Читать книгу How to Restore Your Corvette: 1968-1982 - Walt Thurn - Страница 7

INTRODUCTION

The first Corvette I saw as a young boy was a white 1955 convertible. I closely followed the Corvette’s development and became an instant fan of its styling and performance. My first racing experience was at the Sebring 12-hour race. These early Corvettes were fast but faded quickly because of poor brakes. But they were loud and American made. And they made a big impact on the racing scene. I witnessed the Grand Sport leading the first lap at the 1964 Sebring race and was amazed that a Corvette could keep pace with the exotic racers from Europe.

I became acutely aware of Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov’s struggle to improve Corvette performance while working under a silly corporate performance ban laid down by GM executives. Arkus-Duntov was a fighter and he and his merry band of rebels continued adding special equipment packages to sell to dedicated Corvette racers.

Ford, meanwhile, was full-speed ahead with their “Total Performance” campaign. The Blue Oval fully supported the Ford Shelby Cobra and the Ford GT40 prototype. Arkus-Duntov kept targeting the Cobras by building bigger engines and refining the Corvette chassis. Four-wheel-disc brakes and the big-block were introduced in 1965. The C2 Corvette was a styling success with customers but had terrible aerodynamics. The Mako Shark–inspired 1968 Corvette solved many of Arkus-Duntov’s complaints. It was much more efficient aerodynamically and by 1969 the L88-powered Corvettes were the GT cars to beat.

My first C3 was a Monza-red 427 coupe that I purchased in 1969. It had the rare factory sidepipes and factory A/C, and was a head turner wherever I drove it. Arkus-Duntov’s hard work had paid off and that Corvette was as good as any sports car on the road during the time I owned it.

It was during this time I became involved with an L88 Corvette racing team in Tampa, Florida. The team campaigned a 1969 Corvette convertible that was one of four open-chambered L88s built for private race teams. This race team finished sixth overall and second in GT at the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona and tenth overall and second in GT at the 1971 12 Hours of Sebring. In 1972 they won their class at Daytona and finished fourth overall and first in GT at Sebring. This performance got them an invitation to compete at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. That Corvette, driven by Dave Heinz and Bob Johnson, was the first Corvette to be classified as a finisher since 1960.

The team disbanded in 1974 and I finally parted company with my 1969 soon after that, but the experience helped me become a lifelong fan of C3 Corvettes. I purchased another C3 in 1979 (on page 48) and had many enjoyable years with that car.

The people I have met in the Corvette industry and hobby—from all over the country and Europe—are the most valuable treasures, not the cars. I have been involved in the Corvette hobby most of my life and my close friends call me a Corvette junkie. Four generations of Corvettes have spent time in my garage and every one holds a special place in my memories. However, the C3 introduced me to the Corvette hobby and that is why I accepted the invitation to write this book.

I hope you have fun with your car. Corvettes are great to drive and a blast to work on. The Corvette hobby is not just about the car; it’s about the people who share the same passion for the car that you do. Enjoying owning your C3 includes taking it to major Corvette shows, such as Corvettes at Carlisle, the National Corvette Museum, and even local car shows. It also includes going to the Saturday night drags, autocrossing on Sunday, or driving to work during the week. Corvette ownership is all about enjoying your ride.

I had the good fortune to spend time with C3 Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov and his lead development engineer Gib Hufstader in the early 1970s. They provided our L88 team with excellent technical advice and attended races to help us through the tough spots. Their active involvement in improving the competition C3 Corvette helped turn this generation Corvette into a fast and reliable sports car.

This book focuses on giving you clear descriptions and procedural instructions for disassembling, inspecting, and then reassembling the Corvette component groups. With this book in hand, you will be able to complete the crucial restoration procedures for your car.

Chapter 1 offers a brief developmental history of the car, including the production numbers and features of each production year.

Chapter 2 provides you with some guidelines on project planning, how to choose the level of restoration you should attempt, and buying the right project car. This chapter also discusses what type of tools and equipment you need.

Chapter 3 discusses how to remove the frame and interior from your project car plus how and where to store components. A materials list for building a body dolly is also provided.

Chapter 4 gives an overview on how to repair and prepare your Corvette’s body for painting. This includes minor body repairs as well as panel replacement. The chapter discusses various methods used to strip off the old paint and correctly fill and sand body imperfections. Deciding how to paint your car is also covered. To make the best choice for your particular project, you need to decide whether you have the skills to do this work yourself or whether you should select a professional paint shop to do the work.

Chapter 5 covers how a professional paints a Corvette. You get a firsthand look at what steps are required before the car is put into the paint booth.

Chapter 6 details how to restore your Corvette frame. This includes disassembly, inspection, repair, and final finishing.

Chapter 7 explains how to reassemble your restored C3 Corvette’s frame. This includes installing the front and rear suspension and rebuilding the differential.

Chapter 8 discusses reinstalling the braking system and the brake and fuel lines back onto your C3 frame. Reassembly of the rear parking brake system is also covered.

Chapter 9 gives an overview of the various engine options that were installed into C3 Corvettes during their 14 years of production. I also discuss overhauling or replacing your engine with a Chevrolet Performance crate engine.

Chapter 10 explores the various transmissions that were available for C3 Corvettes. This includes the Muncie and BorgWarner 4-speeds and the GM Turbo Hydra-Matic 350, 400, and 700R4 automatic transmissions.

Chapter 11 discusses reinstalling and reconnecting the wiring harness and reinstalling the interior. This includes dash reassembly on 1968–1977 model years and 1978–1982 Corvettes.

Chapter 12 has you finally reuniting your refurbished body and frame.

In summary, this book is designed to give you restoration guidelines on how to buy, inspect, dismantle, refurbish, and reassemble a C3 Corvette. This book is not designed to win you awards for originality and gather awards from organizations such as the NCRS. The intent is to enable you to restore your C3 so that it is reliable, drivable, and a fun sports car to own. It is designed to give you an overview of the car you want to buy or already own. After reading this book, you should possess a greater understanding and the knowledge to restore the fabulous C3 Corvette.