64 Vette….Rebuild 2.0

[76zimmer]

I really haven't been driving it like it is. A couple years ago I run it with open sidepipes, but open headers is way to obvious....I actually drove right by an officer on my way to a car show a few years ago, and just idled by in gear...he just watched and pointed me to the car show participant section...cool.

I have some inserts for the sidepipes this time around, so it should be tame enough to drive it anywhere then.
Also put a few more stripes on the concrete yesterday...

Having no choke, its pretty cold blooded even on a warm day, the carb hesitation doesn't go away until it has hit 200, and started to run back to 180, and seems like it runs best right in that temp range...the electric fan keeps it under 200, and that is only when it has made its first rise on warm up, after that it stays just above 180 or so (on the old factory guage).
I'm putting Lucas 75-90 back in the rear, and Rotella 10-30 in the engine with some comp cams zinc additive.

I'm working this weekend, and really need to keep my ass in the shop to get these 4 projects done!
We'll get there though sometime Heath...I really want to do that to help tune the car some more too! I just feel like I'm leaving a lot on the table right now.

 

[folkenheath]

Bummer, I'd love to see that awesome machine go down the track.

 

[lectric80]

Such a beautiful car! One day I hope to meet you and get to see it in person.

 

[Big Ray]

A couple pics from the recent Musclecar/Corvette show in Chicago:

67-L-88 Race car

63-Z06 Race car

69-ZL-1 Camaro

72-ZR-1

L-88....spankspankspankspankspank...


Dave, I love your car! There's an old guy who retired from work about 5 years back, he made a replica of one of the old racing vettes (68 or 69) with a BB motor. Some 500+ HP, said it is absolutely brutal. The slightest blip of the throttle and the azz swings around on him. Had a lot of the program guys sign the inside of the hood, including ZAD himself!

I gotta look him up & get some pics for ya. He's at most of the 'vette shows here.

Hey, if you ever hit the Lotto, I can be your resident garage flunky! I'll keep em, gassed & clean boss!


I can live with that...

 

[Z71paramedic]

I think I've said it before, but in case I haven't... your car is GORGEOUS! I think my favorite part though is that you actually drive it! Well done sir

In a few years (once we move back from Germany) I'll be picking your brain about corvettes. My wife badly wants an early C3, so I'll be in need of info I'm sure. She just thinks they're pretty and only cares if it's a manual (drool away) but I intend to put an ls7 + 6 speed in it and heavily upgrade suspension and brakes so it can actually take it. We'll see what comes of it The only question will be if I do my '68 charger first

 

[76zimmer]

L-88....spankspankspankspankspank...


Dave, I love your car! There's an old guy who retired from work about 5 years back, he made a replica of one of the old racing vettes (68 or 69) with a BB motor. Some 500+ HP, said it is absolutely brutal. The slightest blip of the throttle and the azz swings around on him. Had a lot of the program guys sign the inside of the hood, including ZAD himself!

I gotta look him up & get some pics for ya. He's at most of the 'vette shows here.

Hey, if you ever hit the Lotto, I can be your resident garage flunky! I'll keep em, gassed & clean boss!


I can live with that...

If I ever hit the lotto for big money Ray, I'm going TopFuel racing! but come along for that too, gotta keep the paint shiny you know!
I just heard an L-88 car go for 610,000 on Mecum the other day
pretty cool I think.

I think I've said it before, but in case I haven't... your car is GORGEOUS! I think my favorite part though is that you actually drive it! Well done sir

In a few years (once we move back from Germany) I'll be picking your brain about corvettes. My wife badly wants an early C3, so I'll be in need of info I'm sure. She just thinks they're pretty and only cares if it's a manual (drool away) but I intend to put an ls7 + 6 speed in it and heavily upgrade suspension and brakes so it can actually take it. We'll see what comes of it The only question will be if I do my '68 charger first

Thanks for the comps man...I don't drive it enough, but I made up my mind when I was restoring it, that it would be a driver, not a garage queen...well it sits in the garage plenty, but I drive it some too. Its just too much fun not to drive it. The mods to a C3 sound pretty cool, I know there has been a bunch of guys put LS engines in their cars, and they are pretty sweet. I'll be glad to help anyway I can with your questions of one...I would stay away from 68's as a first year car they had issues above what the 69's did. I really like the 69 for the fender louvers, but 70-72's are pretty good looking cars as well. By those years, parts started fitting much better than the 50's-60's cars.
I think one of the coolest times I had with the car was at a car show, and a 5-6 yr old boy and his momma come along side the car as I was sitting to the rear of it. The little boy was looking at it, but being careful around it too (thanks mom) and I asked him if he'd like to sit in it... He looked at mom for an answer, and I told her, "if its ok with you he can sit in it".
She said ok, so I opened the door and he climbed in and grabbed the wheel..I closed the door and mom took a pic of him in it....THAT little guy will own a Vette someday, I could see it in his face....pretty cool moment.

 

[Z71paramedic]

I've heard about the 68's being quircky. I like the louvers on the 69 as well but it's not a deal breaker. She only wanted the high fenders of a C3, I said it needed bumpers and the nice a$$...

That story about the little boy is awesome. Stuff like that sticks with a kid for sure. I had a similar experience at an airfield with my Grandpa (a WWII army air corps vet) and a B-25 that was making a pit stop for some service. The owner/pilot let us (me~12, grandpa ~85) crawl all over that thing. I'll certainly never forget it!


One thing is for certain, your body style vette is one of the cleanest, sexiest cars that has ever been designed. And your resto only added to it

 

[76zimmer]

I'm pretty impartial to the midyears....I think they nailed the styling on them.

Starting with this one:

 

[76zimmer]

I think the cool started with Sting Ray!

 

[Z71paramedic]

Absolutely! Love that car There's something about a ~60 that calls to me too, but I'd never fit in one so it doesn't matter anyways (6'3")

 

[76zimmer]

I think the 68+ are tighter than the pre 68's....might want to try a couple on for size!

I'm 6' , with wide shoulders and 34" inseam, and I am comforatable in mine. Seems like the 71 and 74 I had were a bit tighter in the shoulders and foot wells than my 64 is, and I was about 50# less then too.

 

[Z71paramedic]

Yeah, I don't expect to be super comfortable in it, but I know for sure I fit in those (buddy used to have one). For some reason the pre-63's seem much smaller to me, like my head would be above the windshield. But, ithe C3 will be the Mrs. toy so she'll fit just fine. I don't expect size to be too big of an issue when I pick up my Charger

 

[76zimmer]

Right, I had a buddy with a couple of Road Runners, and they were quite roomy...and with a 383, 727, and 3.23 gears you could fry the tires for a mile it seemed.

 

[Z71paramedic]

Right, I had a buddy with a couple of Road Runners, and they were quite roomy...and with a 383, 727, and 3.23 gears you could fry the tires for a mile it seemed.

hell yeah I intend to have 440+ci with a FAST system, 5 or 6 speed, linked rear, upgraded front suspension. Black on black, maybe 16's up front, 17-18's in the back. Nice retro-rod setup (that'll eat just about anything for breakfast/lunch/dinner)

 

[76zimmer]

Not unlike this one:

 

[Z71paramedic]

Not unlike this one:

 

[Big Ray]

saw a cherry 59 while leaving work Friday...Arrest Me Red, of course!


That is a crazy price on that L-88

 

[76zimmer]

always loved these original Z06's...

And Chevrolet C6R beats the BMW's again at Long Beach!

love this commercial:

you know, just to be fair...

 

[76zimmer]

working on getting the sidepipes rehung...the new headers are putting them in a slightly different spot than the old ones did..I'm welding studs to the frame for the sidepipe brackets to bolt to...should be good and rigid with some poly bushings to dampen vibes...PITA!

Cut off the old ends, and had to angle cut the sidepipe to butt up to the header....

Mount, fit, cut...repeat, repeat, repeat.

Now I have to get the rocker molding in there too...

 

[76zimmer]

The new Stainless Hooker Supercomps have the collector pointed slightly in toward the rocker area, instead of going straight down the side of the car, unlike the old ones....they also bend slightly upwards toward the door instead of horizontal straight down the side of the car...PITA...and they're made in USA too. Ain't it fun working on old junk?

Finished one side today...lots of cutting trial and fitting, but really happy with the result..The rocker moldings I had to cut quite a bit out of the middle of them to get them behind the sidepipes, but from the topside it fits tight and looks real good I think.

Here you can see the band clamp used to hold the butt of the sidepipe and the header collector together...I used some hi temp heat shielded tape to wrap around the joint before putting the band clamp on.

Tomorrow hopefully I'll get the other side done.