Читать книгу How to Restore Your Corvette: 1963-1967 - Chris Petris - Страница 6

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks go out to the Corvette community for working with me through the book. Sometimes things just seem to fall in place without even trying. For instance, Jerry and Scott Kohn of Corvette Central had been talking about possibly restoring a 1963 Corvette split-window coupe. The conversation took place just a few weeks before I was approached about writing this 1963-1967 restoration book. The timing was right and having an iconic 1963 split-window as the lead restoration Corvette could not have been scripted better.

Many thanks go to Jerry Kohn, Scott Kohn, and Mike Coleman at Corvette Central. Jerry spent countless hours discussing the project and helping to find the right parts. Scott kept the parts coming while Mike, Corvette Central’s shop guru, helped with many of the date-coded and stamping photos.

John Ferguson of Market Street Performance deserves a special thanks for allowing me to photograph the entire engine component machining process at his shop. The majority of the restoration took place in our shop with the exception of the bodywork and painting.

Seth Wood, owner of Lucky’s Customs, spent many hours making the 1963 look good while I took notes and photographed the process.

Many other Corvette suppliers listed in the source guide deserve credit for the fine components they provided.

Writing this book has been quite a ride from beginning to end. I was fortunate enough to have the support and help of family so this project could be completed. In the final analysis, I think I have created a unique, instructional, and immensely helpful guide for restoring a Midyear Corvette, and I hope you agree.

The project started out strong, then my wife, who has been by my side through many of my 40-plus years in the automotive industry, suffered a medical issue. Our daughters, Stacy and Stephanie, stepped in and helped us get through that rough time. I also got a dose of just how hard my wife works to keep up with everything around the business and household. I was able to write a good portion of the text while she convalesced and it made me realize just how much my family means to me. The tough part was trying to keep our Corvette restoration shop going while shuttling back and forth from writing to our business/family matters. Somehow as a family we made it. Many heartfelt thanks go to my daughters who have backed me in all the automotive endeavors I have pursued.

I would like to thank the many people who helped in the process of writing this book. My daughter Stephanie critiqued the text and photo captions as each chapter was completed, which it sorely needed. Mike Uruquart created computerized illustrations and helped in the shop as the restoration progressed. I truly appreciate the support and friendship of both Michael McKenzie and Sean Hotaling over the years. Austin Weddington, a very good friend, performed the bulk of the mechanical work and put up with me as I took hundreds of photos. I greatly appreciate Austin’s contributions and his willingness to keep working near midnight and beyond on many occasions. Andy Bolig of Auto Enthusiast magazine and Ed Hartnett of Ed Hartnett Standard Transmission Service, thank you for helping me with some of those difficult-to-find photographs; I could not have done it without you. The hard work and professionalism of so many dedicated individuals helped this book to be completed in true team spirit. I must also say many thanks to my editor Paul Johnson who worked with us through the ups and downs to make this restoration book something we could all be proud of.