Tires, Valance and B Pillars

TIRES
The votes are in and a full matching set of tires have been ordered.  An exhaustive search of the Internet was performed to make sure we bought the widest tire possible without creating clearance issues.  We ended up with 225-60-15 BF Goodrich tires with raised white letters.  They have a good classic profile and the tread design is appropriate for our 63 Corvette.  The set is on order and we expect them in a few days.

VALANCE
Ty has been rebuilding our rear valance, the piece that fits under the rear bumpers.  The exhaust holes are being blocked off because we don't need them with side exhaust.  There are also  missing tabs and weak spots that are being corrected.  Here are a couple photos of this in process effort.

B PILLAR

When we rebuilt the B pillars last year we has to remove the fiberglass panels that covered the pillars.  We are now reinstalling these panels.

The fiberglass panel was riveted into place and duct tape was used to protect the drip rail shoe. 

Double click on the photo to see how the fiberglass matches the shoe.

Watch for our new Torq-Thrust D wheels and BF Goodrich tires.

First Test Drive

40 year old tires, soft brakes, and bungee cords to hold the doors shut.  What the heck.  Let's go for a ride!

... great!  It ran great!  The brakes need bleeding and we already adjusted the idle.  The lack of power steering won't be an issue either.  The tires really need to be replaced before we Fred Flintstone this thing around the block again.  And speaking of tires, don't forget to use the poll in the upper right to help us decide what to purchase.

Thanks for watching!

Wheels and Tires - I Need Your Thoughts

OK...  I need your advice.

A set of 15X7 American Torq-Thrust D wheels have been purchased as shown (thanks Les for your input).  Now it's time for tires.  Do we want a full matching set of tires or should we rake the car by running smaller tires up front?  All tires will be wider than stock, we're talking about one size difference in height.  Use the poll on the right to cast your vote.  Use the comment section below to offer thoughts.  Tires will be purchased within the next 10 days.  Thanks.

As long as we're talking wheels and tires, I found a web page that has some outrageous pictures of old 'Gasser" Corvette race cars from the 50's and 60's.  Check them out here: 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=545759&showall=1

"Dry Fit" and Drip Rails

Dry fit continues.  Since we didn't start with a fully assembled car we are not certain about how all the parts and pieces get assembled.  The dry fit process allows us to identify and fix things prior to paint.  Already we have found missing bolt holes (dash), too many holes (under the exterior rear view mirror), mis-located holes (drip rails), missing pieces (clutch linkage), malfunctioning pieces (hood hinge), alignment issues (dash to A pillar), and other similar issues.  All have been fixed, repaired or replaced as needed.  This effort continues and will be well worth it once we start the fit and finish process.

To complete the clutch assembly I needed a pin to connect the clutch pedal to the connecting rod located under the dash.  I was unable to find one on line so I fabricated one out of a stainless steel bolt using my bench top lathe.  The stepped section on the shaft was key to getting a good fit.

Last year I fabricated new drip rails for both doors but never got around to installing them.  Last week  I clamped the rails in place...

spot welded them from the inside...

fabricated drip rail shoes...

then welded both pieces together.

This is the old drip rail next to the new.  The new drip rails will be weather proofed when we do the fit and finish on the car. 

Brakes have been installed.  This is an original 1963 master cylinder that was purchased with the car.  It works great but I did manage to spill brake fluid on the firewall.  You can see where the fluid ate away the paint on the fire wall and exposed green primer.  This will be fixed when we disassemble the car for paint. 

The battery, expansion tank, and the Heater Delete block-off cap on the heater hose have been installed.  Although the battery fits, it is too tall.  A shorter battery will be installed later.

All of the tail lights and running lights have been installed.

The dash, steering wheel and seats have also been "dry fit".

Even the FI air cleaner has been installed.

Except for the windshield, we are ready to Fred Flintstone this thing.  Ty is out of town this week so we will wait until his return before we take this to the road.  That should be fun.  Stay tuned!!