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Topic: My Story

in Forum: Member Introductions and Stories


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My Story (1/3)
 5/9/19 1:13pm
BillHanna
Standard Member
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Cana, VA - USA

Vette(s):
1975 Stingray 71 350 engine Flat top pistons Sniper fuel injection Hyperspark ignition Vintage Air air conditioning Borgeson power steering box


Joined: 7/3/2016
Posts: 319

I have wanted a Corvette since I was 15. Now that I was in my 70’s I figured it was about time! I wanted a project car so I had something to work on, so I did not want one with a computer. I also wanted a manual transmission. And I always liked the style of the C3’s.

I found a ‘75 coupe on Craigslist and rode my Harley to the person’s house about 80 miles away. There was the green-ish-blue coupe sitting in the driveway. The first thing I asked the owner was if I could sit in it to make sure I fit since I’m a big guy. Surprisingly I fit, though tightly, so we took it for a ride. The shifter was loose and hard to find the gears, only the speedometer and gas gauge worked, the headlights did not open, and I found a host of other issues, but overall it was what I wanted, so we agreed on a price.

On the drive home the car shook a lot, and 50 MPH seemed like 80. Over the next three years, with a lot of help from the C3VR forum, I fixed almost everything on the car. The following was fixed or replaced: tachometer circuit board, odometer (I completely disassembled the speedometer, and actually got it back together again!), headlight switch, clock (disassembled and had it working for a day, then bought a quartz clock when it quit again), temp gauge, oil pressure sending unit (the original one was in the box of parts that came with the car, and it worked fine), driver's side door spring, fixed the storage boxes behind the seats, replaced the turn signal switch in the steering column, replace the horn relay, recovered both seats, replaced the carpeting, replaced the emergency brake shoes, power steering pump and valve, new seat belts. Replaced most of the light sockets. Rebuilt the shifter, and the Borg Warner transmission. Rebuilt the engine with flat-top pistons, high-performance flat-tappet camshaft, new valve springs, and high-volume oil pump.

Also fixed a bunch of wiring that had been hacked which resulted in the radio working, windshield wipers working, dash lights working, and more.

I added a right-side mirror so I could see a bit better, then the glass fell out of the left mirror and shattered on the floor. Added a back-up camera.

At this point I took it to a few cruise-in’s thinking it would be noticed by everyone, but most just walked past it without giving it a second glance. The paint was easily scratched so I decided to paint it to get noticed. I had always wanted to paint a car with multiple colors, one blending into the next, so I bought 8 different colors of paint and then spent over 100 hours sanding and prepping the car for its new coat. Starting from the front, it was painted white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, then black at the very back. Now it gets noticed! Girls really love it.

Altogether I have over 380 hours into this Stingray and I’m pretty pleased with the results.

 



|UPDATED|5/9/2019 10:13:10 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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Re: My Story (2/3)
 5/9/19 6:49pm
F4GaryGold Member
Gold Member
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Grapevine, TX - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LT-1 convertible with factory air.


Joined: 8/26/2006
Posts: 1407

You should get a personalized license plate with ROY G BIV on it. 

That is the acronym for the color spectrum. 😉



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Re: My Story (3/3)
 5/22/19 12:07am
NorskyLifetime Member
Lifetime Member
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West Burke, VT - USA

Vette(s):
SOLD - "The Toy" - '70 Convertible
SOLD - "The Beast" - '90 ZR-1 (#682)
SOLD - "Betty" - '28 Ford Model A Tudor
Still have - "BLKBRRD" - '78 Pontiac Trans Am


Joined: 1/23/2002
Posts: 7189

As Joel would say - "Cycho-dell-ich.....!!!"



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Jim Olson 

"The Toys"...!!!  Save the Wave!

Where I've been in a Corvette...!!!

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