$2500 1977 Rebuild thread!

[Fuelie74]

Do you have an idea of how far you want/have to go?

Here is the game plan. Keep in mind it is subject to change along the way.

1st part = Replace front and rear bumpers, add Pace Car chin spoiler, Add Pace car rear wing and fit new big block hood. fix all body defects and paint car the new Atomic Orange with pearl dark silver stripes.

2nd part = remove engine and trans and clean and paint engine bay. Put car on lift and clean and paint underside of car. Replace all brake lines and brakes along with all suspension bushings and u-joints.

3rd part = Clean and reseal engine and repaint engine chevy orange with orange pearl clear coat. Install TPI until on motor and reinstall in car. Still debating on transmission selection. Complete all wiring, fuel and AC (yes it will have air).

4th part = Replace all broken interior parts, install new seats, install harness bar, new carpet and replace all switches and controls in console.

5th part = Drive car like it is stolen, repeat as necessary!!

The 5th parts sounds like the most fun to me!

 

[SCCA VETTE]

1st day of tear down

Was finally able to go out and do some work on the 79 tonight. Here is what we were able to get done tonight.

Front bumper is off along with the headlights out.


Found something VERY interesting! When they painted the car they decided to fix the warped bumper with bondo. They had done such a good job you could not even tell until it started popping off in sheets 1/2 inch thick.



Removed the rear window that was held in by a few dabs of clear RTV.


removed 1/2 of the dash


removed part of the console

 

[SCCA VETTE]

t-top bar hardware removed


Removed all the wiring from a previous stereo system.


Parts all ready to start sanding on.




That is all for now.

 

[SCCA VETTE]

spent today polishing a set of factory allum wheels that we traded the rally wheels for. Spent about 3 hours doing all 4 wheels. These will be used for track use eventually and going with some after market ones for the street.

 

[69427]

spent today polishing a set of factory allum wheels that we traded the rally wheels for. Spent about 3 hours doing all 4 wheels. These will be used for track use eventually and going with some after market ones for the street.

Looks great, Phil. I've got several sets of those that need some attention one of these days (okay, months). Any advice?

 

[SCCA VETTE]

spent today polishing a set of factory allum wheels that we traded the rally wheels for. Spent about 3 hours doing all 4 wheels. These will be used for track use eventually and going with some after market ones for the street.

Looks great, Phil. I've got several sets of those that need some attention one of these days (okay, months). Any advice?

I did a lot of testing at work on one of the wheels to find the fastest and easiest way to get them to look good. We grind and polish the props at work all day so it was a good place to do some testing. Here is what I came up with that allowed me to do all 4 in around 3 hours.

1. Sand blast wheels
2. Purchased 3M GRAY color 2 inch Roloc scotch brite pads
3. Used the 3M pads on an angle die grinder on the wheels with alluminum polish that came from a truck stop. It is used for the fuel tanks on trucks. The polish acts like a lube to keep it from scratching heavy.
4. If any areas have curb rash you can fix it with the red scotch brite.
5. After going over the entire wheel with the Roloc wipe it clean with windex and a towel.
6. I then purchased a polish kit at Harbor Freight for 12 bucks. I used the large wheel on the die grinder with the same aluminum polish. Trick here is not use use much at all or it just loads up the wheel.
7. I then polished the wheels by hand with a rag and mothers aluminum polish. I went over them 2 times and it looks as if the more times you go over them the better they look.

Now that they are polished we are going to paint the cut out areas and the center a metallic gray where they were black from the factory.

 

[SCCA VETTE]

Finally was able update the post! This was where we were at 2 weeks ago. The car was stripped and ready for body work and paint.

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The color of choice will be "Atomic Orange Metallic"

 

[SCCA VETTE]

This is where we are at today!
Front bumper fitted and installed



More body work completed on the sides along with closing in the door lock holes, no need for those.




Next is to fit the rear bumper and install.

 

[mrvette]

HAHA....I did the same thing on my '72 vert, no door locks, why bother to lock a convertible??

:crap::drink:

 

[MYBAD79]

looks great so far. :thumbs:

nice color choice but will the atomic orange look good with those flames stickers or are you not going to put these back on after painting it ???

LOL

 

[bobs77vet]

good job cant wait to see the progress

 

[SCCA VETTE]

spent some time today cleaning some engine parts up. We bought a complete TPI setup off a friend for $300 bucks to put on the car and get rid of the carburetor.

Parts before!



Parts after!

 

[SCCA VETTE]

Made a little progress on the car. All the body panels are on now and it is in 1st coat of primer. We should have some paint on it in the next few days. Here is some photos of the updated progress.

 

[69427]

Damn, Phil, you work fast. :thumbs:

Looking forward to seeing the completed car next time I'm up there.

 

[SCCA VETTE]

I have a quick question for you guys! Look at the rear wing and its position on the rear deck. If you notice it is moved forward off the rear bumper. This was actually a screw up when the guy helping do the body work mounted it for us. After seeing it I actually like where it is positioned.

I would like some input (don't worry wont be offended if you do not like it) on the position of it and if anybody even noticed.

 

[SCCA VETTE]

Damn, Phil, you work fast. :thumbs:

Looking forward to seeing the completed car next time I'm up there.

Thanks Mike! This is actually a fun project and we are also curious to see how it looks when done compared to when we first brought it home.

 

[SCCA VETTE]

Well today there was some paint put on the car. The base silver went on first.




Next was to put the orange candy over the top of the silver.

 

[69427]

Looking good, Phil. I can't wait to see it this summer. :thumbs:

 

[keywestjack]

Looks fantastic! I really like the color especially with that hood.

 

[SCCA VETTE]

Everybody stand by there has been some changes with this project. We had a MAJOR issue with the paint process and had to make some drastic changes.

Will update soon!