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.
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.
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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Last edited by TrifiveRichard; 07-21-2022 at 07:55 PM.
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
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!
I agree with you guys, will need to see if I can get it modified to 120.
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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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.
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...
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!