Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
I read through the restoration posts here and and impressed by the extent of knowledge and the length some folks are going to in their restorations. There are some really incredible cars here. I have decided to do only a partial restoration on my 1974 Corvette. Two reasons; money and time. I have decided to do the body and Paint myself. I will take my time and practice as I go. I have plenty of things I can paint here before I get to the vette. I am also going to replace some of the interior. The Seat Belt assemblies are shot and the door panels are pretty beat up. The carpet is iffy. Most everything else is pretty good. old but still ok. I just need to replace all the screws and clips. Most are incorrect.
Mechanically my car is in pretty good shape. It has a few issues but nothing major that I know of. I noticed a little vibration in the rear end the last time I drove it and the rim/center hub on the left rear seemed a bit too warm so I have an issue there. Brake pedal is pretty low but the pads look good so I don't know what is going on there.
My Frame is in pretty good shape from what I can see. Perhaps some day I may remove the body and clean it up but that will have to wait. Funds and space will not allow that now.
I am concentrating on the body right now. I have completely stripped the paint and have the entire car sprayed with a High Build Primer. I used Slick Sand. It worked well. I am not sure if I did the best job of applying it though. I had a lot of "orange peel" or simply a very rough finish. But it sands easily. I have Block sanded the entire car and found a lot of flaws. I am going to spray another coat of Slick sand and Block it again. Hopefully I have all the flaws fixed.
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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Bill, I like what your doing. I also have a 74 and its been a great car. They drive excellent and are a lot of fun. Some day I hope to do a repaint on it as well. Looks as though your paint prep is going well. Did you do body work in the past. Looks as though you know what your doing! I think that is harder to accomplish then the mechanical work. Good luck and keep us posted. Rodney Hake
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
Thanks for the encouragement.
I have never done body work on a Corvette before. I did do a 1978 Triumph Spitfire in 1984. I had never done a car before that. Believe I bought the car for $75.00. The guy that owned it had a bit of a drinking problem and I think he ran into everything he encountered on his way to and from the bar. It had dents everywhere. When I went to pick the car up it was sitting in a foot of snow in his yard. The top was ripped pretty bad. The car was full of snow. I stripped it down to bare metal, pounded out the dents, bondo filled everything and primered it with...... Epoxy spray paint from cans. Then I painted it with spray can paint. Put a new top on it and new exhaust. I drove the car for a year then sold it and bought a boat. That was a big mistake.
The guy that bought the car said it was the nicest used Triumph Spitfire he had seen. I had to tell him it was painted with spray cans. He couldn't believe it.
Ok Back to my CORVETTE
Finally got some time to do some more. Repaired and reinstalled the rear bumper. If all the hardware was still there for the 74 original bumper I would consider replacing it but I'd have to buy everything. Tail light mounts, brackets, Tail lights, etc. Can't afford it right now. So the 80's style bumper will have to do.
You see, we just bought a 35 acre farm and I have to spend what little bit of money I have left to fix up the old house. BUT the good news is it has a barn. Guess what's gonna be in the barn.
Here's the bumper
|UPDATED|7/15/2012 10:07:21 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
Ebo
I have mixed feelings about the bumpers. I never really liked the look
of the 74 rear bumper. It always looked like they forgot something.
On the other hand if you want it to look original the stock bumper is the way to go.
But that spoiler is "stylin'
Are you considering regular fiberglass or true flex? I don't know if the true flex can take a minor bump or not. My fiberglass front bumper was really fragile. It only took a slight bump to crack it. Unfortunately the previous owner bonded it on so I couldn't get it off without doing more damage. I fix it in place. It was difficult getting behind it. The rear bumper came off no problem and it was much easier to fix the crack. My grand daughter's boyfriend backed into it.
Poor kid was in tears. I said not to worry it's only a car. It can be fixed.
He said "But, it's a classic" I replied "No, that's a Corvette, I'm a Classic"
It's all good
______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): #1 *1980 White, Red interior 14,000 mile
#2 *1980 Red, Oyster interior 93,000 miles Resto project car, rebuilt to 383 stroker
Joined: 6/3/2008 Posts: 4421
For the look I want it will have to be glass, plus I want to glass them in with no seams. So once I get it done I will never take it out of the garage so no one will hit it!
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
Ebo
That's funny. I thought about Glassing mine in too, epecially the front since it's already bonded. But I was afraid it might develop a crack at the joint so I left the seam.
But I am with you on keeping it safe. I lived out in the country, no traffic, I never parked it anywhere I thought it could get hit. My Driveway was big enough to do a U turn in an 18 wheeler but my grand daughters 17 year old boy friend managed to back into it, cracking the rear bumper.
______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
Ok One last update then I'll have to quit for a while. Besides I think this is kind of like pulling out home videos when company comes over. You usually are the only one interested. I don't think I'll be able to work on the car for a week. I have to go out to the new farm and Bush Hog a years worth of weeds all around the homestead and front yard, about four acres worth. Then I need to start the remodeling of the old house. Need to fix some termite damage to the sill Plate and floor joists. So I am starting two projects. I'm gonna be a busy guy.
Yesterday I reinstalled the rear bumper cover. Today I finished sanding the rear deck and sprayed on two wet coats of Slick Sand. It's a great high build primer and covers up a lot of little nicks and scraches. But it won't cover everything as you will see.
When I was spraying the rear bumper the hose got stuck under the wheel and I turned to free it but I forgot to let go of the trigger and kept spraying. As a result I got a big run and some serious orange peel. That isn't a real big problem because I have to block sand anyway and I'll fix it then. But the good thing is it made me notice a couple divots I missed when filling all the little dings. So I'll fix those too when I block sand. Hopefully I won't have to spray any more Slick Sand on the rear deck. The stuffs expensive.
______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): 1979 Corvette Coupe
Corvette Light Blue
Midnight Blue interior
Mirrored Glass T-tops
Joined: 4/27/2008 Posts: 4238
ebo said: Actually you can't worry about that stuff, if it happens it happens. My luck I'd pull a Blue Boy and back into it myself!
ebo
BOY, I'm away for the day and you start rubbing it in! At least I admitted I did it! Great job, Bill, that Vette's really gonna look good when you're done!
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
Jaws79 said:
ebo said: Actually you can't worry about that stuff, if it happens it happens. My luck I'd pull a Blue Boy and back into it myself!
ebo
BOY, I'm away for the day and you start rubbing it in! At least I admitted I did it! Great job, Bill, that Vette's really gonna look good when you're done!
Barry
LOL I now will have to admit I was the one who put the crack in the front bumper. I was moving the car forward in the garage to get a little more room behind it and bumped the shelving unit at the back of the garage. Barry, I hope I can live up to the expectations. I know painting takes a lot of skill and experience and I do not go into this blindly. I am going to practice on a few other items before I spray the Vette.
Yup, I did it
______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
Joined: 11/8/2003 Posts: 20129
Yer doin a fine job, Bill....and we LOVE the vids! Congrats on what you have done to date....it'll be really nice when you get to a stopping point. I say stopping point because we all know, they're never finished!
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
Joel Thanks for the encouragement.
Never finished is right. It is Monday morning and I need to be somewhere else but NOOOOO Here I am. I decided to do a little work before I left and this is the result.
I want to stress the importance of using two hands on the bigger sanding block. As you will see the paper has build up in the center. That's because I was only using one hand while filming. I had to hold the camera.
But I believe one must always give back to the community. I don't know If I should post this one somewhere else on the site. I can or if the moderator wants to move it.
|UPDATED|7/16/2012 11:04:31 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
I sure hope the information I give is correct. Otherwise there's gonna be some angry folks out there.
I wasn't going to post another video for a while but I thought this one would help some one.
I am learning as I go and if I can prevent someone else from making my mistakes that's a good thing.
|UPDATED|7/23/2012 11:33:47 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
Barry I don't think I could rush it if I wanted to. I'm too old and slow. LOL
I have a new video up. I was cruising around some corvette forums and seen a few people looking for info on removing the chrome (Stainless steel) trim on their T-Tops. I am not sure what years have the trim but I know the 74 does. So I did a video on removing the trim. It is also a reference video for me so I will remember how to put it back together. The video cuts off about 45 seconds of the end. My memory chip was full. But that last 45 seconds did not add anything. I think I'll get a better paint job if I remove the trim plus I'll be able to buff the scratches out. The weather stripping was in pretty bad shape anyway and I was going to replace it. I would like to use the original Stainless though.
This one is Kind of long, about 16 minutes but it shows the start to finish
|UPDATED|8/27/2012 3:26:38 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
Vette(s): 1979, Targa Blue (72 Color), Pace Car rear spoiler, L88 hood, Dark blue factory interior, 525HP 406, HD 700R4, 370 gears,Steeroids, composite rear spring, TT IIs wrapped in T/A Radials.
Joined: 5/18/2004 Posts: 6812
Cool video. Been there and done that. Wish I had replaced the moldings before everything went back together.
Vette(s): 1974 coupe. 350 CID with Turbo 400 trans. Decal says 8.5:1 compression. Needs paint and AC replaced but don't plan on full restoration. Car runs strong. No big problems so far. 67,000 miles on Odometer, probably rolled over
Joined: 7/3/2010 Posts: 65
That's a great looking and sounding Corvette Luke. I hope my paint looks that good when I finish. I am still planning on painting it myself. If I screw it up the first time it will be good practice and I will just sand it down and do it again.
Thank you for your service.
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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so
the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.
2011111017209r.jpg "click to update your profile pic")
ebo
ebo
u Man!
