Читать книгу How to Restore Your Corvette: 1968-1982 - Walt Thurn - Страница 5

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing this book has been a time-consuming but fascinating opportunity to revisit my past Corvette experiences. During my lifetime Corvette journey, I have spent many hours working on my own C3 Corvettes and spent time with a successful L88 Corvette race team. I could not have completed this book without the help and support of my wife Dianne, who encouraged me along the way.

But the real hero in making this book happen is Art Dorsett, owner of Van Steel Corvette Parts and Service, which has been in operation since 1977. The idea to write this book came when he decided to restore his 1980 L48 automatic Corvette coupe. He has owned this car since 1980 and has only put a little over 40,000 miles on it. He offered the use of his car as well as customer cars that came through his shop to assemble this book. He has spent countless hours reading my material, giving me guidance and access to the day-to-day operation of his company. This included letting me photograph his technicians assembling C3 suspension parts for customers and tapping into their extensive C3 rebuilding experience.

Van Steel has an excellent industrywide reputation for quality Corvette suspension components and service. They refurbish and build all driveline components that are fitted into a C3 Corvette. They offer original-equipment-style parts as well as advanced tubular A-arms and coil-over shock systems for this generation. They offer a variety of high-quality early Corvette suspension components at reasonable prices. In addition to providing parts for C3 customers Van Steel specializes in restoring C3 Corvettes for street use. Their work covers service on the frame, suspension, body restoration, and painting for the third-generation Corvette.

Dorsett’s son Danny is president and their small and dedicated staff of employees supports the company’s daily operations. This includes business manager Paul Lesinski, lead technician Russ Hunt, and technicians Andre Diaz and Jay Johnson.

Also helping complete the book was Tackley Auto Body’s owner Mike Tackley. He gave me unlimited access to his busy shop. I made many visits during the time-consuming Corvette paint preparation process. Tackley’s painter, Tom Otto, allowed me to enter his domain (his paint booth) to photograph him painting. The rest of his staff was also very cooperative.

Ed Scoppa is the proud owner of a 1969 Corvette coupe that he is restoring in his garage. He has shared his Corvette restoration experiences and photos with me whenever I asked. He removed the body from the chassis at his home and sent the frame to Van Steel for refurbishing. Ed deserves big thanks for giving me an inside look at how a private owner is able to complete this restoration task at home. In addition, Ed connected me with his engine builder, Southern Style Racing Engines. George Pils, owner of Southern Style Racing, has been building Chevrolet racing and street engines since 1972. He allowed me to photograph the Corvette engine rebuilding process in his well-equipped shop and was patient with all of my questions.

The service team at Maher Chevrolet was always willing to provide me with technical assistance and encouragement.

Mike Circle, owner of Circle Products, is an expert at rebuilding Muncie, BorgWarner, and GM Turbo 350 and 400 transmissions. He was happy to share his extensive transmission knowledge with me.

Gear Star provided advice and photos and therefore was helpful in my endeavor to write the transmission chapter. Their knowledge on rebuilding Turbo Hydra-Matic transmissions was invaluable.

Vern Carmack, owner of Vern’s Chevy Service has been servicing Corvettes for many years. He always made himself available to answer my questions regarding C3 Corvettes.

I want to thank the many vendors who supply quality parts to the Corvette hobby that allows it to thrive. There are too many to mention here but you can find them in the Source Guide. If you need a part I am sure you will be able to locate it with one of these companies.

I also want to thank my longtime friend Bill Dudley. He is the proud owner of a 1969 red 350/350 Corvette convertible with factory air conditioning. He has owned this Corvette since 1970 and it remains in his care after all these years. He and I have spent many hours working on his car learning about Corvettes and sharing life stories. Thanks, Bill.

Finally I must mention the former R.E.D. Corvette racing team that I was with in the early 1970s. Dana and Toye English were the team owners who campaigned two L88 Corvettes (a 1968 and 1969) successfully in the United States and at Le Mans. It was during my time with this team that I met Zora Arkus-Duntov and Gib Hufstader who both provided technical support to the team. Drivers Dave Heinz and Bob Johnson, who are no longer with us, had the courage to drive the L88 at more than 200 mph on the Mulsanne straightaway at Le Mans. They were great people and great drivers. This race team experience created my passion for Corvettes and for Corvette Racing, which still burns within me today. I have the C3 to thank for fueling this fire.

This was an educational experience and I feel fortunate to have been offered the opportunity by CarTech to take you on this C3 journey. My fingers are crossed that you find this book worthwhile during the restoration of one of my favorite Corvette generations, the C3.