Bart K Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Been working on a 1969 Corvette coupe mechanical restoration. My friend Carl has done most of the work, but I get in and help when our schedules match up. It does have a matching numbers drive train, but I did go back with Aluminum heads, an aluminum water pump and a roller top end to include cam/lifters/stainless steel rockers. A few other upgrades I did were drilled and slotted rotors, stainless steel sleeved calipers, a new type of rear strut rods that adjust like tie rod ends instead of the cam setup. The trans was also rebuilt. I also converted to a tilt/tele steering column and power brakes. Anyhow, this last weekend, I made a few videos to show the progress. Please check them out if you like! Interior update: Engine bay, front suspension update: Rear suspension update: Engine rebuild update: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theChad Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Nice videos! I fixed them so that the YouTube is an embedded version instead of links. Look prettier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 3, 2017 Author Share Posted August 3, 2017 Tell me how you fixed them and I will try and post in that fashion going forward. Glad you enjoyed the videos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theChad Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Bart K said: Tell me how you fixed them and I will try and post in that fashion going forward. Glad you enjoyed the videos! They should auto-embed. If you paste one link in at a time, give it a second or two, it should fill in with the YouTube video window. You then get a choice to "remove formatting", but don't do that. Hit enter a couple times and paste another link. If more than one link were pasted at once, that may have caused it to fail to retrieve the YouTube window. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 3, 2017 Author Share Posted August 3, 2017 Thank you Chad. It was my bad, I pasted all the links at once. I will do it one at a time going forward. Thanks for the tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnU Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 Great films!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurch Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 Nice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new vette 62 Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 Nice job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 3, 2017 Author Share Posted August 3, 2017 Thanks Guys! new vette 62, love your car! I used to have an Ermine white with Black interior and a 340hp motor....yours reminds me very much of mine! I am so sorry I ever sold that car!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdawg Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 Great videos, can't wait to see this project moving along 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 4, 2017 Author Share Posted August 4, 2017 I am hoping to have it back on the road in the next 4 to 6 weeks.....perfect timing for driving in southeastern Arizona in a no air car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51tj Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 5, 2017 Author Share Posted August 5, 2017 Thanks for reading/viewing! Is that P51 as in the P51 Mustang? I frickin' LOVE that plane! I also love the F4U Corsair, would have loved to have flown one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51tj Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 Yes it is... not a flyer, just a BIG fan. F4U also a sweet bird. Since you said F4, I also love the Phantom in which I had the privilege to monkey around with for a little over 10 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 6, 2017 Author Share Posted August 6, 2017 Isn't it interesting that a lot of Vette people are also in to aviation? Even if you are not a pilot, you can fly low in a Vette! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 13, 2017 Author Share Posted August 13, 2017 Here is a new video of the engine and trans going in as well as a few other updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 27, 2017 Author Share Posted August 27, 2017 Update on the 69 Big Block 4 speed coupe mechanical restoration as of 8/26/2017. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2krtaf Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Very nice indeed!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 Nice Chally! I know this is a Corvette site, but I felt I had to share this with you Dodge Boy.....I am sure you can appreciate this 67 Plum Crazy Plymouth GTX clone I used to own! I still own a 69 4 door Dodge Coronet as well as my 69 Vette. 69 was a good year for cool cars! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2krtaf Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 I love Mopar muscle and Vettes! That Plum clone is gorgeous as well as the Coronet! And the ’69 aint too shabby either LOL! I like toys and things that go fast,probably why I work on jets for a living.Currently Vette less,just trying to figure out what I want to play with next.I love the Chrome bumper cars,but have a huge soft spot for the C5 Z06’s as well.There are days when i miss my last Vette,a 2011 GS. But digging your build for sure!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted September 1, 2017 Author Share Posted September 1, 2017 Thanks y2krtaf! I wish I had the money to have kept them all!!! In some ways, you are in the best position, meaning "Vette less" because your canvas is clean and anything is possible! I was really wanting a C2, but when this C3 came along from a friend, I could not say no. I hope she wants to buy it back so I can go shopping for a C2. I have had C1's, C3's, a C4 I flipped and a C5, but never a C2. We will just have to see how life unfolds!!! I wonder how many Vettes got ruined in Hurricane Harvey, I am sure it is a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51tj Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Thanks for the continued updates. diggin it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted September 1, 2017 Author Share Posted September 1, 2017 Thanks P51! Probably no action as my buddy Carl is travelling this week (leaves tomorrow AM, and I am on call this weekend, and I work Monday. Carl did call to let me know that he got the fan/shroud issue dealt with, put oil in the trans, got the drive shaft installed among other things. He also sent me a parts list, but we are getting down to the little things now. He is also LOOKING FORWARD to pulling the instrument cluster/console and making sure everything is working properly, and he wants to change all the bulbs behind the dash......he LOVES that stuff! Me, not so much. I mean I want it to work, but I do not have the skill, patience or dexterity to do it. It may be a couple of weeks before another video, but we are getting close to the day when we fire up the 427! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted September 16, 2017 Author Share Posted September 16, 2017 9/15/2017 Update: We only had a few hours on a Friday afternoon to work on the Vette together, but Carl had gotten a lot done on his own. The video pretty much speaks for itself. Carl has set a date of three weeks from today for completion which would be near the birthday of the car which is 10/07/1968. We also found and recovered the tank sticker!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart K Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 69 Corvette 427 4 Speed Restoration Update 11032017 We are getting very close to starting the engine for the first time since it was removed for a rebuild back in March. To start the car we need the steering column in and before we can do that, we need the dash reassembled, and before that can happen, we need a couple of parts to show up that are on back order from Corvette Central. Carl has done an amazing job on the dash. He completely removed EVERYTHING and sanitized the firewall area with 3 washes, then covered everything in Dynamat heat and sound barrier before reinstalling all the heater duct and the wire harness. He also sanitized the vent areas behind the kick panels and serviced all the doors for the heater and vent system. As I mention in the video, Carl completely removed the harness and soda blasted all the connectors, re-taped the harness, cleaned any connections inside the car, then applied dialectic grease to all connections to inhibit corrosion. What you see in the video is all that work done and ready for the dash to go together once we have the headlight switch. I am very glad I have a friend like Carl who is willing to go to this level of detail to do things right! I will be happy to have a fully functional dash/fiber optic system. We also dealt with a gas tank issue. If the gas tank is installed correctly, the filler neck is towards the back of the gas door opening. The new tank and the old tank were compared and they look the same. I am going to check this out with the guys from the C3 forum on www.corvetteforum.com/ they have been a huge help in providing knowledge and experience to help me during this restoration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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