Wow this car is flat out awesome!!! Love it.

I clicked on it and thought "I didn't remember seeing a Corvette in your garage!" Then realized you just picked it up.

Way cool. I'm jealous. I've never been much of a Vette fan, but I dig this body style. I think it would make a killer AutoX car.

If my wife reads this out of context I will be sleeping in the garage, but

That is one of the sexiest bodies I have ever seen.

I am really glad to read you guys are not changing that at all. It looks fantastic and the paint is so cool.

But my wife hasn't posted a picture of herself yet :wow:

Hey :thankyou:

Thanks Tim, yeah we just got it in August. stay tuned :popcorn2:

Guess it is no secret that I am in love with it!

Just had to stop in and say that your wife C2 score is awesome. Man I hope you don't touch the retro paint. :king:

:cheers:

Thanks Rob, it's a pretty neat car. The paint will stay as is for now.

This car is so freaking cool! :confused59:

Thanks Jay! The car's story just got a little cooler recently, see below :D

Time for an update
 

Well it's been awhile, not that alot has gotten done but we had to share the best thing we've heard about the Vette so far...mostly been bad news everytime we dug a little deeper. Which one of those was the fact that the #4 body mount and rear tub had some previous crash damage. After a few guys looked at they recommended a professional fiberglass guy fix it. One recommendation led us to Paragon Corvette in Swartz Creek, MI about 1/2 hour from our place.

Two and a half months later, they had an opening for us to take the car to get some structural work done. Great guys there, very knowledgeable and made us feel very confident. After the head guy, Ken, looked it over good he found some things that also needed attention so we agreed to fix them while it was there.

Ken has been doing Vettes only since the early 80's so he's seen it all. He was telling us how its so rare to see an untouched car, especially a C2, that has been that way for going on 40 years. He mentioned the 80s and 90s were all about undoing all the custom 70s stuff and going back to original. Now, it's been changing and guys are wanting the "day 2" or period custom looks. What's old is new again theme I guess. Anyway he has a friend that he though might like to see our car so he sent him a pic and asked if he knew anything about it...the friend replied, your joking right? I built that car he said! I guess he was amazed that a car he built and painted in '75/'76 is first of all still around, and second still wearing the paint he laid on it. So he proceeded over to Paragon yesterday and had a reunion with the car. Best part is he brought pictures of when he was building the car, and from the Detroit Autorama in 1976! He left his contact info and wants to meet us to talk about it some more. He said he even has the 3rd (iirc) place plaque that he got at the show and if he could find it would give it to us.

So, on to some pictures. He gave us several, but I cherry picked a few that I thought were cool. Even the Parnelli Joes tires are on it in the pictures, amazing.
Before the graphics were on:
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps79ba6a11.jpg

Looks just like this now (well before we took it apart lol) except the picture is dated '76.
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psdf6ae1e5.jpg

Autorama 1976 pictures:
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psdd1f975e.jpg
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0ea24bc2.jpg
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6f2c2b4e.jpg

And it had a cross ram intake on it for awhile..also amazing as it came with the Winters aluminum intake and Holley card both date coded to the car when we bought it.
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps77382543.jpg

So that was a refreshing experience for us. Ken did an awesome job on the repairs and I would highly recommend them for Corvette work. We dropped the car off at 6:30 Tuesday night, picked it up 5:30 Friday evening, done. No complaints there.

So we've got a new factory replacement frame on order...since mid-November last year...that's not going so great. Hope to get it in 4 weeks, probably another 8 at the rate its going. But we did get a bunch of parts from VanSteel, some new stainless headers and side pipes and some other items. Not as much progress as I'd like, but we're hope to get going on it again soon.

Hope everyone likes the vintage pics as much as we do.

This was already my favorite car, the history just makes it that much better. It makes me think back to what a big deal the bicentennial was. Can't wait to see this on the road again. Wishing I could have talked you into a custom frame, have a couple cool ideas, I guess I'll have to same them for my midyear.LOL

Really awesome twist on the story of an already cool car, Aaron.

Aaron, you should see if you can buy 3 piece wheel halves and whittle up some centers that look like the 200S wheels.

Flat out awesome!

You know Tim, I haven't even thought of that. That's not a bad idea :headscratch: :headscratch:
Because I actually like the look of the wheels, they're just 3"s too small in diameter and 2+" in width...hmm. I do know a guy that could machine centers..
Thanks Tom. Can't wait to talk to the guy that built it.

Love it!


Nobody but me notice the stanchion made from the cam with a rod on it for height. Love stuff like that.

:lol: no I sure didn't. Its probably the original L79 cam. According to the PO, he said the cam has been swapped to a solid Isky cam.

Wow Aaron this Vett just gets better and better!! I love the old history this cars have, it's got to be sooooo cool to find the guy that built the car back in the day.

Just chewed through the whole thread. First off, props to your wife for getting involved in this sickness we all have! That's really cool! In regards to the car - what can I say that hasn't been said? Everything about it is just spot on. Wouldn't change a thing about it on the outside. The history you now have on the car even validates it's coolness even more. I'll be watching this one!

Yeah me too.....this is going to be fun watching it come together. Love this car, that retro paint. And with the "proper" wheels/tires fitting into those wells, just dessert to the eye.....

Ron, Ron, Ron...just finish the AMX first please I'm really looking forward to see it done and out there!
Yeah, maybe the custom frame would be here by now, geez.
I did talk to the guy that built it this morning, he remembers everything like it was last week, unbelievable.

Thanks Trey. It will stand out in a crowd that's for sure :D

Yes it is, and I did speak with him this morning, cool guy. Still into vettes, has 3 I believe still. A C1, C2, and a C3. He said the flares on our car are actually C3 L88 flares that had a GM part number on them. Obviously he massaged them to fit the C2.

Thanks Brent, we are really trying to keep the outside the way it is. You can't replicate that.

The wheels are going to be a huge decision since we are keeping the outside. It has to go with it, but it has to be a bit more modern size-wise. Have to think on this some more. Thanks Mike.

The story makes the car even cooler, if that's possible.

Great car and the story just makes it get so much better. I am in love with the paint. Was born in '76 and remember watching cars like this (and Vans) that were the coolest things ever just rot away and die. From 3 years old all I wanted was a car with big flairs and crazy paint, maybe that's how "what is old is new again" works.

Maybe get the original builder to restore the paint? That could make you a trend setter in the PT world. And IMHO that is just a cool paint job and body work, you got lucky there. Some of those 70's cars were too much but yours is awesome.

This maybe my new favorite build, Ron's AMX just got bumped I think :poke:

If you need build funds the carb/intake and various motor parts can command quite a price amongst the NCRS guys. That 66 has power brakes, your brake a master cylinder was worth over $1000 at one point. I think there are repops now but still. The guys at Paragon can help you out on values. Just saying this as I'm contemplating selling parts off my numbers matching 72 LT-1 for my LS3 swap.....let's see...CNC port job...for price of my "950" alternator...mmmm:idea:

Thanks Ryan. We were pretty excited to hear about the builder and to get to talk to him.

Hey thanks for the comments Eric. Funny about the original builder...now he couldn't fathom cutting a corvette up. He's now a original, numbers matching kind of guy. He said he was in his 20's when he did ours and at the time it was the thing to do.

I can guarantee Ron's AMX thread will be more exciting than this one. The first phase of the Vette will be get it back together and go out and beat on it a little. I'm sure we'll make improvements along the way.

We've talked a little about doing just that. But in the end, we feel it's important to just sit on the original parts that came with the car. Some of the pieces are kinda silly on what their value is..but hey, they aren't making '66 Corvettes anymore.

Cool build! I just bought a numbers matching '69 roadster and Im having the same dilemma....store the original parts as I build this thing, or sell them to help fund the build. Car has 45K original miles on it....

I am loving this build and the throw back pictures! I became the proud owner of a '64 Coupe last year and the original owner just gave me a few pics from the '70's last week. Great to have those. Thanks for sharing your build, I am glued to this one.

Cool Build Aaron.
I'm working on a 67 myself.
tuned in to watch yours.
Mike

not sure how I missed this thread -- - - Awesome!

If you can hold on to them, I would. They are only original to a particular car once. Parts like that are easy to sell, but hard to buy later.

Cool, the old pics are nice to have aren't they.

Got a thread started yet Mike?

Geez Brandon, where you been? Working on a garage or something? :D

Aaron, I just read through your entire thread. Totally awesome. (To quote one of the other replies: PIMPTASTIC!) The story of the car and the builder is very cool. Plus, it's your wives. Too cool. My wife kind of took the same path...go for a ride, drive a couple times and then "honey, when do I get my own". Now we are building a 73 Trans Am...HER CAR!

Don't change a thing on how you are approaching the build. The paint is totally badass and those flares with the wheel combo is just perfect. There has to be somebody that can "machine" a replica center and 18" outside hoop painted to be "period correct" in a wide width for the 76 custom theme. EVOD did the wheels on our TA, they are 18x12" rally II replica's that turned out great. Those flares could swallow a tire pretty quickly. I can't wait to hear it screaming around an auto-x, pipes bellowing and the sun hitting those layers of color. Based upon crazy paint trends seen at SEMA, your Vette will be mainstream again.

I just want to know what color fuzzy dice will be hanging from the mirror and if bell bottoms were found in the glove box. Subscribed.

haha, thanks Jay..I'm so glad other people are seeing what we did when the garage door opened at the previous owner's house. It's just too cool to change it. It really does need some touchup work mainly just from being in the way for 22 years on jack stands. But hey, at least the dry-rotted tires don't have flat spots lol.

Oh, I've been following your TA build. I had the pleasure of meeting Albert at the PRI show last December, great guy. Looks like the TA is going to be very nice!

About the wheels, if it does get custom wheels, I will be making them. I've not done wheels before, but I've done a few "cool" parts before :headspin:
I own a engineering, design and build company. So I have access to solid modeling(CAD), CAM, and CNC machines. I'm pretty sure I can buy two piece hoops and hopefully a forged billet for the centers that I can design and machine. The more I ponder this, the more I want to do it. I love a challenge.
There is around 15" from the frame to the outer lip in the back, so yeah, should be room for some rollers :guns:
Haven't thought about the dice, but good call and no bell bottoms were found... but the wife has to wear them with a tie dye shirt when she drives. :D

Dude. Totally. Love this. Not sure how I missed it.

Very cool, Aaron.

No I haven't started a thread yet. I'm just getting started on it. Was red big block car. Definitely keep the paint.....looks cool.
Mike

Geez where have you been? lol . I thought mods saw everything here :bitchslap:

Looking forward to another vette build here Mike.

So I mentioned taking the car to Paragon Covette for some fiberglass work, but I don't think I showed the damage beforehand. Here is a picture from inside the car in the back "trunk" area...not sure what you call that open space in a Vette lol.
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2f65485d.jpg

Here is the outside showing the #4 body mount
The red loop is a patch I circled...the red line on the right is how far it was cracked.
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps86b70f4a.jpg
quite and ugly "fix" as you can see.
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psc031c346.jpg

I'll take some pictures of Paragons repair and post them up tomorrow. The car is at my shop in the heat as the glass work needs to dry for awhile.

Time Warp
 

Man that brings me back to the late 70's when this was the norm- only cool vette was custom amazing it survived so well for that long, I dig it man!

:beavis:

I love Ron's AMX build because its home built - diff cover. My first car movie was "Corvette Summer". So you know the glass work is awesome to me! Very interesting build. If you show some 80 year old spraying laquare (spell), then you will be my idol :thumbsup:

:thankyou:

Lol, I'll see what I can come up with for a picture!

Been out since Tuesday night with some wicked flu-like crud, but I did get a few pics of the repaired body mount.http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psvf2uveng.jpghttp://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psk0fup5pa.jpg