OUCH!, the pain in my heart...

[6 Shooter]

Their beauty can cause instant distraction regardless of their location, ...

...like this blonde hitchhiker! ​

 

[Gripey]

So sorry about the nose and glad you are OK. My C5 got a new nose job recently due to a dealership mishap. Long story.

 

[bill81vette]

:hijack

...like this blonde hitchhiker! ​

 

[6 Shooter]

TTH - It's your fault!

:hijack​

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter

 

[KANE]

...like this blonde hitchhiker! ​

In Gerry's defense... he was likely talking on his cell phone to a friend giving them really good advice- and had he not been on the phone with that friend... they would be lost in whatever they were doing.



There ya' go... a good distraction that won't you get you in trouble.

 

[GerryLP]

Six shooter is right. That TTH character loves to distract one. That image of the scantly-clad woman is probably one of his ho's.....:Lotfl

That morning that ran her nose into the front car's rear was a strange morning indeed. There was at least double the traffic that normally is found on that street at that time of the day. The same idiot that jumped in front of the lady ahead of me was the same idiot that slammed on his brakes just merely a 100 yards later. Later on I found out that around the same time, someone on a Goldwing had lost control at the intersection of Lomas and I-25, and they had shut down all the roads to allow the Lifeflight helicopter to land and haul the victim to the hospital. That action backed up the traffic in all directions a good 8 miles.

My vette suffered the damage, but the family of the Goldwing driver suffered a whole lot more on that day. So I am cool, and not complaining about what happened to my Vette.

Peter, what I meant was that the dollar in the USA does not seem to be going as far as it used to. I come out of the Supermarket witha few bags and $50 dollars lighter. :ugh

Billy , the urathane bumper may not be fixable. The painter was telling me that since the damage went up close to the front edge of the hood, that it would be difficult to match the area. I am sure that they are staking the work to be done a little, but I am sure that it has to do with the fact that the insurance would be paying for it. If I had to bear the costs, I am sure that they would have suggested me purchasing the parts and puttng them on and letting them prep and paint the surfaces.

I am waiting for the estimate from another paintshop as well. I am just trying to see how the damage is appraised by the shop that painted Gail and by another, reputable, paintshop.

GerryLP :cool

 

[22229stingray81]

Gerry,

Sorry to hear about Gail. All will turn out okay, I'm sure. Good luck!

-Tatortot

 

[Yoda]

Gerry.....

Curious minds NEED to know... How's Gails nose job coming???

Bud

 

[GerryLP]

Hey Bud!

I already bought the front bumper and retainers from Eckler's (the GM authorized replacement bumper). I am hoping to install it after I install the hood on the Acadian (today I hope), so that may park it under cover in my backyard, and have plenty of room in the garage.

I also bought a 200-4r that I need to rebuild and install on her. I hope she will be ready for the tranny before Cruise Fest, but if not, then I'll drive her with the 350C..

Great to hear from you, sir!

GerryLP:cool

 

[Yoda]

Completely OFF subject

Geekinavette (Bill) and a few others are coming to Amarillo over Memorial Weekend arrive sometime Saturday afternoon (29th) and leaving Monday morning (31st). Plan on a run down to Palo Duro Canyon and the Big Texan and not sure about anything else..

If you can make it we'd enjoy your company, and if you want to drive something other than Gail, that's ok, you can have the use of RARE while you here, Nanc and I'll will use Abby (That is ofcourse if you can drive a 4-Speed )

Bud

 

[GerryLP]

Completely OFF subject

Geekinavette (Bill) and a few others are coming to Amarillo over Memorial Weekend arrive sometime Saturday afternoon (29th) and leaving Monday morning (31st). Plan on a run down to Palo Duro Canyon and the Big Texan and not sure about anything else..

If you can make it we'd enjoy your company, and if you want to drive something other than Gail, that's ok, you can have the use of RARE while you here, Nanc and I'll will use Abby (That is ofcourse if you can drive a 4-Speed )

Bud

That would be awesome. And my birthday is the 23rd, so I could make the trip in celebration...:L

If I can get Gail all ready by then, it would make for a perfect practice run before Cruise Fest. But if not, I am sure that she would not be jealous of me driving Rare...what a treat!!!

Thank you sir for the invite!

GerryLP:cool

 

[Peer81]

Hey Bud!

I already bought the front bumper and retainers from Eckler's (the GM authorized replacement bumper). I am hoping to install it after I install the hood on the Acadian (today I hope), so that may park it under cover in my backyard, and have plenty of room in the garage.

I also bought a 200-4r that I need to rebuild and install on her. I hope she will be ready for the tranny before Cruise Fest, but if not, then I'll drive her with the 350C..

Great to hear from you, sir!

GerryLP:cool

Always interesting stuff! Don't forget to take pictures for us fans!

Greetings Peter

 

[GerryLP]

Deja Vu All Over Again...

Ok folks. Here I am in what seems deja vu....:L

I dropped off Gail yesterday at the body and paint shop (Maaco). I removed her bumper over the weekend, and prepared the underside for painting (i.e. encapsulated electrical bulb sockets in plastic).

Here she is with her cracked impact bar (waiting on replacement), and minus her cracked LH and RH grills, and RH parking light assembly.

The following image highlights some of the damage...;squint:ad

Another angle...

Another angle showing the groove (my theory is that the emblem got caught inbetween the nose panel surface and the underside of the bumper of the Rav4 I ran into...:W:ugh;squint:ad

I swung by today to drop off her new polyurethane bumper, and here are the started repairs...

She's tanning under the sun again...

Meanwhile, I am working on repairing a 200-4r transmission I purchased for her for $75 dollars + $115 dollars shipping + $200 dollars in tools (ebay) + $300 overhaul kit (from California Performance Transmissions) + $180 dollars crossmember (Bowtie Transmissions)...all to save about $100 dollars in the Cruise Fest Trip...:L

GerryLP:cool

 

[Peer81]

Hello Gerry,

Nice to see an update. Looks like they're working on your vette pretty well. I really like the way you put money down for the 200R4 to save $100 But you'll love the overdrive!
Keep us updated!

Greetings Peter

 

[larryg3]

Nice to see you have gail in the shop getting her face lift. I love charcoal vettes!!

 

[GerryLP]

Hello Gerry,

Nice to see an update. Looks like they're working on your vette pretty well. I really like the way you put money down for the 200R4 to save $100 But you'll love the overdrive!
Keep us updated!

Greetings Peter

Hey Peter,

It is called,"Reverse Economics",...:L Not like a boat owner's happiest days, though...

Nice to see you have gail in the shop getting her face lift. I love charcoal vettes!!

Thanks Larry. I thought I read somewhere that the charcoal color was introduced in 1981, but can't recall where...

And it seems that it comes and goes every one or two years in the Vette..albeit under a different name and hue...:eyerole

GerryLP:cool

 

[vetteski]

Well folks...I guess it was time (Firts time on the Vette was 4 weeks after I had purchased the Vette. This old guy crossed the double-yellow line on a traffic jam, and the intersection was being kept clear by all the drivers, so it was safe, or so I thought., to make a left turn, and wham! The guy hit me on the left front wheel and cracked the fender too, of which repairs I was not able to complete until last year [and posted about it] that was 1985]and now...I rear-ended someone yesterday and Gail is looking as if she was suckered-punched..eekohnoes

:ughhnoes

GerryLP:cool

Sorry for your loss. Did he have insurance?
Vetteski

 

[GerryLP]

Sorry for your loss. Did he have insurance?
Vetteski

It was a,"she", whom I ran into (or under), the guy who salmmed on his brakes was driving a black pickup and was in front of my collision's victim.

My insurance cover it all. Being the fender-cracker it was, out in New Mexico, the authorities tell you to pull off the road, exchange information, and then report it later if you must.

The lady's car was not damaged. I think that she was running late, and glad to exchange the info. But I am sure that she must have been called by my insurance, and basically corroborated the way it happened. Hagerty did not give me one bit of trouble or hasle. Whithin a month I had a check (by the way, the month was mostly me waiting for the estimates to arrive. Surprisingly, both estimates were within $100 dollars of each other).

I called the shop today. The cooler weather that came by last night is helping with the curing process by causing the material to contract and expand as temperatures change.

GerryLP :cool

 

[GerryLP]

My Gail is Back!!!!!

My girl is back!

With the damage repaired...

And sanded / primered

Is a matter of prepping her for the paint booth and paint her

And while she is curing, pick up her bumper...

Next day (last Saturday), I picked her up...

And then, I begin to complete her facade...

Word to the L81-wise, the new impact bars are 99% accurate to originals (the one from Eckler's). The only thing I found was that the holes for the bumper cushion are made too large for the original hardware, so I bought some 5/16 self threading screws with a wide base to hold the cusion in place.

I was so focused on her bumper (ha,ha,ha...and when aren't we focused on a beauty's bumper???:cool ), so I forgot to take picks with the cushion on and a few other steps in between, but here she is close to her completion...

At this stage, all that she's missing are her fender and hood pin stripes...

Yesterday, I received her new Reptoid 200-4r (clearly a superb deal out there when compared with Horsepower rating, price, and value). The short story to why I did not repair the 200-4r I have in the garage is that I fell behind on the repair while waiting for parts, and I did not want to chance in missing this year's Cruise Fest without my babe.

Last night, I installed her new cruise control and turn signal lever, and today I will start the tranny swap.

So stay tuned.

GerryLP:cool

 

[Peer81]

She sure is a beauty! Good to see the show did there best to get her back in perfect condition.
Can't wait to see the rest of the pictures! Good luck wit her this summer (but when I see the pictures I think it's always summer down in NM )

Greetings Peter