker mounts are finished, time to move on to the rear speakers and subwoofer.

Belair-o
08-16-2022, 08:22 AM
Hi Richard,
Very nice engineering and fabrication!
Regards, Doug

BamaNomad
08-16-2022, 08:56 AM
Looks good Richard~ What cha working on today? :)

TrifiveRichard
08-16-2022, 02:06 PM
Appreciate the comments guys. I’m currently working on mounting the rear speakers. I have the box for one completed and the speaker is mounted, working on the second one. I’ll post an update when I get the second one done.

TrifiveRichard
08-19-2022, 01:10 PM
As I've indicated in prior posts, there just isn't much room for items the factory didn't design in. This applies to installing rear speakers, too. I considered the doors, the center divider/glove box, the divider behind the seats, and the rear area with the convertible top. There was no reasonable way to mount the 5x7 rear speakers. After considering these, I went to the trunk. As it turns out, there is room on the outside of the trunk hinges. The speakers can't be mounted against the fiberglass though, because it's not flat in this area. But, a bracket works just fine, so I fabricated a couple sheet metal mounts.

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The speakers are 5x7 inch Polk, marine-certified, 100 watts RMS. It's unlikely the speakers will get wet, but they will be open to the convertible top area that could get wet, so marine rating was an insurance policy.

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This completes the front/rear speakers mounting. Next is the subwoofer...

BamaNomad
08-19-2022, 06:16 PM
Richard, your brackets are fine looking.. but are you going to cut holes in the fiberglass to 'let the sound out'?? :) OR ??
Will you be at your shop tomorrow? I sent you an email.. I'd like to come over and discuss one of my problems with yuo?

Gary

TrifiveRichard
08-20-2022, 05:43 AM
Yes, I’m not sure yet whether I’ll cut holes and use a grill, or whether I’ll just drill holes.

I’ll be at the shop all day Saturday, stop by.

TrifiveRichard
09-01-2022, 03:12 PM
Been working up front lately, making sure the air coming thru the grill opening goes thru the condenser and radiator. The major problem is below the grill and in front of the radiator support.

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The first air dam made seals off the area between the body below the grill and the radiator support, which is the major open area. It mounts to the bottom of the radiator support and has a rubber seal against the lower body panel. The seal will be bonded to the sheetmetal dam after final paint.

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There's another opening below the condenser/radiator and the radiator support where incoming air can bypass. A small air dam was made that attaches to the u-channel support of the condenser. An aluminum bracket was made, bolts to the u-channel and the sheetmetal dam.

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The next bypass was the 4" hole in the passenger side of the radiator support. This hole connected the air duct to the factory heater box. Given we're using a Vintage Air heat/air unit, the hole is unused. This was an easy sheetmetal cover fix. The last area to be worked now was caused by the having cross-support rods in front of the radiator. With this, the condenser can't be mounted against the radiator core. There was an option to cut the rods out, but I really didn't want to go that route.

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In order to ensure the air going thru the condenser goes thru the radiator, another air dam was made, along the lines of the bottom condenser seal.

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With these completed, the only remaining area is above the radiator. This will wait until the body is off the frame again, so the hood can be closed and the gap assessed.

While working on the frontend, I decided to mount the horns. The units are aftermarket 69 Camaro horns, somewhat smaller that the originals, of which I only have one anyway. In order to keep from drilling more holes in the fiberglass, a mount was made to use one of the condenser mounting holes. This places them mostly above the grill opening, providing a solid mount.

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This pretty much completes the work with the body on the chassis. Next is to remove the body and place it on the rotisserie. This time the body needed to be lifted a small amount to allow for painting the underside of the body where the ladder frame is close. 1 1/2" blocks were machined and bolted to the ladder frame to provide a solid mount, allowing the body to be rotated on the rotisserie 90 degrees.

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Plans are to put the body on the rotisserie tomorrow, with Gary's help. At that point we'll be working towards final paint.

BamaNomad
09-01-2022, 08:47 PM
I'll see you in the Morning Richard!~ :)

busterwivell
09-02-2022, 04:23 AM
I'm sooo jealous! I can't even imagine engineering like this!

TrifiveRichard
09-02-2022, 03:58 PM
One can do a fair amount with a mill, lathe, mig welder, and a little work. I appreciate your interest following the build, thanks Bill.

markm
09-02-2022, 07:02 PM
I have a #4 Morse Taper drill press that weighs a much a a mill and a 15X54 Lathe but unfortunately never learned to use a mill. This project is looking good.

TrifiveRichard
09-02-2022, 07:32 PM
Thanks Mark. The manual mill is pretty easy to use. I have an older Bridgeport mill, circa 1981. It was refurbished around 2004, and still holds tolerances less than 2 thousandths.

BamaNomad
09-03-2022, 08:15 AM
Richard didn't say anything about what we did yesterday, but I was over there in his shop most of the day helping him remove the '59 Corvette body from the updated/custom chassis and then bolting it onto the 'frame' he made for his corvette to fit on his rotisserie. I think this is either the 3rd or 4th time we've moved this body from one frame to another:
1) From original frame to the Corvette Corrections custom chassis...
2) From the custom chassis to ?? (i'm not remembering what we put it on that time).. :)
3) From that back to the custom chassis for glasswork and other body mods?
4) From the custom chassis back to his rotisserie.. (yesterday)...

And I'm thinking I may have missed one or more changes... :) because he also has a rolling cart that I think we had it on at one time? :) My memory is getting old.. like my body! :)

TrifiveRichard
09-03-2022, 02:52 PM
Yesterday Gary and I transferred the body from the chassis to the ladder frame for what should be the last time. We have a number of odds and ends to take care of, then final high build priming/blocking, then paint the underside, both sides of the inner fenders, and area in front of the radiator. At that point, we plan to put it back on the chassis for the last time, also.

We unbolted the body from the frame and picked it up using 2x6's under the rockers. Then moved the chassis out, and moved the ladder frame under the body. (That's Gary in the background admiring our progress!). Then we lowered the body, using plumb bobbs at a few holes. We stopped lowering the body about 6" above the ladder frame, then dropping longer bolts thru the mounting holes in the body. Longer ones were required since we've added the 1 1/2" spacers.

We got all but the inside 2 bolts in place, and this is where it got interesting. I had to get on a ladder, step on the lift arm, open the door, and step inside the body to place the last two. That worked fine, then I stepped back on the lift arm and pushed the door to close, it didn't, so I pushed a little harder (I'm sure you know where this is going by now!). Yes, I pushed the body off the board and onto the ladder frame. It wes a dumb stunt, and I clearly wasn't thinking. The good news is the ladder frame was close enough to the body that there was no damage. We got a bottle jack, a cart to place it on, and some boards and got the body on the ladder frame. I was very lucky no damage was done!

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The body is now back in the body shop area to finish up the remaining paint prep work, and it looks like the 1 1/2" stand offs are about right.

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Making progress a little at a time...

BamaNomad
09-03-2022, 08:42 PM
I wasn't gonna rat on Richard for his 'unthinking' boo boo... and I'm surprised he admitted to it! :)

WagonCrazy
09-04-2022, 01:54 PM
Couple a knucka-heads you two are! :p
Glad to see the progress and that it didn't set you back a few steps.
Onward! lets see some color on that body soon.

TrifiveRichard
09-04-2022, 03:29 PM
Mistakes help keep one from getting a fat head, Paul! As long as there aren’t too many. LOL

WagonCrazy
10-15-2022, 02:35 PM
Been 5 weeks since you posted a progress report on my (ahem...I mean Sue's) corvette restomod. :p Are you in "paint jail" yet?

schovil69
10-16-2022, 09:59 AM
I just read this entire thread and have a strong feeling of gratitude for the men doing this work and taking the time to share it in this format. I see some ideas and have learned a thing or two about the C1 'Vette that will be considered further for my own '62.

Keep working, gentleman!

TrifiveRichard
10-16-2022, 03:05 PM
First, glad you find the thread interesting/useful, schovil69. Second, Paul, things have slowed down some (on your Corvette?, LOL). My buddy, Trey, is the painter and he has a personal problem to deal with currently. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer and we will be able to get some paint on the Corvette.

We do have a spray out of the body colors, I wanted to make sure Sue was happy with the colors she picked out. The pearl white is for the coves and the orange is for the main body, and she says paint it!

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I have been finishing up a few odds and ends before painting. Earlier, I had to cut a piece out of the inner fender to clear the hydra boost accumulator. I took some time and sealed up the inner fender. For the mold, I used a piece of 2 1/2" exhaust pipe, cut longways and welded up at the ends. Car paste wax was used as a mold release for the fabricated fiberglass piece.

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The new piece was fiberglassed in place from the wheel-side of the inner fender. Then, the engine-side of the inner fender was finished off with filler. The end result is the hydra boost accumulator fits nicely and clears the inner fender.

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Another item related to the hydra boost installation is we decided to use a wedge spacer at the firewall to change the angle of the hydra boost/master cylinder assembly. This dropped the master cylinder down enough to allow the top to be removed without changes to the top of the fender. It also is low enough so mods to the hood aren't needed.

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WagonCrazy
10-17-2022, 11:32 AM
Well thought out and well executed Richard! I like it...

TrifiveRichard
10-17-2022, 05:33 PM
Appreciate the comments, Paul. Took the tires and rims down today to be mounted and balanced. I’ll post a picture when I get ‘em back.

TrifiveRichard
10-26-2022, 06:38 PM
Yesterday we got the last hi-build primer on the body. We still have the doors, deck lid, trunk lid, and hood to do. This will be the last block sanding on the body, after this we'll spray a coat and water sand. . Then it's color time!

We used SPI Turbo High Build Primer, and the it tacks up quickly, even at 70 degrees. The literature says 5 minutes and you can re-coat, and its about right, which creates its own issues with painting sequence to ensure it blends with the prior-sprayed panels before they tack up.

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In addition, Sue and I picked up the tires today after mounting. She selected the rims and we put Pirelli P7s on them. Run Flat tires were chosen with tire pressure monitoring sensors, since there will be no spare in the car. The fronts are 245/45X18 and the rear are 255/45x18, just a little wider/taller.

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Belair-o
10-27-2022, 09:36 AM
Nice! That body is smooooth!

TrifiveRichard
11-18-2022, 11:19 AM
We have blocked the 3 coats of hi-build on the body and just shot it with one more coat of primer. This will be water sanded with 400 grit in prep for color. The body pictures don't look much different than the previous, but it blocked out nicely and is smoother yet, Doug. We also took this time and Gary and I marked and drilled the holes for the side stainless trim on both sides.

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In addition, we got 3 coats of hi-build on the doors, and hood, trunk, and deck lids. We are in the process of block sanding them now, then the final primer coat prior to water sanding.

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Next on the body, we'll cover what we just primed, and paint the underside/inside areas that won't be body color. We'll epoxy coat these areas and then spray a couple coats of satin black single stage black to finish them off. Then it's finally time for color: water sanding first, then painting the jambs, then sanding off the overspray, then mounting the body to the frame, and then mounting doors, hood, trunk and deck lids. Then, finally spray body color! We obviously still have some work to do before painting color!

BamaNomad
11-18-2022, 07:49 PM
It's looking good Richard~ and it's nice that you're making progress in spite of all this colder weather we're having this week...

WagonCrazy
11-20-2022, 02:29 PM
Looking good. Can't wait to see the color on it.

TrifiveRichard
11-21-2022, 05:39 AM
I’m with you, Paul. It seams like it is twice the work on this fiberglass car than on a normal steel car. We’ve done four body offs on steel cars prior, and I don’t think any took this much prep work.

TrifiveRichard
12-01-2022, 01:32 PM
Underside, we sprayed 2 coats of SPI epoxy last Tuesday and followed up today with 2 coats of Eastwood satin black urethane (60% gloss). This is the final paint on everything that will not be body colors (orange body or white coves).

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In addition to painting the underside, we also covered the trunk, interior, and gas tank area. I don't care for working on bare metal, or fiberglass in this case, so these areas were covered, too. This also provides additional protection.

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Tomorrow, we'll strip the plastic and tape off the body, in prep for water sanding. We're not quite done with hi build primer yet though, since we still have the doors, hood, deck and trunk lids to spray an additional 2 coats on. We have blocked most of these items getting ready, but still have some to block. With any luck we'll get that done and sprayed next Tuesday. At that point, it's water sand everything in prep for painting the jambs.

We're getting closer to final paint on the car...

WagonCrazy
12-01-2022, 04:31 PM
good progress. Its all in the prep. You get that right and the final spray of color will come out gorgeous.

55 Rescue Dog
12-01-2022, 04:52 PM
SPI epoxy primer is awesome! I have got many compliments of the "paint job" on my car, and then having to confess it's just primer. Just ordered another quart today for my NOS 55 front fenders I'm going to use and match the rest of the car a bit.13044

TrifiveRichard
12-02-2022, 05:35 AM
Yes, the SPI primer goes on well and has a nice finish, as well as being UV resistant. It provides a good base, although it’s fairly thin. I like the Eastwood satin black over it.

TrifiveRichard
12-02-2022, 05:38 AM
good progress. Its all in the prep. You get that right and the final spray of color will come out gorgeous.

yes, prep is the key, I agree Paul. Especially with old fiberglass, I’ve never see so many cracks! Lol

chevynut
12-02-2022, 09:46 AM
Yes, the SPI primer goes on well and has a nice finish, as well as being UV resistant. It provides a good base, although it’s fairly thin. I like the Eastwood satin black over it.

I have had some problems with SPI epoxy and for some reason it tends to fisheye for me. I know there's a 30 minute induction period and I do that. If I spray it on too thick it fisheyes so I have to spray lighter coats. I really like the way it sands though.

My painter has been doing high-end cars for decades and I wish I'd known him when I prepped my Nomad. He's painted old Maseratis and Ferraris and when he painted my car he had a GM concept car in his shop for a GM executive. He uses ONE product called Clausen All-You-Need (literally). It's a waterproof, zinc-enriched polyester high build primer. He does the metalwork and filling, then puts heavy coats of AYN on it and blocks it. If he hits bare metal it's no problem, he just adds another coat. Once he gets it all smooth, he shoots sealer and paint. That's it. He said in all the years he's used it he's never had a problem. It sure beats the epoxy/high build/urethane primer bullshit that I did. Every time I accidentally went to bare metal I sprayed epoxy again....maybe I was too anal, but it was a pain in the ass. I think SPI epoxy could be used the same way but it doesn't build as much so it would take more coats. In fact, I used it that way on some of my parts that had small imperfections. SPI is nice stuff and I'll likely use it again.

55 Rescue Dog
12-02-2022, 11:46 AM
Haven't tried it, but SPI makes a high-build primer and lots of other stuff I will try someday.

TrifiveRichard
12-03-2022, 05:45 AM
The SPI epoxy went on the bare fiberglass with no fish eyes. This last coat of epoxy on top of the polyester primer did fish eye a little. I’m guessing the smooth surface made the difference. We used the Evercoat hi build polyester primer. It builds and sands well. It does make a mess of the paint booth, though. I had to clean the walls and floor, as well as replace the exhaust filters. It’s thick and we used a 2.5 mm tip, so we had quite a bit of overspray.

TrifiveRichard
12-04-2022, 03:30 PM
We are not using the factory instrument cluster bezel. We are using a fiberglass one that the interior shop fabricates for the 58 and on C1 corvettes. It removes the tach from in front of the speedo (red bezel below), making room for a tilt steering column with the 15 inch steering wheel (black bezel below).

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The interior shop has worked with Dakota Digital to make gauges for the bezel. They incorporate the speedo and tack into the top area, and maintain the individual gauges in stock location. The fiberglass holes for the individual gauges are not cut out in the supplied bezel. So, that was the first job, both cutting out the holes, fitting the gauge pairs, and securing the gauge pairs. The gauges are 2 1/16" in diameter, so a 2" hole saw was used, then trimmed from there. In addition to the holes, the back side needed to be clearanced and leveled for the gauges to seat. Then, standoffs were made and epoxied in place to hold the gauges down. We have not received the speedo/tack chrome ring yet, so that will be mounted later. In the picture below, it's just set in place.

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The next thing we had to do is remove a block off panel from the bezel. It can be seen in the picture above, lower left below the Individual gauge line. The interior shop removed the factory hood hold downs and t-handle. They fabricated a different arrangement, using an electric release/button, thus clearing the area where the t-handle was. The block off was for aesthetics, blocking the view in that area under the dash. We are still using the factory hood release mechanisms and t-handle, so we need the area open. The block off panel was cut off and the area finished off similar to the factory bezel. There's still a little finish work left, but close enough for now.

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That completes the current bezel modifications. We still have to fit and mount the speedo/tach, as well as fit and modify the bezel for the switches.

TrifiveRichard
12-04-2022, 05:39 PM
SPI epoxy primer is awesome! I have got many compliments of the "paint job" on my car, and then having to confess it's just primer. Just ordered another quart today for my NOS 55 front fenders I'm going to use and match the rest of the car a bit.13044

Nice looking fenders RD. Where’d you pick up NOS fenders?

55 Rescue Dog
12-05-2022, 07:16 AM
They popped up in a local Craigslist ad about 30 miles away for $2000. The guy bought them in 1970 at $125 ea. for his Nomad but never used them. They were stored in his house in the original boxes. they are at the body shop right now getting sprayed with SPI.
Your Corvette is coming together nicely!
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TrifiveRichard
12-05-2022, 10:58 AM
Thanks, quite a find RD

55 Rescue Dog
12-05-2022, 03:03 PM
Thanks, quite a find RD
Surprisingly they still need quite bit of filler, and the spot-welded seams. I think a lot of cast-off production parts got sent to the parts division.
In the meantime, keep everyone updated on your over the top Vette.

markm
12-05-2022, 04:59 PM
I bought a new GM fender for my 74 Z28 in the mid 80s it fit like a saddle on a sow. I think you are right about rejects sold as service parts.

TrifiveRichard
12-05-2022, 05:36 PM
Sounds like NOS sheet metal is a bit rough! LOL

BamaNomad
12-05-2022, 08:45 PM
Yes, it can be.. but never will be as poor as reproduction sheet metal... :)

markm
12-06-2022, 08:48 AM
I depends on the application the best fitting replacement I ever installed was a aftermarket one for a 2005 Impala, not one shim and perfect lines. My new doors on my 55 were decent fitting also, I have seen the opposite result many times.

TrifiveRichard
12-14-2022, 02:29 PM
Been working lately on finishing off some items that are easier accomplished with the body off the chassis. A while back, we purchased a set of billet valve/coil covers from Scotts Hot Rods & Customs, located in Knotsville, TN. They are fully machined two-part covers and are pretty nice IMO. The first piece covers the valves/rockers, and mounts the individual coils. The second part covers the coils and mates with the first part.

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The factory valve covers needed to be removed and the coils set aside. In addition, the gasket/seal was removed and is reused on the new cover, given it's on a new motor and is rubber.

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The new valve cover was bolted on, using the factory bolts. Then the coils were mounted, using bolts supplied with the new covers. Then the coil covers were bolted on with new bolts.

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This completed the drivers side, then the passenger side was done, the "corvette" wings were re-installed, and done for now.

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As seems typical, there is one last item to finish up later. The valve cover is tapped for a 1/4" pipe fitting that is part of the PCV system and vents the head/valley. It requires a 90 degree fitting (#6 AN/1/4"pipe) that has to be ordered. This exits the new covers at the seam/top. The PCV lines have yet to be run.

BamaNomad
12-14-2022, 02:43 PM
That change (to hide the coil paks) looks pretty good Richard, but it would look even better if they had mimic'ed the '59 Corvette Valve Cover with their top coil pak cover...

Isn't it something the expense/trouble we go to in trying to hide the ugly from LS engines? :) the plastic covers I bought a few years ago was a bit over $120? ...and that two-part machine aluminum one looks VERY expensive... and I still think having the coil paks buried inside all that metal (even though it's aluminum) could tend to cause overheating of the coil paks??

Did you get the high build sanded on the body so you could spray a final 'wet sandable' prime coat yesterday?t

chevynut
12-14-2022, 05:20 PM
and I still think having the coil paks buried inside all that metal (even though it's aluminum) could tend to cause overheating of the coil paks??

I'm pretty sure a typical single coil takes around a 20A fuse which would be a maximum of 260W or so. Divide that by 8 cylinders for individual coils and you get around 30W per coil which is not very much power.

BamaNomad
12-14-2022, 06:00 PM
I'm pretty sure a typical single coil takes around a 20A fuse which would be a maximum of 260W or so. Divide that by 8 cylinders for individual coils and you get around 30W per coil which is not very much power.

I agree that a single coil doesn't generate much heat, BUT... take 8 of them and put them inside a closed up metal container, and put that container on top of a heat generating engine and I'd be afraid the heat would build up INSIDE the valve (coil) cover with not fresh air to take it away. It would be similar to installing eight 30W bulbs inside those covers on an operating engine... IMO ... it needs a fresh air source to help take the hot air away and prevent heat buildup inside those covers.

PS. I don't really believe the 30 watts needed per coil will be expended as heat from the coil, since the majority of the energy is used for the injector to 'squirt fuel', but there will be 'some' residual heat from each pulse of the coil.. I haven't been able to ascertain an precise number for that as yet, but still believe without an 'air source' heat buildup can become a problem.

TrifiveRichard
12-14-2022, 06:28 PM
I’m not concerned with coils getting too hot. If we were running “road Atlanta” in the heat, we’ll maybe. This is a pleasure/road car at best, and the coil covers are vented at the coil wire holes and the control wire holes. The coils will be close to engine temperature. Let’s talk about something else.

I feel the same way about this continuing discussion on old school engines and LS/LT. I like old school for what they are/were. If the car is a restoration all the way, then great go old school. If the car is a restomod, go LS/LT. I like the LS/LT engines for what they are, and they are head and shoulders better than the best old ones: typically they idle well, they have better gas mileage, don’t leak oil, the don’t need new plugs every few months, they don’t have a carb or choke to be adjusted often, and they make great power.

let’s stop the BS.

chevynut
12-14-2022, 08:00 PM
I agree that a single coil doesn't generate much heat, BUT... take 8 of them and put them inside a closed up metal container, and put that container on top of a heat generating engine and I'd be afraid the heat would build up INSIDE the valve (coil) cover with not fresh air to take it away. It would be similar to installing eight 30W bulbs inside those covers on an operating engine... IMO ... it needs a fresh air source to help take the hot air away and prevent heat buildup inside those covers.

If that was going to be a problem, I doubt GM would have attached the coils to a hot valve cover. The valve cover is also a heat sink, even if it's a hot one around 220-250 degrees. You don't need air to transfer heat, there is also conduction and radiation heat transfer. If the coil temperature is greater than the valve cover temperature, you will get heat flow to the valve cover. Spreading the heat transfer across 8 coils also helps. Also, what's going to fail? The coil would have to get hot enough to melt or somehow degrade the insulation between the windings. I'll bet a coil can withstand a few hundred degrees before it fails. I wouldn't worry about it.


PS. I don't really believe the 30 watts needed per coil will be expended as heat from the coil, since the majority of the energy is used for the injector to 'squirt fuel', but there will be 'some' residual heat from each pulse of the coil.. I haven't been able to ascertain an precise number for that as yet, but still believe without an 'air source' heat buildup can become a problem.

The coil doesn't fire the injectors, but you knew that. :cool: Also, I doubt the power dissipated is actually as high as 30W per coil. I just used the fuse size as kind of an upper limit for the sake of discussion. It's probably quite a bit less in practice.

TrifiveRichard
12-18-2022, 05:19 PM
Took some time and worked on the bezel, making the changes necessary to mount the switches. Holes were not punched in the custom bezel for the various switches, including the lights, wipers, ignition and lighter. The cigarette lighter is being replaced with a USB port. The others will mount the factory switches.

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The factory bezel is 1/8" thick aluminum, the custom bezel is roughly 1/4" thick fiberglass. The outside mounting surface is a smooth gel coated fiberglass, but the inside is unfinished and uneven. Work started on the lights and wipers switches side. The bezel was setup on the mill and the inside was milled close to 1/8". Based on measurements from the factory bezel, holes were drilled locating the two switches, then a 3/4” hole saw was used to make the holes. It'd be nice if this was all it took to mount the switches, but it wasn't (what a surprise). The factory bezel has a recessed shoulder with a locating groove to align the escutcheon. A single piece of aluminum was milled to provide this for both switches. This will be epoxied to the bezel. Two locating holes were drilled in the fiberglass to temporilary locate block and #10 holes drilled and tapped in the block to provide the clamping force for the epoxy. The holes will be glassed up later.

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Next was to locate and punch the holes for the ignition switch and the dual USB outlet. The ignition switch pad needed to be milled to roughly 1/8" so the escutcheon and nut will fit. In addition, two locating cuts needed to be made to the 1" hole to locate the ignition switched escutcheon. The USB port is threaded on the backside, the full length, so the pad just needed to be fairly flat (again, it couldn't be just this easy). The hole for the USB was cut at 1", and had to be opened to 1 1/4" on top and bottom. The sides remained a 1" to hold the USB port from rotating. (note: picture below doesn't show this mod made yet).

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At this point, the mods are made, just need to epoxy the aluminum block on the bezel. This finishes the second set of mods, The last will be done after we receive the trim for the speedo/tach.

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Belair-o
12-19-2022, 09:27 AM
Hi Richard,
Looking good! Was wondering about the screw heads (?) between the Lights and Wiper switches?
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Regards, Doug

TrifiveRichard
12-19-2022, 02:19 PM
Hey Doug, Those are temporary. I will epoxy the aluminum block to the back of the bezel and the bolts will hold everything in place until the epoxy sets. Then, I’ll remove the bolts and glass the holes, and they will be gone!

chevynut
12-19-2022, 03:00 PM
That new cluster looks great Richard. Nice work. Can't wait to see it all painted and assembled.

TrifiveRichard
12-19-2022, 04:38 PM
Thanks Laszlo, we’re getting close to paint. The body needs to be water sanded, then paint. The doors, hood, trunk and deck lid need a final coat of hi build, then it’s ready to water sand. Hopefully, we’ll get the hi build on tomorrow.

Belair-o
12-20-2022, 08:01 AM
Hey Doug, Those are temporary. I will epoxy the aluminum block to the back of the bezel and the bolts will hold everything in place until the epoxy sets. Then, I’ll remove the bolts and glass the holes, and they will be gone!

Richard,
Ah, I see.
Thanks, Doug

TrifiveRichard
12-20-2022, 03:02 PM
Sprayed last of the panels today, including the doors, hood, trunk and deck lids, and some misc parts. Next will be to water sand the body and panel jambs, then spray base/clear coat. We are near actual body color!

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We're headed to CO for Christmas, so it'll be after new year before we make any more progress. Hope all have a good Christmas!

chevynut
12-20-2022, 04:15 PM
Cool Richard, I'm amazed at how much progress you've made in just a little over a year, even with some help. That would take me 5 years to do. LOL! Nice work.

Have fun in Granby!!

WagonCrazy
12-20-2022, 05:18 PM
Safe travels Richard and happy holidays with your family. We'll all sit tight and watch your restomod corvette for ya while your gone.:p Lock up that garage!

TrifiveRichard
12-21-2022, 05:58 AM
Cool Richard, I'm amazed at how much progress you've made in just a little over a year, even with some help. That would take me 5 years to do. LOL! Nice work.

Have fun in Granby!!

thanks Laszlo. I don’t think I have as many irons in the fire as you do, and I just keep at it! Lol

TrifiveRichard
12-21-2022, 06:00 AM
Safe travels Richard and happy holidays with your family. We'll all sit tight and watch your restomod corvette for ya while your gone.:p Lock up that garage!

Thanks, Paul, same you and your family. We’ll get back at it after the holidays!

TrifiveRichard
12-22-2022, 12:49 PM
Turns out there are two mods required using the new valve/coil covers. The PCV lines were previously identified, but the dipstick tube mount is also different.

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The factory valve cover casting has a boss for the tube mounting tab, but the billet covers don't. So, with a little bit of aluminum and mill time, a bracket was machined. The bracket mounts to the nearest value cover bolt and provides the boss for the dipstick tube. One more detail done.

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55 Rescue Dog
12-22-2022, 03:20 PM
Looks great! I would love to put some covers on my LS sometime after I get my car further along and I can't see the engine while driving it anyway, but it still bugs me.

TrifiveRichard
12-22-2022, 03:52 PM
Looks great! I would love to put some covers on my LS sometime after I get my car further along and I can't see the engine while driving it anyway, but it still bugs me.

there are a number of styles available, RD. Choose yours!

chevynut
12-23-2022, 10:27 AM
Hate to say it but those exhaust manifold covers look like someone made them with a hammer :eek:. Surprised GM didn't do a better job of forming them..... I guess they work though. :p
Are you planning to put headers on it?

TrifiveRichard
12-23-2022, 12:53 PM
Agree, they aren’t the best looking. I do plan on using them though, given I’ve mounted the ecu and fuel pomp controller to the engine side of the firewall. I don’t want to take a chance on a heat problem.

55 Rescue Dog
12-23-2022, 04:14 PM
Once you get past how they look, I think the beauty is that they are actually functional as designed to keep the heat in the exhaust Plus they hide the rusty manifolds on daily drivers. Form follows function is what engineering is about I thought, and how pretty is second on the list.
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TrifiveRichard
12-24-2022, 07:24 AM
For the corvette, keeping exhaust heat out is important to me. Maintainability is also right up there with functionality, often times, updates are needed, as most designs aren’t 100% the first release.

TrifiveRichard
12-29-2022, 02:45 PM
Continuing to work off items before the body goes on for the last time, in this case the H-pipe mount.

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The bracket is made from 16 gauge steel and 3 exhaust clamps. The two 2 1/2" clamps hold the H-pipe. The 3" clamp mounts to the rear trans tail shaft, and the plate opposite end mounts to the transmission side of the rear trans mount. The exhaust pipes and mufflers aren't final, but used for fitting purposes. The exhaust system will be stainless steel. I haven't yet decided how the rear pipes will be run (over or under the center section).

The mounting approach anchors the exhaust solid to the trans, just ahead of the mufflers. As the engine/trans torques, the exhaust H-pipe will move with it, so the solid mount won't put stress on the pipes. It also reduces the potential for pipe rattles significantly. I first saw this approach on a 1970 Corvette I owned, and have used it on 5 other vehicles since. It really works well.

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Prior to the H-pipe mod, a change was made in mounting the trans crossmember to the chassis. The trans crossmember came with the chassis. There are three items that were changed. First, the crossmember was too short, resulting in the mounting holes in the frame angle iron close to the inside edge. Second, the ends were open, not boxed or supported, so the bolts would crush the crossmember end. Third, the motor angle was a little steeper than the rearend (ref. the frame). These items were addressed as seen in the pictures: a plug was inserted in the crossmember ends, and a mount was made that raised the trans a bit, and it also bolted to the crossmember in the narrower holes, while providing centered holes to bolt to the frame angle iron.

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On to the next items...

markm
12-30-2022, 07:39 AM
Very interesting trannie mounted exhaust I will remember that one.

TrifiveRichard
01-02-2023, 02:10 PM
Weather was good today, into the 70s, so we gathered up most of the parts that were made over the last few months and shot them with SPI epoxy primer. The plan is to apply satin black urethane to the 29 parts this Friday. This will finish the paint work on the majority of non-body color parts.

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The plan for next week is to water sand the door jambs, the deck lip, the trunk lip, the hood lip, and the firewall/inner fenders. With any luck, we'll have the body taped off and in the paint booth by that Friday. At that point, we're ready to put color/clear on these areas, just need reasonable weather for spraying.

WagonCrazy
01-02-2023, 04:46 PM
You're gettin' close, and we're all gettin' excited to see some color on this vette. 8-)

55 Rescue Dog
01-02-2023, 04:48 PM
My car is only covered in SPI epoxy primer and gets compliments all the time. It might just stay that way and just get sanded and repeat down the road as needed, which I've been doing a piece at a time. It doesn't cost much at all, which is even better.

TrifiveRichard
01-02-2023, 06:07 PM
You're gettin' close, and we're all gettin' excited to see some color on this vette. 8-)

keep your fingers crossed that we keep decent weather, Paul.

TrifiveRichard
01-02-2023, 06:10 PM
My car is only covered in SPI epoxy primer and gets compliments all the time. It might just stay that way and just get sanded and repeat down the road as needed, which I've been doing a piece at a time. It doesn't cost much at all, which is even better.

the 55 looks good that way, RD. I don’t think I could get away with leaving the Corvette in epoxy, LOL. Sue has her mind made up on the color!

TrifiveRichard
01-06-2023, 03:51 PM
The parts epoxy premiered earlier this week are now in final color, satin black. These parts include the splash aprons, bracket for the overflow tank, cold air filter box, and radiator air dam parts, among others. Also decided to paint the motor top cover the same satin black, and added it to the stack. There are still a few more parts going black, but this is the majority. Still planning on water sanding the body jambs next week in preparation for color.

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In addition to painting, worked this week on harnessing motor wiring that would be hard to get at with the body on the chassis. Condensed the motor wiring going into the interior from 4 bundles to a single 5/8" bundle with one firewall hole/grommet. Worked on separating out the fuse/relay panel wiring from the ECU wiring, making it easier to mount the fuse/relay box. Connected and routed the transmission speedo and reverse switch wiring, among others. Have the gas tank fuel pump/sender wiring to extend and route yet.

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The biggest bundle is yet to be addressed: the 3 ECU connector's wiring. The approximate 120 wire harness (shredded to 3 bundles) is too long, buy a couple feet. If it's left this way, it will have to be coiled and lay somewhere. I prefer to shorten it, but really don't want to splice all the wires to shorten everything. I'm thinking about buying new harness connectors (Molex at about $35/each), then the wires could be cut, shortened, run in separate bundles, and re-pinned into the new connectors. Haven't made up my mind yet.

chevynut
01-06-2023, 09:32 PM
I prefer to shorten it, but really don't want to splice all the wires to shorten everything. I'm thinking about buying new harness connectors (Molex at about $35/each), then the wires could be cut, shortened, run in separate bundles, and re-pinned into the new connectors. Haven't made up my mind yet.

You shouldn't need to buy the connectors, just the contacts that go into them. I shortened some wires, eliminated some, and added some to my Holley ECM. Look at Mouser.com, they have just about every connector contact in the world. You should be able to identify the correct contact by the connector body.

TrifiveRichard
01-07-2023, 05:33 AM
Thanks for the info on Mouser, Laszlo. I’m thinking about getting new connectors because it seems like it would be easier to reroute and re-harness the wires and easier to keep things straight by depopulating one connector and populating another. One connector has around 70 wires.

55 Rescue Dog
01-07-2023, 09:01 AM
My concern would be that another big connector that will also take up real estate, plus it's another failure point in the harness which would be in an unlikely place for troubleshooting, etc. Lots of low voltage circuits to add resistance to which could be hard to find. My PCM is mounted in the radio area of my car with a PSI harness that looks a lot like yours and plenty long. I found plenty of room near the top of the dash to give it a gentle loop.

chevynut
01-07-2023, 12:11 PM
I’m thinking about getting new connectors because it seems like it would be easier to reroute and re-harness the wires and easier to keep things straight by depopulating one connector and populating another. One connector has around 70 wires.

That's what cell phone cameras are for...take several good pics and start cutting and replacing wires. :D

TrifiveRichard
01-07-2023, 01:42 PM
My concern would be that another big connector that will also take up real estate, plus it's another failure point in the harness which would be in an unlikely place for troubleshooting, etc. Lots of low voltage circuits to add resistance to which could be hard to find. My PCM is mounted in the radio area of my car with a PSI harness that looks a lot like yours and plenty long. I found plenty of room near the top of the dash to give it a gentle loop.

I’m not sure we’re seeing the same picture, RD. There won’t be an additional connector in line, just another one populated to replace the existing one. The question in my mind is which approach yields the easiest way of (1) shortening the length, (2) rebundling the wires, and (3) not making a mistake. Clearly, the answer may vary by the person doing the work.

FYI, unlike your 55, the corvette ECU is mounted to the motor side firewall, on the passenger side. That’s why the run is short.

55 Rescue Dog
01-07-2023, 03:46 PM
I'm trying to understand your dilemma but missing a good picture of the connector you want to redo, and where it all has to go.

TrifiveRichard
01-07-2023, 05:48 PM
The ECU has 3 connectors, you can see them in the last picture. They are molex 34566 connectors.

chevynut
01-08-2023, 08:24 AM
The ECU has 3 connectors, you can see them in the last picture. They are molex 34566 connectors.

That's a lot of extra wire to try to stash somewhere and I agree, I'd shorten them too and I wouldn't cut and splice wires. The connector bodies aren't that expensive if you want to go that way, it's the contacts and seals that add up but in the whole scheme of things $100-150 isn't that much. It looks like the other harness with the connector with the white on it is too long as well....are you going to shorten it? It's a lot of work but it will turn out better imo.

BTW, I looked on eBay and there's a bunch of new 34566 connector bodies on sale pretty cheap ($10)....I don't know if they're the right ones. Digi-Key has them too.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203982494983?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=203982494983&targetid=1263104806006&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=9021311&poi=&campaignid=14859008593&mkgroupid=130497710760&rlsatarget=pla-1263104806006&abcId=9300678&merchantid=6368174&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6f2P7q24_AIVxJJbCh3uvAtCEAQYDCAB EgInovD_BwE

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0345661403/9351985?utm_adgroup=Connectors%2C%20Interconnects&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_Supplier_Molex_0900_Co-op&utm_term=&utm_content=Connectors%2C%20Interconnects&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6f2P7q24_AIVxJJbCh3uvAtCEAQYBCAB EgI8XvD_BwE

Why are there so many connections to the ECU? I have 3 connectors but only around 35 wires total. My system batch fires injectors 2 at a time and has a distributor, so that eliminates a bunch of wires but only 10-12. You probably have an electric throttle which adds a few, but are there that many more sensors on an LS?

55 Rescue Dog
01-08-2023, 09:26 AM
Maybe you could still find a way to reroute if it were possible to make a closed area between the frame rails or something. Messing with that many connections would be my last resort.

chevynut
01-08-2023, 11:14 AM
Messing with that many connections would be my last resort.

With the right Molex contacts and seals, good crimpers, and a little patience it's no big deal. It might be 3 hours of work but it's worth it imo. I would do that before I tried to cram all that extra wire someplace. Richard obviously takes pride in his work and wants to do it right.

TrifiveRichard
01-08-2023, 01:53 PM
I purchased 3 new connectors (different dash numbers), pins, and a professional crimping tool. They should be here sometime this coming week. I still have to determine the new harnesses length, then it’s get it done. Lol

Not sure why there are so many more wires on an gen v LT vs LS. One item that no doubt adds quite a few wires is the direct injection with the high pressure pump embedded with the motor.

chevynut
01-08-2023, 02:06 PM
Not sure why there are so many more wires on an gen v LT vs LS. One item that no doubt adds quite a few wires is the direct injection with the high pressure pump embedded with the motor.

Oh I didn't know this was a new LT, I thought it was an LS. Yeah I imagine the direct injection adds quite a bit of complexity. Mine is a simple old GEN VI BBC. :-)

TrifiveRichard
01-16-2023, 03:09 PM
The gen v LT crate motor ECU has 3 connectors, and the harness is pretty long. The ECU location chosen for the corvette (engine side, passenger side, firewall) doesn't need the length. In fact, less than half the length is needed. Rather than try and coil up 3 feet of 3 harnesses, it seemed better to just shorten everything. The ECU is pictured below, along with its harnesses.

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New connectors and pins were purchased. This way, there would always be a reference for the correct location of all pins, which should help help eliminate mistakes. It turns out the factory put dummy pins in locations not used, which also helps keep things straight. In order to get a good estimate of the length needed, the firewall section where the ECU is located was mocked up. Once this was done, a connector's wires were cut a few at a time, re-routed, shortened, re-pinned, and loaded into the new connector. After the better part of 3 days and 105 wires, the 3 new connectors were re-pinned and new harnesses are finished. There's still some work to finish up, but most is done. Roughly half the wire in the factory harnesses ended up on the floor.

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In case readers have a need to do the same, the following Molex part numbers were used in making the changes:

Connectors: 34566-0103 (Black), 34566-0203 (Gray), 34566-0303 (Blue)
Pins: 33467-0023
Crimp Tool: 63825-8400

55 Rescue Dog
01-16-2023, 03:39 PM
I am impressed, wow!

TrifiveRichard
01-17-2023, 05:52 AM
It’s really not that difficult, RD. A quality crimper is important, as well as working just a few wires at a time (2 to 4). Molex is proud of their contact crimper, it’s expensive, but it does an excellent job. The other item is being careful to not cut two wires at the same time that are the same color. There were a half dozen or so cases where identical color wires were next to each other. Other than that, it just takes time! Lol

chevynut
01-17-2023, 08:19 AM
The other item is being careful to not cut two wires at the same time that are the same color. There were a half dozen or so cases where identical color wires were next to each other. Other than that, it just takes time! Lol

That seems strange to me unless those wires were all the same function, like grounds or power. Often one contact won't carry enough current so they use multiple contacts to carry it. If they're different signals, I wonder how GM or their manufacturer kept the wires straight if they're the same color. Anyhow, I think you did the right thing by shortening it. Nice work. Did I say 3 hours? I meant 3 days. LOL! :D

TrifiveRichard
01-17-2023, 03:14 PM
Some wires were taped in groups (2 to 4 wires). I didn’t notice, but maybe the factory used these groups to keep things straight, not sure.

On another subject, we water sanded the body door jambs, trunk lip, and engine bay (including lip) with 400 grit today. With any luck, we’ll paint the jambs, etc. this Thursday. Color isn’t too far away!

TrifiveRichard
01-26-2023, 05:51 PM
We actually have color on the body, at least the jambs, behind the seats and the engine bay. We sealed the areas, then shot 4 coats of base, followed up with 3 coats of clear. The sealer is PPG K36, reduced and with some 2021 clear coat.

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The base coat is Custom Colors, Toyota H8R Hot Lava. There's quite a bit of metallic in the paint, so 4 light coats were sprayed, rather than 3 heavier coats. This keeps the metallic from clumping and sagging.

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After this, 3 coats of PPG DCU2021 clear were applied.

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The approach was taken to jamb out the body, followed by jambing the doors, hood, trunk and deck lid and gas tank cover. After this, the body will be mounted on the chassis, assembled, and remainder wet sanded/painted. This way, the outside of the body, doors, hood, trunk and deck lid will be painted at the same time. This will ensure the color and metallic in the paint is the same on all panels. With a relatively high metallic content, the final paint look is very sensitive to temperature, humidity, gun pressure and application technique. If panels are sprayed separately, you can often see a difference at the panel joints.

In addition to painting, made some progress on getting the chassis ready for the body, including plumbing the PCV ports in the valve covers and connecting the fuel line up to the motor. Still have a few more items left before the chassis is ready for the body, including running the brake line feeders front and rear, and changing out the oil pan.

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We're making progress, a little at a time.

BamaNomad
01-26-2023, 06:50 PM
Is the 'color' making Sue Smile, Richard? :)

TrifiveRichard
01-26-2023, 07:14 PM
She’s glad to see her color actually in paint on the car, but I don’t think she’s getting too excited yet…still a ways to go until she can drive it!

chevynut
01-26-2023, 09:33 PM
That "Hot Lava" was one of the colors I was looking at for my Nomad, along with about 8 other oranges. It's a nice color. I thought when I first saw the pic that it was the Corvette "Atomic Orange". I was worried about painting my car in pieces too, but my painter assured me it would all look the same. We hung the doors vertically and set up the fenders in front of the body and the tailgate hung behind it, just like if they were on the car. He sprayed everything at one time. I just noticed the "stand" for the steering shaft bearing. Is that something you added?

TrifiveRichard
01-27-2023, 06:10 AM
That would probably work for the Corvette, too, Laszlo. The only problem is my paint booth is too small to hold everything and have it paintable, especially for the Corvette where the front end and fenders aren’t detachable.

The other approach to save labor is to paint the body one day and the fenders, etc another day. We did that years ago on a metallic paint job. I can see the difference to this day. It’s subtle, but it’s different.

Yes, the steering shaft stand is added. The main reason I swapped out the factory gauge cluster bezel for a custom one was so we could put in a tilt column. This column has a much shorter shaft than the original. Given this, it required an additional u-joint, with its support.

WagonCrazy
01-27-2023, 06:37 AM
It is magnificent Richard. Stunning will be how to describe Sue's corvette when its done and on the road. Great job documenting this build for us all to drool over.