Me and My Vette :D

Me goofing around

I got cool music on, and a fake shotgun in the passenger seat. Yup, I’m a spy!! (At least for the time being I think I am! :grin: ) My new scientcoolific (notice how I invented a new word) theory that if you have a cool car, and no matter what condition it’s in, you still get to sit in there and pretend to be a spy! :grin:

 

Cora’s Current Condition…

We thought we should give our readers an idea of what we’re starting with…

The Original Air-Cleaner, Valve Covers, and Side Ignition Shields are missing.

We’ll be searching for original engine components at Bloomington Gold this year.

The paint has been worn through to the Fiberglass in several spots.

The Hood and Right Front Fender are also worn through to the Fiberglass.

The Rear Cap has also worn through to the Urethane.

The seats are worn and water damaged (as is most of the carpet) and will need to be replaced.

What you can’t see from the above photos are that there is upper windshield (birdcage) rust, but the side pillars seem to be in okay condition and I’m hoping that the lower windshield triangles are okay as well (we’ll know more when we remove the windshield).  Also, the windshield is cracked on the passenger side (so it will need to be replaced).

Due to long term leaks while being stored outside, the floors have rotted (the 1976 Corvette had partial steel seat-pans), and the body mount cage (a low point on the seat-pan) also rotted out.  The rest of the frame looks good, however, so hopefully the upper windshield support, seat-pans and body mount cages will be the extent of the rust repair…we’ll see.

On the mechanical side, the transmission is slipping and leaking fluid (we plan on rebuilding the trans as part of this project), and the power-steering system is leaking and will likely need rebuilding.  There is also an oil leak from near the transmission torque converter cover which is likely due to the rear main seal on the engine (we will also be rebuilding the engine as part of this restoration).

And did I mention that the tires are dry rotted?

We certainly have our work cut out for us on this project, but we also have a plan:

  1. Pull and Rebuild the Engine and Trans
  2. Clean the Engine Bay and Rebuild the Steering Components
  3. Rebuild the Front and Rear Suspension (replacing the dry rotted rubber)
  4. Clean and Paint the Frame (while leaving the body attached)
  5. Fix/replace the Upper Windshield Support and Seatpans
  6. Reassemble Suspension and reinstall Engine and Trans
  7. Remove old paint (down to fiberglass) and then prime and repaint
  8. Replace Seats, cracked Interior Components, and Carpets
  9. Drive!

We’ll probably be a couple of years doing this, so check back often for status updates.

Welcome to Cora’s Garage

This isn’t just a blog; It’s a story, a story about a very special 1976 Corvette that has always been the jeweled item of my family. My dad bought the Corvette used and in great condition for $10,000 dollars in 1988. One of the main reasons why he bought it was he because he was going through a difficult time in his life and he needed a break from it all; A safe haven. He needed a place where he could go to just forget about the troubles his world offered and just enjoy himself.

Thankfully, his darkness didn’t last forever and in 1993, he met the most beautiful, radiant, kind, and caring woman he had ever met, her name was Barbara, (Although she is known as mom to me). Two years later, they got married in 1994. Not too long after they got married, they moved to England and lived there for three years. In these three years, they had me in March 1997. Not long after I was born, we moved to the Chicago suburbs in IL. In November of ’98, my younger brother was born.

But now back to the Corvette. The first thing that amazed me about the Corvette when I was little was the fact that I got to sit in the front seat-cause Vettes don’t have a backseat. I was the type of little kid that hated being in the backseat. I remember counting down the years til I was 12 and able to sit in the front seat.  In 2001, sadly, my small self soon had the privilige of sitting in the Vette temporarily taken away. My dad sold the Corvette. His reason for doing so was because he is a private pilot and had dreams of building a small airplane in his garage, but in order to do so, he needed garage space; Space which the Corvette took a pretty decent quantity of. He sold it to some relatives in Maryland. My mom always said that he had tears in his eyes when he saw it go away.

Over the years, he worked on his airplane, but he only has a small part of it done. It’ll be a very a long time before he finishes it. The past few years, my interest for Corvettes, (Especially the C3s), spiked. My dad and I started looking on Ebay for C3 project Corvettes (that was all we can afford) .We never really came across anything good.

Last March, my mom called my aunt (her sister) and asked how the Corvette was doing. My aunt mentioned it was for sale. I was jumping around the house being happy and all when my dad told me that he bought the Corvette back for $3000. Although I had yet to find out that the Corvette has been sitting outside and leaking for 11 years thus rendering it a project car. Some of the engine parts either went missing or were replaced with non-orignal parts. The engine runs but barely. There is a large crack in the windshield. Most of the interior is going to need to be replaced. The transmission has problems shifting. The Vette is leaking three different types of fluids, transmission fluid, oil, and power steering fluid. And I am sure we will come across many more malfunctions along the way to getting her back into excellent condition.

You are invited to come along with my family on our ride to restoring Cora (what we call our Vette.) This is a blog for Vette lovers of all ages. Me and my dad are gonna restore it and restore it right. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy coming with us on our journey! God bless! -Jackie