Hey, tried PM'ing you but it bounced back, so here you go!
I wrote a story about your car!
Your car rules. Keep it going! Love the pics of it going full tilt in the mud!
Hey, tried PM'ing you but it bounced back, so here you go!
I wrote a story about your car!
Your car rules. Keep it going! Love the pics of it going full tilt in the mud!
SilverFleet wrote: Hey, tried PM'ing you but it bounced back, so here you go! I wrote a story about your car! Your car rules. Keep it going! Love the pics of it going full tilt in the mud!
Ha! That is awesome
I wonder why the PM bounced back....
Does this car have a limited slip? What size are the Generals on the steelies?
In reply to Woody:
Yes it does have limited slip, and the tire size is 225-70R15. I probably could have/ should have gone to 215s. However I would have switched to 7" wide wheels with 3"BS vs the 8"/ 4"BS but part of my plan involves running these as winter tires... So I wanted to keep the bearing load as close as I could to what OEM intended.
Hey everyone, I thought I would throw a couple old posts that I did on CorvetteForum here on this build thread. The are from about this time last year, and they are not fore all out performance but I think you might like seeing them:
-THIS IS HOW I ROLL-
over the past 30+ years the console sides on my '77 have gone south, so I decided to try and make my own. I took pics while in process and although I know it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.. here we go!
first I used the originals to trace a pattern on to .050" aluminum sheet
Then I used a jig saw to cut the sides free...
then using a hand bead roller with a couple of step dies, I rolled a lip on the top and rolled in a flame lick...
Then I used a small English wheel to flair the bottom like the original sides to match the transmission tunnel...
after that I used some 320 wet/dry to remove tooling marks and give it a 'brushed' look. Here it is with the original panel
..AND here it is installed (the E-brake boot pushed up over the lip.. but I didn't notice until I was up loading photos )
it's not perfect, but it is better than I had and it was a good learning tool! What do you guys think?
-TAKE A SEAT-
This may not be a very exciting post but I wanted to share my achievement and see what you guys think. I have owned my 77 for about 5 years now and the upholstery on the seats has disintegrated.
I had a couple options in the last year or so:
Option one: I had a pair of low end racing seats given to me - fail: due to the fact that the side bolsters were so wide I couldn't shut the door.
Option two: 1984 Corvette seats from the car I parted out - loved the bolsters but still a Fail due to that they never really fit 'right' and the size of the back rest eliminated the storage for my tool kit behind the seat. (and they also need recovered)
So I went to option 3: Recover the originals myself - with added support.... here is a condensed version
What we had to start with:
My wife and I cut the seams apart from the original seat covers to make patterns (not easy when the material is falling apart in your hands)
Jumping a head a bit... here the lower seat cover is fit and we are testing the back rest. The under lying foam was in good shape so I glued extra foam on for the bolsters (2in on the seat and almost 3" on the back rest)
...And here is the finished driver seat with its old passenger companion
I know it is not perfect, But I spent less than 100 bucks in materials and I don't think its /too/ bad for our first time working with automotive upholstery.. and we will have nice plush seats for power tour!
EDIT: We should have done french seams to make everything lay nice and flat but the wife and I were kinda making it up as we went along, and we wanted to make sure we got them done before the trip so we had two seats... next time will be better!
lastly here is another mod you guys might like to see:
When we did the long haul on power tour last year I wanted to carry a set of jack stands, but they would not fit in the car. However with the side pipes, the pockets for the OEM mufflers are now open. So, a couple U-bolts and spring clips later... Discreet jack stand storage!
Madhatr wrote: Hey guys, sorry for the delayed reply. Wife and I took a road trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Sadly we didn't take the vette, mostly because it is still in pieces, but also her A4 gets better gas mileage accelerating up hill, than the vette does just cruisingThe good news is I got the rear spindle/bearing assembly setup to .0015" endplay and the new parts showed up
Jambo wrote: Do you guys run a Corvette class in rallycross or something? That was another one taking off right in front of you, wasn't it? And I love to see these older vettes get some action. They always seem to be abused or relegated to Sunday cruising.Ha! You are right, that is another corvette. We both run in Modified Rear wheel drive class. The yellow one is rougher than mine, no dash and they had to use a ratchet strap to hold the t-tops on!but they have much more experience and kicked my butt!
Woody wrote: That is quite possibly the most GRM photo ever.Thanks! I really like this one too... hence the avatar
THIS is the thread where I saw the test indicator! I remembered seeing one but couldn't find the thread.
I'm not trying to be a dickhead, but you may have a bit more than .0015" endplay. The stylus needs to be parallel to the feature being measured, in the middle of the sweep, otherwise you incur cosine error.
Anyway, carry on doing awesome stuff!
In reply to The_Jed:
Good to know! Completely user error. I had never used a test indicator before. I borrowed it from one of the guys at work, well his Mag base really because it has a double joint to get out over the disk brake dust shield. I then find out at 11:30pm that he has no way to attach a standard dail indicator to the mag base...just the test indicator
But now that you say that it makes sence. I would think it still should be good though. I hope next time fingers crossed the next time it comes apart it is to put the C4 suspension in. The wife is even now rooting for that after helping me chase the trailing arm pivot bolt thru the frame!
I got two of the videos from Autocross on sunday uploaded and thought I would share. I have been playing with the editing software a little, let me know what you think!
First outside the car... in the rain, but I really like this camera angle....
https://www.youtube.com/embed/vZ9t3eian64
Second, our freind Rachel's ride along (first run) she had never ridden in the vette before, and had never been to an autox event either... her reactions are pretty funny, and we were not even fast!
Been working on other projects lately, mostly the house... but I did change out the steering coupler on the vette this weekend.
Here is a pic of what is left of the one that came out:
I don't even want to think about how many miles are on it in that condition 
In reply to Madhatr:
I love Rachel's reaction - she's a good sport.
That rag joint tho.
Unbalanced engineering makes a solid one for 4th gen fbodies, i bet the spacing is the same, or you could make one out of aluminum.
Make a big differnce on mine. It was probably wore out pretty well though
In reply to Mezzanine: Rachel realy enjoyed the ride, she saw the pics and video from the rally and wanted to know if she could go along... we said this is a little different being on pavement, but since it was in our home town there was nothing to lose. The next rally event is about 90miles away... but really close to my brother-in-law and his girlfriend, we will have to see if they want to come along 
As for the rag joint, I knew it was worn and it was on my 'list' but I didn't think it was that bad. Props to engineers that designed it so when it failed, it still WORKS!
In reply to Opti: Good to know... I replaced it with a stocker though. When the C4 suspension and steering rack goes in it will get changed out for u-joints more than likely.
Hello everyone,
Been out playing in the dirt again. Here are a few pics:
And couple others:
We actually left rubber on the starting line!
....new video
You're doing it right!
Madhatr wrote:it's not perfect, but it is better than I had and it was a good learning tool! What do you guys think?
May not be perfect, but it's yours (at least that's always my justification). These look great though.
Love this build! So mean with the steelies on and that jackstand storage is awesome.
I love you console side panels. Super cool.
Nice side panels, and way to dive into the seats, even though you'd never done it before. That is the GRM way!
Thanks for the encouragement everyone!
I was pleased with the console sides when I did them. I have two larger pieces of .050 to make matching door panels, I was even smart enough to label them so I don't inadvertently cut them up for something else.
The jack stands were one of those 'Wile E. Coyote - super genius' moments....
@mmurry: I really like my 17" street wheels, but it really surprises me how much attention those stock car wheels and A/T tires get!
@Brett_Murphy: I apparently have been doing thing the GRM way for my whole life with out knowing it! So glad I found this place
BTW I love your sig file... it makes me chuckle every time.
I might be looking for another seat option, during the last rally, I found my self, using my knees against the console and door to stay planted. I'm think about trying to find used aluminum stock car seats on the cheap, so I don't feel bad when I cut them up for what I need
My dad has a '69 427 with side pipes. I put some big, nasty blisters on my calfs trying to climb out of that car when I was a kid.
Ah, memories.
Madhatr wrote: I might be looking for another seat option, during the last rally, I found my self, using my knees against the console and door to stay planted. I'm think about trying to find used aluminum stock car seats on the cheap, so I don't feel bad when I cut them up for what I need
If you want to borrow some side-mount Sparco Evo II Plus seats just to test-fit and see if you like them, I'm happy to lend you one or two for a week. Think of it as the drug dealer method of getting you hooked.
They're a touch too wide for my Miata, but might fit just fine in your car. They'd look very modern and out of place though!
(I'm in 52241 and they're not mounted to anything at the moment)
In reply to Kylini:
Hello again kyle! I would be interested in seeing how something like that would fit/work/feel. The wife and I might have to make a run down that way with the vette and see how they fit sometime
I actually feel kind guilty about all the attention, the Dirtball is getting. Guys like you and David are out there making the events happen. Also you guys put alot of effort into your cars... and you are fast!
I am happy that my shenanigans are making so many other people smile... but, I am just a farmboy enjoying some V8 goodness
I have a set of Recaros from a 92 Jetta GLi mounted in my 75. Only need some adapters I made from extra metal to mount them to the Vette sliders. Very supportive. If I get a chance I'll post some pics.
In reply to vwcorvette:
I would love to see those pics!
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