Cheers

To the little red Corvette that I'm sure has truly saved my life.

Major Surgery Round 2

Stella went under the knife for the second time this summer to have the radiator replaced.  At first we had intentions of doing it ourselves over the winter, but various circumstances convinced us to take care of it sooner. After doing some research, our options included:

• Using a radiator sealant (temporary)
• Having the old radiator re-cored 
• Buying and installing a new radiator (plastic, metal or aluminum) 

Using a temporary radiator leak sealant was the quickest and cheapest option.  You can buy this stuff at any AutoZone or auto parts store and all you have to do is dump it into the radiator and drive your car around for a half an hour. We entertained this idea very briefly, mostly during the period of time when we were considering removing the radiator over the winter, as a kind of "get us to winter" fix.  After all, we have a mere handful of weeks before Stella has to go into long term storage for Michigan's 5 to 6 month snowy season.

Having the radiator re-cored was an attractive option and a way to keep the radiator original, but it was more expensive and more complicated.  It would involve having a mechanic remove the radiator, towing the Vette to some other location while the radiator was re-cored (because the re-core and the radiator removal wouldn't be able to be done by the same mechanics), then towing the Vette back to the mechanic to have them re-install the newly re-cored radiator.  So, we'd be paying for the labor hours, paying for the re-core, and paying for the towing fees.  Not to mention, I have no idea were I would be storing it in the interim. 

The last option was to buckle down and buy a new radiator designed to fit our make and model, which was eventually what we chose to do.  We didn't want to go with the cheapest choice, which was plastic, and couldn't quite afford the aluminum radiator.  We wanted to--aluminum radiators are most effective at keeping the engine cool and as I've discussed previously, old Corvettes run hot--but much like with the engine replacement, we simply couldn't  go above and beyond.  The original radiator was made out of metal and lasted 35 years--so hopefully I'll get at least half of that time from this metal reproduction!

We tried a new mechanic this time and so far we've been pleased (although I have yet to get the car back, so we'll see how I feel later today when I do! ;) ).  The work was supposed to take two days, and the morning of the first day I got a call saying that they've run into "all sorts of problems."  Apparently to remove the radiator will require removing parts of the engine (which were getting in the way) and parts of the front wheel suspension system (which needed repairing).  

Basically, this mechanic told me what I already know (and love despite myself) about this car--everything that Mike and I haven't replaced already needs to be replaced.  Luckily, those things are getting fewer and fewer as we go. ;)

We gave the (slightly reluctant) go ahead and we'll be picking her up today.  With only a scant few weeks before it snows, I'll be enjoying that car as much as possible before her long winter's nap. :)

Hot Mamma

As I've mentioned before, my husband Mike and I are just about as uneducated as they come when it comes to being mechanics (although Mike has an impressive knowledge base compared to mine), and spending time with Stella is a constant learning process.  For example, we recently learned that she doesn't do so well in traffic jams. >_<

Corvettes were designed to be as aerodynamic as possible--curvy, low to the ground, a pointed nose, etc--but although this made them very fast (and totally BAMF), it didn't make it any easier on the engine.  With a smallish grill underneath each headlamp, there just isn't enough air moving over the engine to keep it sufficiently cool.  This problem is made substantially worse when the car is running but not moving, such as it would be in a traffic jam.  The engine temperature, which usually sits at a scorching 200 degrees to begin with, creeps quickly into the 220s-230s after five to ten minutes idling in traffic.  This is not uncommon, but it took some time for Mike and I to learn that.

Unfortunately, each time we learn something, we tend to find a hole in something else. ;)

Thinking we had a coolant problem, we took Stella to our favorite oil-change place where a trustworthy father-son duo have been looking underneath our cars for many years now.  After a radiator flush and reassurance that our engine was behaving just as typically as any engine would've back then, they brought to our attention that we had a pretty nasty hole in the radiator anyway.  This didn't come as a huge surprise--since the engine was replaced we'd been noticing a sizable puddle beneath the radiator regularly.  Not to mention, no news is quite as bad as hearing that the engine block was cracked.  Everything else seems like small potatoes in comparison.

Nevertheless, Mike and I had to decide where exactly to focus our restoration at this point.  Owning a car this old is probably similar to owning an old house.  You may want to paint the rooms, pull up the carpet and put down some hardwood floors--make it look better in general--but you've got to fix the pluming, furnace, and structural damages first.  Because a great looking house doesn't do you a damn bit of good if it can't perform the functions of a house.  If it can't keep you warm, keep water in your toilets, or keep the roof over your head.  To everything there is a season, and Stella's vital organs take precedence over her worn seats and cracked dashboard.  I've gotta make this car better from the inside out--but I'm going to have to start deep inside.

I've already replaced her heart--time for her guts. ;)

A Little History: Options

These days when you shop for a car the price you find initially is the "standard" price.  The price you pay when you get the bare minimum without all the bells and whistles.  If you want additional 'options,' such as a sunroof for example, that's gonna cost you a bunch more.  Well, over three decades ago things weren't that different in that department.

In 1976 the average price for a car was between $5-$6K, which put the '76 Stingray a little on the higher end of the spectrum, running around $8K for the standard package.  I don't know anything about the original owner of my '76, but one of the many speculations I've made about him (or her!) is that this kid went all out.  How do I know that?  I know that because my '76 is no 'standard package.'

The most important feature is that Stella has automatic transmission.  Automatic!! Can you believe that??  These days if you buy a Corvette that thing comes with manual as a standard, like all true sports cars were meant to be.  If you're manual transmission-challenged like me and you want automatic, you're going to be paying a lot of money to get it.  I can't tell you how many times I've thought of myself as lucky to have stumbled across this particular old Vette and by complete random chance it happened to be automatic.

My second favorite 'option' are the automatic windows.  My very first car was a 1996 Geo Prism--20 years younger--which had the good old fashioned crank 'em down windows.  The kind you had to actually be sitting next to the door in question to operate.  But not Stella!  All I've got to do is push a button and those windows go down.  And somehow, despite everything else in horrible disrepair, those window motors somehow still work awesome!  (But surely now that I've said that they will go up in smoke just to spite me!)

Stella also comes complete with air conditioning, which I think is a luxury feature despite its pointlessness on a sports car.  I mean, air conditioning?  When you've got T-top panels you can pull off to let Mother Nature's air conditioning blow apart your meticulously arranged hair? ;)  The air conditioner doesn't work and when we had the engine replaced we requested that it be removed from the engine compartment to reduce overall weight and give us more elbow room under the hood for future projects.

As mentioned above, Stella is a T-top.  1976 didn't have the option of a convertible, but instead limited production to hardtops and the coupe.  Taking off the top is definitely a level of joy-riding to be undertaken on a warmer day, but it's a blast every time.  In fact, after riding without the top on for a while, putting the T-tops back in place can make the cabin feel a little cramped.

The last 'option' it seems to me is the security system.  I know very little about this feature, having done embarrassingly little research, but Stella has a keyhole (much like a regular door lock) just forward of the Stingray emblem on the driver's side.  This keyhole is not found on the passenger side.  Upon further investigation, it was discovered that this key hole provided access to a type of security system.  A primitive ancestor to today's car alarms, so to speak.  Just what this system does or if it works remains yet to be seen.  I don't have high hopes though--neither door lock works anymore. B-)

All this being said, the original owner put a lot of money into making this car just what he wanted it to be.  What happened to Stella for the next three decades is a bit of a mystery.

Stella Gets Admired

Few things make me happier than to see other people enjoying Stella the way I enjoy her.  

These pictures were taken at my coworker Chris's house one night when he had us over for a BBQ dinner.  As we were leaving Chris came out to see the car and the whole group followed us outside, crowding around Stella and admiring her.  We offered to give Chris a ride (which he accepted without hesitation) and while Mike did the honors, all of his kids ran back to the house to grab their cameras so they could pose with the car when it came back.  I could only watch and laugh as they lined up in front of her one by one and then in groups, taking picture after picture.  I love stuff like that.  Not because watching people gawking at my car makes me feel badass (even though it does), but because I feel like Stella deserves it.  The more time I spend with her the more I feel like she's had a rough 35 years.  I don't want to drag race or go hot-rodding around, or stick a huge engine under the hood that will make her go 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds.  I want to enjoy her, and I want others to enjoy her too.

I want people to see her as more than a car, more than a machine, but as a way to have fun and enjoy each other.  Something that can make the worst day blow off you in a minute, and make you smile each and every time you start it up.  Because it's not about the horsepower or the paint job, it's about the memories you make and the places those wheels take you.

The Squeaky

Well, we fixed the radio and the squeaky wheel but I'm not sure how we did either one! >_<  Oh the joys (and mysteries) of owning a car older than oneself.

On the Road Again

I'm telling you, the Corvette Stingray had enough curves to make a woman jealous! 

There just aren't words to describe what it looks like to open the hood of a 35 year old car and see something totally new inside.  Our mechanic, Rex, did a great job installing the engine and now she runs and sounds fantastic.  We've been advised by the greater Corvette community to take it easy on the engine for the first few hundred miles until it's been properly broken in.  It's startling to imagine that the motor now powering a '76 Vette is younger than the motor in Mike's 2011 KIA.  We weren't able to go up in horsepower (which was recommended to us by many), but instead stayed true to the 350, 195 hp crate engine.  We did what we were able to do (which was basically what we could afford to do) to keep her going.  Maybe someday we'll be able to go above and beyond.

We received a long, long list of parts which were replaced during engine installment.  I would list them all here for documentation sake, but unfortunately, I have no idea what most of them are.  The only thing I can say for sure is that at least four gaskets were replaced and all eight spark plugs (much to Mike's disappointment--he and Steve spent an entire afternoon replacing the spark plugs not that long ago).  I believe several structural items were also replaced, along with the water pump.  It looks like a totally different car underneath that hood and I couldn't be happier.

Tonight we went for a cruise and a Toyota Camry wanted to race us.  We laughed of course, having twice the cylinders he had, but politely declined.  "We're breaking in a new engine," we said.  I don't think he believed us--probably he thought we were too chicken, but that's okay.  Stella doesn't even have to be moving to catch the attention of everyone around her.  She's beautiful, you can hear her coming from a mile away, and she doesn't even have to hit 30 mph to be completely badass.  Don't get me wrong, that Camry would've gotten creamed, but Stella doesn't have anything to prove.  ;)

See?