My C4 Corvette Restoration Project
Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:00 pm
First, I would like to thank everyone that takes the time to contribute to this site.
I've been lurking (and learning) here for a while, and figured I would start a post on my own project. I originally started sending parts off my project out to others, but reading this site has inspired me to attempt more of it myself.
Background is that I bought this car new (in 1988) and spent the last 20+ years modifying it to the point that I just don't drive it anymore. Guess I've gotten a little too old and it's just a little too "over the top" for me now.
This is how it looked.
Crazy as it might sound, I've decided to remove all the body modifications and put it back stock, and repaint it.
Removing the fiberglass "body kit" left me with screw holes in the doors, front and rear bumpers, rear quarter panels, rockers panels, and two big cutouts in the hood.
How far I am along:
Repaired all the door holes with Lord Fusor 101EZ
The rear bumper had many holes and was very distorted from the spoiler, so I replaced it with a new fiberglass bumper. I did all the fitting and prep work, but had a local shop prime it for me. I want to start doing the painting myself.
I sent the urethane front bumper out to be stripped, holes filled and primed. I'm not to happy with the waves in the top surface, but I not sure how to deal with them yet?
Rather than trying to repair the two large holes in the hood (from the scoops), I bought a pretty good used one, and am working on that part now.
The used hood tips had been broken off, so I made rubber molds from my old hood and cast the tips back onto the used hood after grinding a chisel point to bond to. Not sure if this was the best way to repair them, but it looks to have come out OK.
Now I'm finding a lot of deep chips and paint bubbles in the front of the used hood, and wondering if I can just deal with them, or strip the whole hood.
That's where I am so far, so how am I doing, and how CRAZY am I for messing up a perfectly good Corvette.
I've been lurking (and learning) here for a while, and figured I would start a post on my own project. I originally started sending parts off my project out to others, but reading this site has inspired me to attempt more of it myself.
Background is that I bought this car new (in 1988) and spent the last 20+ years modifying it to the point that I just don't drive it anymore. Guess I've gotten a little too old and it's just a little too "over the top" for me now.
This is how it looked.
Crazy as it might sound, I've decided to remove all the body modifications and put it back stock, and repaint it.
Removing the fiberglass "body kit" left me with screw holes in the doors, front and rear bumpers, rear quarter panels, rockers panels, and two big cutouts in the hood.
How far I am along:
Repaired all the door holes with Lord Fusor 101EZ
The rear bumper had many holes and was very distorted from the spoiler, so I replaced it with a new fiberglass bumper. I did all the fitting and prep work, but had a local shop prime it for me. I want to start doing the painting myself.
I sent the urethane front bumper out to be stripped, holes filled and primed. I'm not to happy with the waves in the top surface, but I not sure how to deal with them yet?
Rather than trying to repair the two large holes in the hood (from the scoops), I bought a pretty good used one, and am working on that part now.
The used hood tips had been broken off, so I made rubber molds from my old hood and cast the tips back onto the used hood after grinding a chisel point to bond to. Not sure if this was the best way to repair them, but it looks to have come out OK.
Now I'm finding a lot of deep chips and paint bubbles in the front of the used hood, and wondering if I can just deal with them, or strip the whole hood.
That's where I am so far, so how am I doing, and how CRAZY am I for messing up a perfectly good Corvette.