....: Slowly getting back into the project.

24 August 2014

Slowly getting back into the project.

I haven't done any heavy work on the Vette since the it came home. I went through most of the parts to re-familiarize myself with them and get back into focus on the project. Most of want I've done is feel good work - enjoying having the Vette back with the body done and painted - mostly cosmetic stuff.

I ordered one American Racing Equipment Torque Thrust Original (TT-O) in 17x8 to test fit. I always wanted to run the TT-O in 15x8 but they don't fit due to lack of clearance with the calipers. They were old school mags for drum brake muscle cars after all. Well ARE came out with them in 17x8 and they are designed to clear the calipers. The test fit worked, I ordered three more and a set of Nitto 555 in 255/50/17. Then I got a set of spinners from EBay and installed them. I have a set of red crossed flag decals for the spinners on order.

Now to sell the wheels and tires I had on it. I did sell the gold honey comb GTA rims and tires. I'm pondering whether to keep the stock rally wheels. I got a set of C5 ZO-6 calipers and rotors from the painter. They need 17" rims to run on a C3. 17" ers are better for the suspension system that's on the Vette so I might as well run the ZO-6 brakes and get rid of the rallys.

I cleaned and installed the CORVETTE letters on the rear of the car. Cosmetically, they're a little rough, but keeping a few original items on the car may be nice. I also had two crossed flag emblems for the gas door. I stripped the paint, used Testors enamel modeling paint to repaint them and installed one of them.

Faded, old paint.

After paint stripper.

Repainting in progress.

Finished.

My friend, Todd, came over yesterday in his '82 Collector Edition and helped me remove the hood. My first priority for major work is to work in the engine compartment and every thing else I can do with the hood off. These are:

1. Clean and paint the fender wells.
2. Remove and rework the water pump and other accessories. I'll explain the why as I post on each task. Besides, it will give me more room to paint the fender wells.
3. Install the headlight mechanisms. I'll be replacing the factory pneumatic system with electric motors.
4. Rivet in/on all the metal reinforcement plates in various places in/on the front clip that the paint shop guys "forgot" to do. Don't ask - I'm too pissed to talk about it.....
Etc., etc., etc.

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1973 Corvette Project

This blog will chronicle the tale of my '73 Vette project car. I've been a Corvette hobbyist since my first vette, a 1973 silver with black leather interior, L-48, 4 spd coupe. It was my first, and only new, Corvette. Subsequently, I owned a total of seven Corvettes; a '77 coupe, '68 roadster, '80 L48 4spd, '73 coupe, '94 coupe and this '73 project.

It's obvious that the '73 is a favorite of mine. I found this one in an AutoTrader in October of '06. After talking and negotiating via email, I decided to buy it. It was an original BB, 4 spd car with 52,184 miles on the O'meter.

Now this is all according to the guy I bought it from. History of the car:

The seller's uncle bought it from the original owner when it was six months old. He pulled the BB and hot rodded it with a SBC for years, garbaged out the interior by cutting holes in the door panels and rear compartment doors and back of the compartment for speakers. I shouldn't bad mouth him, though. I cut a hole in the passenger side dash panel of my first '73 to mount an eight track (yes, I'm that old!!) player so it would look factory.

Then he passed away and the seller's older brother had it for years until my seller got it. He pulled the SBC but never told me what he did with it. He installed the following: new 4-core radiator, new shocks, new calipers and rotors, new rubber bushings in the suspension (missed the trailing arm mounting and control arm bushings, though), all new heavy duty u-joints, new windshield, and pulled the gas tank and had it cleaned and sealed. It had the CenterLine wheels you see in one of the pictures and the aftermarket hood scoop.

It was located in East Mesa, AZ in a desert suburb of Phoenix and I towed to my house in Flagstaff, a distance of about 160 miles from a elevation of around 1,000' to 7,200'. The trusty old Dakota made it.

The first thing I did was buy a set of '72 stock ralleys, rings, and center caps from a guy on the corvette forum and mounted 234/15 BFG Radial TAs on them. I will eventually put a set of 17x8 Vintage Wheel copies of ARE TorqueThroust Originals on it. I found a stock '75 hood to replace the existing hood w/scoop. When they put the scoop on, they cut a hole in the stock hood for the air cleaner, making it impractical to glass back to original.

Then I towed it on a U-Haul trailer 2,500 miles to CT it with the poor old 2000 Dakota that had 184,000 miles on it.

My plans: My original intent was to put an old school SBC in it. Then I thought about a GMPP Ramjet 350. I just sold a '94 Vette with an LT1 in it that I was going to upgrade to a LT4. I have the LT4 heads, hot cam kit w/1.6 rr, and an LT4 intake that I had the top ribs polished and cleared. So I planned to build an LT4 to drop into the '73. Meanwhile, I'd been watching EBay for LT and LS motors. I've also been following a thread on the corvette forum on LS-C3 conversions.

Well, I bid on on EBay for a LS2 w/5,800 miles on it that was still in the '07 vette, won, started a dialog with the owner, Ray, and started doing more research. Ray just installed a custom built LS7 last week in his '07 and pulled my motor last week and crated it for shipping. I used some FF miles I had to fly to Seattle to see the LS2 and rode in Ray's car. I'm sure Ray will post some info and pics of his new motor and ride.

Ray has been a great guy and a source of a ton of advice on the LS2. I talked to Dan at Vetteworks, the folks at SpeedHound and SuperPowers, Josh, from the corvette forum. Josh and I have pm'd and spoken on the phone about my conversion and he has really been an absolute wealth of information.

I'd like to thank Josh and all the other gear heads who pioneered the LS-C3 conversion and who are making this project a lot less a blind drive like I thought it would be.

I'll install a T56 6 spd, upgrade the suspension and steering, redo the interior (I bought a set of '04 ZO6 black leather searts for it, too), do some minor glass work and try to paint it myself.

Okay, from here on my updates will be on posts. Jump in with comments and suggestions. Any one in the SW CT area who has some knowledge, wrenching skill, cold beer, or the need to supervise, give me a shout - an extra wrench and a torso that can bench press a t56 6 spd are always welcome.