|
|
|
My 1969 Corvette Project
|
|
|
|
1969, 427cid L36, 4 speed
This car looked great on the surface, but after 30 years all the suspension rubber was shot. I wanted to have some time behind the wheel, so I drove the car all summer, and began the work in the fall. Ironically, I did not get it properly tuned until near the end of the summer. Both the vacuum advance diaphragm and the damper diaphragm on the secondardies of the carb were blown. Looks like not only the suspension rubber was shot. My original intention was to have it back on the road by the next summer, but as I got into it, I realized it may take two years. People thought I was crazy to take apart a car which looked good and ran well, but I knew there was a component waiting to fail if I drove it the way I wanted to. So let the restore begin!
This was to be a body-off non-show restore, so I began disconnecting stuff based on a combination of the Assembly Instruction Manual from Corvette Central, Haynes Corvette Repair Manual, and Noland Adams' Body Lift Workbook.
Some tips before starting. Get an assortment of zip-lock bags and a permanent marker. If you are doing a show restore you will want to be very religious about bagging and labeling the parts you remove. Some wire tags work well for larger components.
November 18, 1999
|
|
First the battery was disconnected, to avoid electrical fires or damage. It is awkward getting a heavy battery out from behind the seat, so don't hurt your back. |
|
|
Next, my daughter and I removed the hood. The hood hinge mounts on one side had been repaired at least once, and did not allow the hood to sit flush with the body. This is a two-person job if you do not want to take a chance on breaking or scratching something. |
|
|
Then out came the A/C compressor, fan assembly, hoses, radiator, condenser coil, and fan shroud. The alternator was also loosened, disconnected, and pushed in toward the engine.
The shroud would not come out without taking the radiator frame out, which I wanted to stay in for support during the body lift. It was cracked, and one of the mounting ears was broken off, so I broke it out. |
|
|
Here is my daughter after she removes the fan-clutch assembly. |
November 23, 1999
|
|
The radiator was in OK shape, but since the car had a tendency to run hot when idling a lot, I think I'll replace it with aluminum, and use an electric fan as well. This is where I noticed the evidence of a previous front-end collision. There were two dents in the A/C condenser coil. The headlight actuators back up to the coil, and it looked like they had made contact with the coil at some time. |
|
|
See the dents on either side of the coil unit? I don't think it caused any serious damage, but I was beginning to doubt the seller's claims of no major accidents, "to his knowledge." What is really unfortunate, is that things do get worse from here. |
|
|
Here is another problem. The bottom of the radiator mounting frame is eaten through. I may try and fix this part, because the replacement is expensive. I may be able to pick up a used one which is in reasonable condition. |
|
|
Here is a typical example of the rubber on this car. The early stock C3 suspension had a bad enough reputation without being aggravated by cracked rubber bushings. |
| Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | ||
| Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | ||
| Page 13 |
