GerryC Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 No, not me According to my Corvette's build sheet and various date stamps throughout the car, it was built 25 years ago today(/morrow), on May 23, 1988, at 7:29am. I figured I'd share some of the story behind restoring it about 5 years ago. Originally delivered to Palanker Chevrolet (now Arnold Chevrolet)at 670 Montauk Highway in West Babylon, NY, it has every option available except for the painted roof panel. My dad and I were looking for a vette to restore for a while. I am the third owner. I have no idea what the first two guys did to it but they should be put in jail. This was the only car we looked at that had no body or frame damage. The only problem was, it had everything else wrong with it. Found in a dilapidated shack, parked on wooden boards and covered in bed sheets, we had to replace the alternator and battery in near zero light just to get the thing started (and even then, it still ran like sh--). Light, we soon found out, was not this car's friend, as it looked like hell. I wish I took more before photos: Just absolutely no gloss whatsoever to the paint, all the trim is faded, weatherstrip dry as a bone. FUGLY This is what happens when you neglect perforated seats. The steering wheel was also shot and much of the plastic trim was cracked or gouged. It was almost as if someone sprayed milk on the wheels and sat them out in the sun. WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN The restoration photos were taken on a film camera and are in a binder, I don't have a scanner so I can't post them. Converting them has been on my to do list for a while but then again so is a lot of other stuff.. In the process of ripping out the interior we found over five dollars in loose change, 3 losing lottery tickets spanning almost a year, about a dozen cherry pits, and a McDonalds coupon that expired in 2001. At least we got to see that the floor wasn't cracked. Things that were trashed and needed to be replaced (with all 100% OEM): All weatherstripping All carpeting & upholstery door panels Steering wheel & horn button center console door center strack trim hvac faceplate shifter boot windshield acrylic top headlight motors every engine relay brake booster alternator battery horns injectors/plugs/wires/various hoses shocks both emblems power radio antenna various plastic interior bezels Things that were able to be refurbished:wheels (professional shop) valve covers (painted myself) console side panels (painted myself) digital instrument cluster (replaced lightbulbs and fixed broken solder joints) the ALL ORIGINAL paint thanks to Adam's Polishes :pc7424: Fast forward almost two years, thousands of swear words and several gallons of Adam's products later I showed this photo below to Adam the first time I met him and said look at the white streaks your wax left all over my car! Paint's looking a little... ...cloudy. YEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH </csi reference> Notice the severe lack of perforated leather Old school 12oz VRT The car currently has over 91,000 miles. Aside from the restoration, the only other changes we've made since is upgrading to larger, dimpled/slotted rotors with ceramic pads, and an OEM catback exhaust with muffler delete. All that work paid off in the end though Thanks for reading. It was a fun experience, but not one I want to repeat any time soon LOL CMDChase, Captain Slow, Mongosg8 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwag one Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Holy crap, nice restore, the interior really clean up the gaps in the seats. Har har har. This makes me wish I would have given my corvette mouse to an actual owner of a corvette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbeard Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I'll never understand why people buy nice cars and neglect them. Good job bringing her back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug123 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 From despair to delight! Nicely done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongosg8 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Wow.. nice transformation Gerry. Looks like a new car again.. really impressed on how the paint came back to life but with all the TLC you gave it with Adams products the reflection is outstanding. nice to know you did not need to overhaul the motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihaveacamaro Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Amazing work!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlack151 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Awesome Gerry! However I don't expect anything less from you. We need to get together soon so I can enjoy this Vette in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMDChase Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Fantastic job, man. Ready to go another 25 years....at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 So cool to read this thread, kudos to you for bring back this staple of Americana. Love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck08sierra Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 i have always loved the c4 vettes, great job. With the vette now being 25 yrs old, does it qualify as an antique? slap that new lisence plate on there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDM Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Looks great Gerry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaSHOOOOSH Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Pictures aren't coming up for me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerryC Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Thanks everyone. I was hoping to take it out for a birthday spin but the weather is uncooperative as usual. Awesome Gerry! However I don't expect anything less from you. We need to get together soon so I can enjoy this Vette in person. You could have saw it a few weeks ago lol...I'll keep you in the loop if it makes any other appearances nice to know you did not need to overhaul the motor. We had to change the oil twice before it stopped coming out black i have always loved the c4 vettes, great job. With the vette now being 25 yrs old, does it qualify as an antique? slap that new lisence plate on there! Already has an "Early American" plate, in CT the minimum is 20 years. The qualifications (or lack thereof) aren't that logical, because technically someone with a 1993 Mercury Tracer could get one of these plates. IMO it should have a fixed cutoff year rather than a rolling age minimum. I've also seen foreign classics registered with them, so it kinda defeats the whole purpose of calling it "Early American". But I digress Pictures aren't coming up for me.. Are you at work/school or someplace with an internet filter? I host the files on my own webserver which also runs a Grand Theft Auto (video game) website, so the address could be blocked based on the content. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scootertrash19 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Great job on the resto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylander Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Impressive work, Gerry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blk05crew Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 They grow up so fast! J/K, great job man, Vette looks awesome for 25! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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