Installing the Body - Finally

It's been a long time coming.  The body is finally being installed, permanently.  It will be bolted down and will hopefully stay that way for many many years.

I am using a $65 12-volt electric hoist bought at Harbor Freight to lift the body.  This hoist has been a real work horse over the last couple years and it has never failed me.  A friend even borrowed it to move a small shed in his yard.  He said it worked great.

Without the doors the straps have a potential for putting a lot of stress on the body.  I used softeners (towels) at all contact points.  They worked great with no issues.

Although I've never heard of anyone doing this I decided to cover the rolling chassis with plastic before installing the body.  The theory is it will act as secondary protection when we paint the car.  It should be easy to remove when the time comes (I think).  As the body is lowered we have to pay particular attention to the distributor and the gas tank.  Experience tells us these two items can easily get hung up and the distributor will scratch the firewall if we're not careful.

Touchdown!

Nothing scratched and the body to frame holes all line up nicely.

I couldn't have wrapped the motor better.  If nothing else it will keep the dust off while we finish sanding.

I am impressed.

How sweet is that!

Next we crawl under the car and start shimming and bolting the body.

Ty has Left the Building - Revision 1 (See Post Script)

My good friend, car enthusiast and shop buddy Ty T. has been transferred to a new assignment on the east coast.  It's good for Ty but I have to admit I am going to miss the camaraderie.  Ty has been a part of this build since day one and he's responsible for many of the major decisions and accomplishments made over the last couple years.  I thought it fitting that we recap some of the more memorable times.

This is Ty removing the first bolt on the first day of our restoration.  It was raining that day.  Look close and you'll see his tool of choice was an air chisel.

Safety has always been first.  Yes, that's a garbage bag used to protect him from fiberglass resin.  It's simple but it worked great.

Ty and Wilson.

By far this is the most viewed picture on our blog.  For today, I'll tell you it has nothing to do with the 1963 fuel injected 327 small block engine.

Ty has always been keen on the period correct/era modified vision.  To do that, countless hours of research have been required.  As a result Ty speaks fluent Mechanical Fuel Injection as well as many other 1963 Corvette related languages.    

Never afraid to tackle anything, here he is rebuilding the A-pillar and windshield support.

Grinding, welding, fiberglassing, you name it, he's done it.  More than once I've cringed while watching Ty pull a sledge hammer and crowbar from the tool chest then head for the car. 

Ty helped figure out the solution to at least 5 fatal flaws made during the rebuild of the fuel injection unit (the rebuild was done by others).  In this video Ty, Max, Dennis and I attempt to start the motor for the first time.   That's Max sucking on the vacuum advance line, Dennis is running the throttle, Ty is operating the starter and I am playing with the distributor.  I title this video, How to Suck Start a Chevy.

 

This is a photo of Ty on a non-Corvette related excursion.  Although it has nothing to do with our build it was the only photograph I could find where Ty wasn't covered in grease, fiberglass or blood.

As I publish this post Ty and his wife are ready to head east.  The good news is his new assignment will bring him back to this area occasionally so I'm sure we'll see him with a crowbar and hammer again.

Thanks for everything Ty and good luck with your new assignment!

POST SCRIPT
At the recommendation of my brother Jim, Ty T. has secretly signed our Corvette.  I don't know where it is but I am told if you make a guess in the comments section of this blog Ty will let you know if you guessed right.  If you've been following this blog since the beginning Ty says there is enough information in the photo to make a good guess.  I am not going to look for it so I hope you guess and guess right.
Good luck!