Topic: What's the worst Job you ever did on your vette?
in Forum: C3 General Discussion
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Lifetime MemberAsh Fork, AZ - USA
Joined: 4/18/2007
Posts: 1058
Vette(s): 1981 Red Interior White exterior
Not necessarily the toughest but the one you just had to say "This 
sux!!!"
sux!!!" Since I don't have a garage I'll move the car to the grass to work on a more comfortable and cooler surface. Not to worry, I put cardboard down to catch all the bolts and nuts I drop(after I drop the 3rd one).
Between all the little springs and washers and nuts and bolts I've dropped and had to find the absolute worst job was reattaching the after market fan this past week. After getting great advice on doing the roller rockers I thought I was in great shape. I put this thing on in the first place but, that was with the hood off a couple yrs ago. With my back being so banged up and the weird angle it just killed me. Didn't help that we had upper mid 80's temp and high humidity. At least, that's what it felt like to this short fat guy! Took me more than 40 minutes, not including the break I had to take and it gave me two cuts on my arm.
Between all the little springs and washers and nuts and bolts I've dropped and had to find the absolute worst job was reattaching the after market fan this past week. After getting great advice on doing the roller rockers I thought I was in great shape. I put this thing on in the first place but, that was with the hood off a couple yrs ago. With my back being so banged up and the weird angle it just killed me. Didn't help that we had upper mid 80's temp and high humidity. At least, that's what it felt like to this short fat guy! Took me more than 40 minutes, not including the break I had to take and it gave me two cuts on my arm. My number two would be my wipers...still not working. I've given up on those for the time being because electrical problems are magic and I need a wizard to figure them out(and a contortionist to look at the fuses).
Dave C..........My mantra: I can not be bought!! Long and short term leases available.
In the words of Zora Arkus-Duntov "Is your seat belt fastened? Alright, Let's go"
Yeah, I know, Shut up Dave.
Yeah, I know, Shut up Dave.
Lifetime Member #192
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Ha! That's a no brainer for me…
Swapping the carbureted small block and converting to a fuel injected Gen III LS engine. 
GEN III 5.7L "LS6" Engine swap
TKO500 5 spd.
3.54 Dana 44
'69 "N11" Sidepipes
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975
Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975
Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.
Lifetime Member #26
Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20229
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
There are no "worst jobs" on a Corvette...they're ALL a labor of love.....right? Right?
ANYTHING in the interior is my Achilles's heel....I HATE that crap. Oh....and anything to do with the friggin side WINDOWS. F- that...let 'em leak...I don't care anymore.....
ANYTHING in the interior is my Achilles's heel....I HATE that crap. Oh....and anything to do with the friggin side WINDOWS.
F- that...let 'em leak...I don't care anymore.....Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56 
My Link 
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Agree with Joel. Anything to do with adjusting the door glass, let em leak. But, any work on a Corvette must bring blood or you have not worked hard enough.
C3VR Life Member #4
NCM Life Member #994
Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Life Member
NCM Life Member #994
Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Life Member
The dashboard. All of it. Any of it. Nothing worse than thinking you've gotten it all installed, and finding a light bulb swinging by the wire in the footwell. Or worse, a vacuum hose that's popped off of the light switch. Horrible, horrible job.
I finally got mine installed, working, and looking great and now dang tach stopped working.
So I'll be ripping it out again soon... Thanks, Larry Shinoda, for an intuitive and easy to work on instrument cluster!! (Heavy sarcasm intended)
dashboard. All of it. Any of it. Nothing worse than thinking you've gotten it all installed, and finding a light bulb swinging by the wire in the footwell. Or worse, a vacuum hose that's popped off of the light switch. Horrible, horrible job. I finally got mine installed, working, and looking great and now dang tach stopped working.
So I'll be ripping it out again soon... Thanks, Larry Shinoda, for an intuitive and easy to work on instrument cluster!! (Heavy sarcasm intended)
"Let them that don't want none have memories of not gettin' any."
- Brother Dave Gardner
Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20229
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
While I agree with the pita factor of doing dash werk, Shinoda had absolutely NOTHING to do with the interior design, or engineering.
One trick to doing work on/behind the tach/speedo cluster is removing the upper dash pad...you can actually SEE, and get to a lot of crap with that off.
One trick to doing work on/behind the tach/speedo cluster is removing the upper dash pad...you can actually SEE, and get to a lot of crap with that off.
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Mine was the complete restoration/mod on the entire 72. It all was a drawn out process. But if I had to pick just one job its the replacing of the rear e brake shoes! Yes the interior replacemet wasnt fun since non of the parts seemed to fit as I would expect. The body work was terrible because the fiberglass gets into your arms and drives you crazy. The bleeding of the brakes can be a nightmare. Yes after reflecting on the restore/mod I would put the whole thing in as the worst job. But in the end I will say it was worth it!
Also I can tell you that I am in the middle of doing a restore/mod to another car that does not carry the Corvette name, It falls into the same category as the worst job! None are worth it until your driving down the road then all bad times are forgotten!
Rodney
Also I can tell you that I am in the middle of doing a restore/mod to another car that does not carry the Corvette name, It falls into the same category as the worst job! None are worth it until your driving down the road then all bad times are forgotten!
Rodney
One trick to doing work on/behind the tach/speedo cluster is removing the upper dash pad...you can actually SEE, and get to a lot of crap with that off.
Great idea!!! But isn't the dash pad bolted in place with an L bracket that you can only get to with the tach/speedo cluster removed? I can't remember. I blocked the whole horrible memory from my mind. I do remember having to unbolt the column and let it hang so I could install the driver side instruments. The second time I did it (which I swore would be the last time) I had the steering wheel off, which was a big help.
I'm considering converting the speedo and tach to AutoMeter arctic white gauges to match my center stack stuff rather than repairing my inoperative tach. Very expensive conversion, including going from a mechanical to an electric speedo. Plus I'd lose the turn signal, bright, and brake indicator bulbs and have to come up with some decent looking way of recovering them.
Sorry, getting off topic...
"Let them that don't want none have memories of not gettin' any."
- Brother Dave Gardner
in Forum: C3 General Discussion
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