Progress

 

A trip to the machine shop afforded a quick look at the block and all the machine work that has been done. The pistons are due in very soon and the rest of the work should be completed soon as well

Missing

This lovely 1959 was one of only a handful of metal-bumper cars at the Northwest Arkansas Corvette Club's annual Summer's End Car Show.

This 1966 427 solid-lifter four-speed car was the clear belle of the ball at a show that did not feature one single metal-bumper C3. Once this car is finished, we might take the class by simply showing up.

Off to the machine shop

Back on track after an unexpected tree removal tapped into the car fund and it's off to the machine shop.

The owner of the shop seems really nice and interested in helping this project along, which is much appreciated.

Keep moving

A tree fell near the house, so there wasn't much extra cash to buy car parts this week. Yet, after a bit of research and a few dollars, the birdcage ground is in place now. It's a small thing, but at least we can keep making progress.

Back to the drawings

The assembly manual that came with the car is incredibly helpful, but a few pages are printed very faintly. One such page is the one that explains the parts related to the starter wiring. A copy was located online and it showed a part that was needed for engine assembly, a bracket that routes the main battery cable. One was found and ordered.

Had to

A set of door panel inserts came up for sale, so that was something that had to be purchased. Not an engine part, but those are still slowly trickling in.

NAPA coming in clutch

Whether this car came originally with an 11-inch or 10 1/4-inch clutch is a mystery, but the one that was on it when it arrived here is an 11-inch clutch. All the catalogs list both, but seem to point to the 10 1/4-inch for an original assembly.

To make sure we got the correct one, NAPA ordered in an 11-inch clutch and it checks out. 

Tools of the trade

A ring file and a deck bridge came in the mail today.

All together now

It took some rebuild kit parts and a switcheroo of the guts out of a remanufactured starter, but the date-correct Delco original is back in action and ready to install.

Sad thing is, no one is ever going to notice this thing as it sits buried under the hood.

Yard sale

The original date-correct starter that was restored years ago never worked well, so a rebuilt original starter was purchased with the idea that the internals could be swapped into the original body to make a working starter. Nothing could be easier, right?

Ugh.

These things are put together with some sort of thread locker that is nearly impossible to break. It was a day's worth of work before these two were broken down to their elements.

With some paint and patience, this mess should eventually yield a working starter in a correct housing and with a correct solenoid that looks as good as it works.

Howards

The retro roller cam and roller lifters from Howards came in. Howards is the best on the market, but their parts are not cheap. This kit was no exception.

A bronze-tipped fuel pump push rod also came in, a required upgrade for a roller cam.

Oil pump

Not very exciting, but a new oil pump is essential.

The pile of parts is growing and growing.

Next are the cam and lifters.

Exhaust-ive effort

A package from Corvette Central came in containing exhaust manifold washers, bolts, gaskets and a set of reproduction bolts. Not terribly exciting, but all parts needed to put the engine together.

Roller derby

The roller rockers came in today. Converting this flat-tappet engine to full roller is EXPENSIVE.

Ever growing

The pile of parts to put this engine together is growing and growing.

What remains are the cam, lifters and pistons.

Exhausting

Most of the pieces of the exhaust came in. If quick measurements are correct, this can be installed and the body can still be lowered over the frame, so the rear portion was loosely hung onto the frame today. Putting this in with the body off the frame will be so much easier.

A photo of an original, unused muffler was used to black out the two mufflers just as the factory did. That's a detail that is normally missed, but being completely honest, it's not a favorite look.

This kit from Volunteer Vette is a nice one and once the engine and transmission are in place it should all install easily and look and function well.

There is a lot of room for adjustment to get it where it's supposed to be according to the assembly manual. That's a good thing because it's super tight underneath this deceptively tiny car.

The kit even included original-style clamps, which was a nice touch.

Restorers apparently call these guillotine-style clamps, since they only have one edge contacting the pipe. They don't seem to be something that are easy to come by and show clearly from beneath the car, so their being included was a pleasant surprise.

Oops

When the exhaust hanger/transmission mount was replaced, the one on the car was used to track down a replacement. That one, however, was for a 2 1/2-inch exhaust and was incorrect.

A correct OEM 2-inch hanger was purchased and painted with high-temperature paint and put onto the transmission.

This will allow exhaust clamps to fit around the exhaust pipes correctly and hold it up. If memory serves, the car had hose clamps holding the exhaust up when this car was purchased.

Might as well

The original steering wheel wasn't awful, but it was far from perfect and was deteriorating so a new one was ordered.

This is one of several amazing parts made by OER that have been purchased for this car. This company's parts are incredible, and though they can be very expensive, parts like these are worth every penny.

Cheap insurance

A new oil pump pickup was ordered. It's $25 worth of insurance against contamination in the engine once it is rebuilt.

Direct from Crazy Town

A set of handmade ribbed heater hoses came in today. If that does not say "this guy is a little crazy," I don't know what does.