Some good news on BABY

[BarryK]

last Fri while I was at the body/paint shop making my weekly progress check on BABY, we took the seats out so I could have them redone somewhat. The leather, frame, etc is all in great shape but when they were done last it wasn't "pulled" down enough and i'm going to get them redone.
Anyway.......since the seats were than out it was a perfect time to pull the drivers side kick panel, door sill plate and real panels to get access to the rear blower fan cable. On the '64' and '65' coupes there is a rear fan to help exhaust the hot air that builds up from the "greenhouse" under that big rear glass. Mine never worked because the cable is frozen. After getting access to everything and removing the cable I was able to check the blower unit itself and the great news is that the actual blower fan works great. all 3 speeds are working and the amount of air blowing out through the outside vents by the drivers door is amazing. It's pretty loud when it's turned on but when i'm driving and with the sidepipes on the car the blower motor noise shouldn't be an issue! :L
I'll get a new rear blower fan cable and I'll be all set to go! geez, i really could have used that rear blower this summer on some of those really hot, humid days

 

[warren s]

So when is the ETA for completion of the entire paint project?

 

[BarryK]

So when is the ETA for completion of the entire paint project?

Ain't that a great question!!
Originally I was told 6-8 weeks buy the shop but than EVERYONE who knows this guy told me don't believe it and that i'll see my car in the Spring.
I was hoping they were wrong but we are now in week 7 and the paint isn't finished being stripped off yet. With the number of cars in his shop he has to do, he is only there himself (no employees), the speed he works, and the fact that he is a perfectionist I'm resigned to the fact that I most likely won't get BABY back home until late Winter or Spring. At this point the "season" is over so I'd just as soon he take his time and make everything as perfect as possible. no sense in trying to rush it for shows or anything. As long as I get her back by the beginning of March I'll be happy.
If nothing else, while she is getting worked on at the shop over the winter she is in nice heated storage instead of my cold dirty garage here.

With all the stuff on the body he will be doing before the new paint, the wait will definately be worth it though and I really believe BABY will look awesome when she is finished.

 

[1KULC7]

Barry,

Look on the plus side. You can take various parts home and clean them, especially the interior parts. You can strip things and repaint small items, this is a blessing in disguise. Have fun!!! Winter was made specifically for cleaning up the car and getting ready for SPRINGTIME....keep post coming...

 

[BarryK]

Collin

I already have the garage floor covered in parts i brought home home that were removed from the car. all the trim, badges, chrome, etc.
I'm going to clean and polish everything until it shines like crazy, wrap them up, and pack in boxes to keep them safe until it's time for reassembly.
I'll need to get a portable heater unit for the garage i guess or work on the kitchen table.

The seats will go out to the upholstry shop in the next few weeks (no rush on them).
depending on the budget over the next couple of months may even send out the radio and clock to get redone. The clock is intermittent so needs a rebuild and the radio gets one station of reception IF i'm lucky on a good day and just is old and needs a rebuild also.
All this "extra" stuff is adding up pretty quickly over and above what the budget on the body/paint work was but i'm figuring now is the best time to get all these little odds and ends stuff done.
radio, clock, new SS trim for the windshield, having the seats redone to pull the leather tighter as it wasn't done correctly the first time, possibly replacing the windshield and rear glass or at least getting it polished if possible to remive the scratches and DA marks that someone put in them at some point, rear blower fan cable etc. - god knows what else i'll come across.

One thing that's being done on my car is the door gaps so they are perfect all the way around, especially along the top of the doors where it meets the roof line. i know you had this done with your coupe also and it was great to see how well your guy got yours to look. i'm hoping mine come out as good as yours and i'll be thrilled. it really makes a difference.

 

[warren s]

Sounds like a perfect time to paint and re-seal your garage. I would do mine buyt i dont have a place to keep my Vette for 7 days whilte the Epoxy floor coating dries.

 

[1KULC7]

Barry,

Wished you lived closer, I purchase a polishing wheel (professional type) at Carlisle and plan to do the valve covers and few other items this winter. I certainly would help you out. I just got a set of slotted wheels from a friend for the Corvette. This is my winter polish polishing these 20 year old wheels for a second "street" wheel. There is no end is there....keep posting...

 

[BarryK]

Sounds like a perfect time to paint and re-seal your garage. I would do mine buyt i dont have a place to keep my Vette for 7 days whilte the Epoxy floor coating dries.

yes, i considered repainting the garage except a few things are holding me back. First and foremost, i HATE painting!!! Also, a just hung up a bunch of new shelving in there and don't want to have to remove it and start over after the painting. last, i now have a lot of BABY's parts spread out all over the floor and don't want to do ANYTHING to risk damaging or getting paint on these expensive pieces. For example, look up the pricing on genuine GM NOS chrome bumpers, etc.

Oh well, garage isn't too bad so it will stay as it is for a while

 

[BarryK]

Barry,

Wished you lived closer, I purchase a polishing wheel (professional type) at Carlisle and plan to do the valve covers and few other items this winter. I certainly would help you out. I just got a set of slotted wheels from a friend for the Corvette. This is my winter polish polishing these 20 year old wheels for a second "street" wheel. There is no end is there....keep posting...

Collin, thanks for the kind offer. If I still had my old job it would make it easy as I was in VA on a regular basis - it was part of my sales territory, but alas i no longer have that job.
I saw your post with the slotted wheels. nice wheels but geez, looks like it's going to be a lot of work. I'm sure you will get them looking great though.
I'm lucky as none of my pieces are bad enough to need a "pro" polishing job or equipment. much of the trim, emblems, etc are new items from the recent body-off restoration so still look excellent and new. Hell, mostly all they need is a wipe down for dust and fingerprints more than anything else!
I have decided to send the valve covers out to Jerry MacNeish in Maryland for reskinning. I saw a pic of some he did for JohnZ and they look great!

 

[67HEAVEN]

Now that you have an empty garage for the winter, Barry, you could sneek another Vette in there and do a quick body-off before Baby even hears about it.

It's a sickness....I'm already thinking about my next "project".

 

[BarryK]

Bob
no body-off being done here, but in the Spring we ARE planning on sneaking in another 'Vette as my wife now wants a C4 so we will be looking for a nice '94-'96 soon enough. A ZR-1 would be great but the wife can't drive a stick so a regular LT-1, auto, low milage, great condition is what we will look for at the time.