Restoring the '68

by Larry

It was two years after selling the '63. I had decided that a full restoration was something you should do once. I was busy working on a new project when Pete told me about this Corvette he had found. He insisted it was a bargain, but he didn't have time to do it himself. Finally I went with him to look at it. It was a 1968 435 HP roadster. 

This was a basket case also, but it was all in one place and fairly complete.

X-Rated 'Vette?
The block, heads and crank were included, but the car was powered by a 350. The paint was stripped, allowing me to see that the body was almost perfect. The interior was apart, but all the small parts were in baggies with a detailed label in each bag. There were four five gallon buckets of baggies! At the bottom of one bucket was a collection of X-rated pictures.

One More Corvette
Deciding that I could do one and only ONE, more Corvette, I bought the car minus the small block engine and took it home. I renewed my relationship with Corvette Specialties, and bought the assembly manual and restoration guide. I decided to do a frame on minor restoration and drive the car.

With that in mind, I built a 460 cubic inch 454 and put on the original 3 x 2 intake. I detailed the engine compartment and installed the engine. After fixing the inevitable small cracks around the bumpers and other stress points, the body just needed priming and blocking.  I painted the jambs, ran the engine to break in the cam, and drove it up and down the driveway a few times.

Still More Corvettes

Then, at age 44, I had a massive heart attack. As I was recovering, Pete came over and painted the car for me. When it became obvious I was not going to recover enough to drive this beast with no power steering or brakes, and a heavy clutch and four speed, I talked Pete into buying it from me. I guess that was my revenge for letting him talk me into buying it in the first place.

The good that came of these two projects, besides the opportunity to become lifelong friends with Pete, was that I formed a relationship with the owner of Corvette Specialties. When he decided to retire, my wife and I, along with a couple of friends, decided to buy the business.

Needles to say, I now own a few more Corvettes. I have started a slow (verrry slow) restoration of a 1970 LT1 coupe with leather interior, power windows and four speed. It will be some time before there is a story posted here about that project!

Restoring the '63     Dick's '63 Convertible     My Three 'Vettes       BIG al's 98

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