Windshield & Rear Window Removal

Yesterday I had planned to do a little paint, a little sanding, a little of this and a little of that. And then Ty came over. I remember his question vividly, "Don't you think it's time to remove the glass." The suggestion was horrifying. Who are we going to find that's willing to remove $3000 dollars worth of moulding? Who's going to make sure we don't loose all of the windshield reference points if the whole frame is rotted away? Can I get a glass company to come here or do I need to rent a trailer and take the body to them? I heard there is a guy in Yakima that willing to remove the glass. How can I find his number? Lot's of these type questions whizzed through my mind. Then I saw Ty walk to the tool box wanting to know where I kept the pry bars. OMG!


Actually it went so well neither of us can hardly believe it. The chrome mouldings were removed without incident and the glass was lifted off the car. It was messy but nothing was damaged. Not the trim, not the glass, not the car. Nothing.

What was really amazing was that we didn't find any rust in the windshield channels. Both Ty and I were convinced we would find lots of damage but what we found was the original birdcage painted the cars original color, Daytona blue. We don't think the windshield had never been removed. There are areas of rust above the A Pillars but we knew about that months ago. Repair of those areas will be covered in a seperate posting.

Before I bought the car from Dennis S. he told me the birdcage needed minor repair but it was in good shape overall. He was right. Thanks Dennis.

The two following pictures are videos so be sure to push the play button.

You'll want to turn up the volume.

   

 The rear windows were removed as well and without incident. It was a beautiful day. Thanks Ty.

 

Exhaust Pipe Nacelle/Valance

This isn't a picture of Rocky working on the nacelle but it is a picture of Rocky right after he worked on it. Here's a picture of Les getting ready to align the nacelle. I am asking Les if he wants a lemon or lime with his Corona.

This is the nacelle after the fiberglass repairs. It fits perfect thanks to several hours of work by Les and Rocky. Thanks guys.

Here is our new sandblasting glove box. The nacelle is too small for the box but that didn't stop us. Gerri came up with the idea of the clear plastic material over the door. It works great! Our blasting media is glass beads.

This is a high resolution picture of the sandblasted nacelle. Double click on the photo and see all the repairs that were made. This piece probably should have been replaced because of the extensive damage but it is now very solid and will work just fine.

Here is the final product after its first coat of primer. Looks pretty good if you ask me.

The next 3 pictures are videos. Be sure to push each play button.

Right Side Primer

This morning Rocky and I finished sanding the right side of the Corvette then masked off the windows in preparation for paint. It was gusty for most of the morning and early afternoon. The winds settled down mid-afternoon so we decided to paint. This is a picture of the first coat of primer being sprayed. 3 coats were sprayed in total.

Rocky was the touch-up man. Rocky is now responsible for all imperfections. :0)

Viola.

It turned out nice!

This is a video. Be sure to push the play button.

Rocky - Headlights

Ty T. and Rocky R. are in the building! Rocky is visiting from Houston, TX and I couldn't wait to put him to work. Rocky spent the day working on various parts of the car while Ty spent the day working on the headlights. It was a beautiful day. Rocky spent most of the day working on the rear exhaust valance. Pictures of that will be posted soon. Here Rocky is removing the door handles in preparation for painting.

After the handles were removed Rocky used the Fein to sand the tight nooks and crannies. We found one crack behind the drivers door handle. That crack has been removed and it will be repaired soon.

For the last 4 months Ty has carressed and masaged the headlights into perfection so I figure the Corvette must be a girl. I am OK with that because the results are a knock-out.

Both of the following pictures are videos so be sure to push the play button. Watch Ty's face as he brings the headlights to life.