From the Parts of Lesser Corvettes

One morning not too long after we purchased the car, I woke up crazy-early and couldn't go back to sleep.  To kill time until Mike got up, I started looking for a website to order the "Corvette" letting which is missing from Stella's rear fender.  I opened up Google and searched for '1976 Corvette Stingray rear fender emblem.'  This is what I got in plenty:

And I was at once completely confused, because having memorized every inch of my new hot rod, I knew that Stella's rear end did NOT look like that!  This emblem was all lower-case letters which were also connected to each other, so that when centered it would look like this:

That rear end doesn't look a thing like the one on my '76.  Instead, each letter in the word 'Corvette' is it's own individual piece (not connected) and capitalized.  I had this picture which I had taken of Stella to compare to:

You can easily see that the spaces where the letters go are definitely not connected.  After doing vast research, it became clear to me that Stella's rear fender was not the rear fender of a 1976 Stingray, but of a 1974, or more likely, a 1975 Stingray. It wasn't until '76 when the rear emblem became lower-case and connected as in the top picture. Distraught, I started entertaining wild and crazy notions, like maybe Stella isn't a '76 at all and the guy we bought it from had been mistaken!  Luckily, when logic set in I realized that the title lists it as a '76, and therefore a '76 it is.

Well, mostly anyway. ;)

Since that day Mike and I have discovered several oddities which suggest that our Vette is more like a patchwork quilt.  The ULTIMATE CORVETTE, if you will, made from parts of lesser Vettes. ;)  The rear and front fenders have both been replaced, which is also why the headlamps don't go up and down simultaneously (whoever put them back in did a less than admirable job).  Also, while clearing the brake lines of air pockets one mid-summer day, Mike discovered that Stella had two bleeder valves per rear brake (the 1976 only had one bleeder valve per tire).  It wasn't until earlier years, 1978, that the rear brake structure acquired the second valve.

Luckily, the one feature which could most easily distinguish a '76 from other models was not changed in Stella, despite having parts from both older and younger Corvettes: the steering wheel (which is hands-down the least desirable design for a wheel among collectors).

When straightened, the '76 steering wheel has two spokes on either side (4 in all), positioned almost perfectly to obstruct the driver's view of the speedometer and other important gauges on the dash. It is my belief that this is probably what makes it so unpopular (the '77 adopted a different wheel design much to the relief of Corvette-lovers).  Many owners of '76's swap out this wheel design for either an older or younger model, but I have no interest whatsoever in doing such a thing.  Despite its poor design, this odd steering wheel is part of what makes Stella a '76, and I want nothing but to admire her more unique features.

These oddities might not win Stella any "pretty car" trophies at car shows, but they certainly make her stand out from the crowd for me.  It has been beyond exciting discovering her piece by piece, learning her story little by little.

The Moments

I remember the very first drive I took in Stella with Mike was the night we bought her.  After taking me for a spin on the highway (going at least 100 mph, I'm sure), we stopped at the local Cold Stone Creamery to get some ice cream.  I remember parking it and walking into the building as if it were yesterday.  A couple walked out and the guy instantly said to us, "Nice car."

And I melted into a puddle of goo.  Why?  If you only knew how many times I've said that to other people with Corvettes throughout my entire life, you'd know exactly why.

There are two reasons why I love riding around in Stella:  1) It makes me happy beyond my wildest dreams and 2) moments like the one we had outside of Cold Stone. The 1976 Corvette Stingray is among the 3rd generation Corvette, or C3, versus today's modern C6.  The C6 is beautiful and eye-catching in it's own right, and I have never seen one in my life that I haven't taken a quick second to admire, but the C3 generation I think was Corvette's finest time in history.   There is something mesmerizing about the long, low profile of a C3 that draws attention in a instant, even from people nearby who couldn't really care less about cars.  Everybody looks twice.  Maybe they don't smile, maybe they don't toss me a thumbs up or even acknowledge us.  But they look a second time, if only for an instant.

Occasionally, usually at least once 9 out of 10 times we take her out for a drive, someone will notice enough to actually say or do something to compliment Stella.  My favorite times involve kids--children are so uninhibited in their reactions.  They don't know or understand why they like it.  They don't know anything about make or model or horsepower, but they see those huge wheels, those sweet curves, and that racing stripe and they inherently know it's awesome.  And they tell us so.  Either by laughing, smiling, jaw-dropping, pointing (most often while pulling on Mom or Dad's pant leg) or just shouting out "That is SO COOL!!"  They give Stella well-deserved praise while I can't stop the shit-eating grin from spreading across my face. I seriously live for moments like that.  There are some days I take her out for a drive only because I want to experience a moment like that.

I enjoy other moments too, like that time a motorcyclist pulled up behind us and chanted "That is a sick car." over and over to his passenger.  Or times when people pay more attention to us driving by than to the traffic light or the car in front of them.  Or when people shout to us as we drive by, asking us what year it is or just saying "Nice!"  Another favorite was an old Native American guy we drove past while cruising around downtown, who did nothing more than give me a thumbs up and a smile.  Or when a trucker complimented us on keeping it original in our restoration.  Those are the moments I missed during the weeks she was in the shop with a broken engine.

They're the moments I miss so much right now.

Stella Gets Some Christmas Love!

My sister Kristen really out-did herself this year in the gift-giving department!  Knowing how much enjoyment I get from Stella, she had a scrapbooking book custom-made for me with a beautiful picture of Stella on the front!!  Now I can document the restoration process to look back on fondly over the years!

I've already started working on the book and I plan on adding new pages each year to show what progress we make each season.  It will be a nice way to display all the many (and obsessive) pictures I take of the car, as well as paperwork and other information from repairs we make as we go.  My favorite part of all, it gives me a way to spend time with Stella during the long separation from her over the winter (I haven't even seen her since before Thanksgiving!). Now I can drool over her pictures to keep me occupied until the snow melts and she can be back home with me again! :D

Here is a great close-up shot of the book cover.  Kristen chose a perfect picture--you can see every detail, from the reflection of the trees in the body panels to a tiny stone stuck in the tread of her rear tire!  Thanks Kristen for a truly personal and much-loved gift!! :-D

Love At First Sight

I'm happy to have found this photo gem which Mike captured of me standing next to Stella the day we first found her.  This was only moments after pulling over spontaneously just to 'have a look', which of course eventually turned into something much, much more.  I know decades from now this will be the picture I'll use to describe the moment I fell in love for the 2nd time in my life. Lucky for Mike, it was only a car. ;) 

Goodbye 2011--the Year I Found Stella

It's New Year's Eve, and I find myself sadly reflecting back on what a very difficult year it has been.  I learned a great deal about myself this year--I persevered through trials as I never thought I could, but I never want to put myself to that test again.  Even with all the unfortunate or painful memories that have haunted me today, there is one 2011 event that always brings the smile back to my face--finding Stella.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  that little red corvette found me, changed me, saved me.  I could not think of a time in my life when I could ever have needed it more.  It's just another reminder that there is some kind of great plan for us all.  That the good things (and yes, even the bad) happen to us for a reason.  That you're meant to be tested and loved and hurt, and when it's all said and done you couldn't be who you are without all these experiences.

2011 was a year of difficult change, but each and every time I drive around wrapped in the warmth of Stella's engine, she reminds me that together we weathered the storm.  The days that I wanted to cry I rolled down her window and the wind blew my tears dry.  Mike and I laughed together sitting behind her sun-bleached wheel as she put miles between us and the worries of our world.

And even when she brought us back home again, we were stronger each time.

Merry Christmas!

Ironically, it's Christmas Eve and we have absolutely no snow!  It's a beautiful, sunny day outside and I find myself thinking that it would be great weather for driving the Vette around if only it weren't in STORAGE! ;)

Stella's doing great--our buddy Steve is kindly keeping her in his one-car garage which she shares with Steve's motorcycle (hopefully they're good friends by now :P).  Mike starts her up occasionally to keep her belts and other moving parts from getting too cold and stiff, and checks her fluid levels to be sure they aren't dropping too low.  One month of winter down and it hasn't even been cold enough for us to consider putting her up onto blocks to keep her tires off the ground!  I'm sure winter will make up for lost time--it always does!

To prevent another summer of repairs like the one we just endured, Mike and I have done a better job (so far) of financial planning to fit Stella in alongside our other lofty plans.  For now we have no major repairs in the works, although I would like to replace the seat belts next if possible.  As a special treat, we're contemplating getting a personalized license plate for her in the spring, but only if I can get her name in some combination of letters/numbers.  Otherwise I think I'll just bide my time and save my money.

Merry Christmas Stella!

Absence

Now there's snow on the ground, which is strange.  It seems like just days ago that Stella was driving us around in 90 degree heat, the engine so hot that our legs sweat through the fabric of our pants against her leather seats.

I miss her and think about her all the time. :)