No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.

[haganml]

Update; first drink, onramp burn out.

Well well well! It's burning gas and smashing bugs! House updates had taken over my life, then it started raining here in the East Bay of California. The focus shifted back to the Corvette. Yes I have driven this very noisy fuel sucking criminally exciting Coupe.



It' on all fours! Gave the Maroon Monster it's first drink in many years $30 in fuel equals 3/4 of a tank. Will need to get a gas cap seal to fill it up.



At The local California Highway Patrol office for a VIN inspection. We are now legal to drive in the streets. Debugging the functions in the rest of the car. Controls are frozen and/or hard to operate. The battery is loose in the tray. Nailed the throttle on an on ramp to the 880 interstate, was sideways through 1st into 2nd, backed off at highway speeds. Ran up and down Niles Canyon (Highway 84) early one morning on the weekend. Nice but demanding adventure, loud and twitchy! I do have to be paying attention driving. Yes this is fun! Rolling around under 1/4 throttle is rewarding. BUT start getting on the loud pedal and it is an "E" Ticket ride! The rear tires start walking around in the corners and Law Enforcement starts to notice. I will have to quiet this animal down if I am to avoid citations. Baby needs new shoes that are a little sticker! Rear Wheel Drive is alive!




Mark.

 

[Mac]

If I didn't know better, I'd think you were excited...

Mac

 

[Toms007]

If I didn't know better, I'd think you were excited...

Mac

I believe you are right Mac.

And I can't imagine why it would be LOUD! It's got those nice chrome mufflers on it!

 

[haganml]

Hooker Headers

I believe you are right Mac.

And I can't imagine why it would be LOUD! It's got those nice chrome mufflers on it!

Yes, YES! Nice toy! The shiny chrome mufflers echoed off the canyon walls through acceleration and deceleration as I did a strafing run on the 84! I think I understand "The Attraction" a little better. My son told me "If it's too loud you are too old!"

Mark.

 

[haganml]

Meh,

If I didn't know better, I'd think you were excited...

Mac

Who Me? oot:

 

[Toms007]

Yes, YES! Nice toy! The shiny chrome mufflers echoed off the canyon walls through acceleration and deceleration as I did a strafing run on the 84! I think I understand "The Attraction" a little better. My son told me "If it's too loud you are too old!"

Mark.

I'll bet it sounded AWESOME!. I loved those sidepipes and wanted them sooooo bad on my 64, but I was just a poor kid and couldn't afford the (IIRC) $499 to buy them. :L

 

[haganml]

Inflation

I'll bet it sounded AWESOME!. I loved those sidepipes and wanted them sooooo bad on my 64, but I was just a poor kid and couldn't afford the (IIRC) $499 to buy them. :L

Those Hooker Headers are sold by the Holley Group now at a little over $2000.00. :ugh

Mark.

 

[Mac]

Those Hooker Headers are sold by the Holley Group now at a little over $2000.00. :ugh

Mark.

Pretty expensive for a couple of pieces of pipe... :eek

Mac

 

[Toms007]

I knew that they had gone up in price, but I didn't think they were that high....WOW!

 

[haganml]

I knew that they had gone up in price, but I didn't think they were that high....WOW!

The small block headers are $1,843.94. The side pipes (shiny chrome bits) $383.95. Total $2,227.89. Add oversized shipping and tax (we all have to pay our dues) and you are pushing $2,500.00. The headers I used are the ones that came with the Coupe (dented and rusty in places). I did buy the new side pipes and mufflers that go inside them. The factory style aftermarket side exhaust will cost about the same, and you won't burn your leg because it is shielded. I would like to put the exhaust under the body but that is money I do not need to spend right now. Paint and upholstery first.
Not very attractive but already paid for!

 

[haganml]

Discovery when stripping the two paint coatings.

The Coupe is in the body shop being prepped for new paint. It is no cherry, tagged on the front, rear and sides. The windshield stainless was glued to the body with some black adhesive that was a BEAR to separate. It is laying on the drivers side hood in the photos.
It is a work in progress. I have never done paint and body so I farmed it out. I will have to have the front FRP moved back to where it should be, some of the separated seams in the panels re-sealed, the radiator support re-shimmed so the the front of the hood will align with nose and the right door hinges re-bushed to hang in the door opening correctly(left door has been done by PO). Fiberglass repair the front turn signal housing and wheel openings damaged in it's previous life. The paint will be PPG two stage base/clear over sealer and high build primer. It will not be correct to the period but it will be the original Milano Maroon color (YES!). Baby needs new paint for the prom!

 

[Mac]

Any that have survived this long are almost bound to have a few battle scars... although the glued on trim is just so Bubba...

Mac

 

[haganml]

Battle against time

Yeah, lots of scars! I'm just glad to be able to pull this one out of limbo and get it back on the tarmac. Now all I have to do is finish it. I'm running a parallel project with a 1961 VW Sedan, I got it in the same condition.

 

[Tom Bryant]

It doesn't look too bad. I could tell you some real horror stories of ones I've either owned or worked on over the years. Did you know that shoe box pieces and window screen were proper body repair materials for a Corvette? Evidentally they are if plastered in with enough bondo. Also galvanized sheet metal and wood screws do a great job of patching together a '63 coupe once it's covered with 1 1/2" of bondo and a cheap blue paint job.

Tom

 

[Mac]

It doesn't look too bad. I could tell you some real horror stories of ones I've either owned or worked on over the years. Did you know that shoe box pieces and window screen were proper body repair materials for a Corvette? Evidentally they are if plastered in with enough bondo. Also galvanized sheet metal and wood screws do a great job of patching together a '63 coupe once it's covered with 1 1/2" of bondo and a cheap blue paint job.

Tom

That sounds positively awful... :ugh

I remember working on an old Dodge many moons ago and finding a galvanized patch with wood screws buried in bondo an inch deep... So ridiculous...

Mac

 

[haganml]

I remember an old VW Bus I looked at that had the nose pushed in and had at least 8 inches of body filler puttied in the dent. Looked good from the top but when you got it on a lift and looked up you could see the "repair". It was a Buyers Inspection, someone was looking to buy from a "for sale by owner" I told the guy (my customer) he didn't want to buy that Bus. The FSBO was upset. Go figure.

 

[Mac]

I remember an old VW Bus I looked at that had the nose pushed in and had at least 8 inches of body filler puttied in the dent. Looked good from the top but when you got it on a lift and looked up you could see the "repair". It was a Buyers Inspection, someone was looking to buy from a "for sale by owner" I told the guy (my customer) he didn't want to buy that Bus. The FSBO was upset. Go figure.

Of course the seller was upset! He put a lot of work... and bondo... into that sale!!

Mac

 

[haganml]

Well the Coupe is almost finished. It is now blue. I finally have the tune on the Holley correct. The cooling system is not optimal, sometime overheats. Working on getting photos down loaded.

Having issues with my Google Pixle phone downloading photos to my WINTELL computer, not with loading photos on this site.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Sounds like you have been making some good progress. Looking forward to the photos.

Tom

 

[haganml]

Okay, first we have to get the bad stuff out1