From Corvette Rallyes to Aluminum Slotted Wheels

The Corvette's previous owner had the car repainted several years ago from the original factory Silver Metallic (paint code 13) to medium red, and he also had them spray the Rallye rims the same color.

They did not look bad, but they did not look right either, so I removed the wheels from the car, took off the chrome rings and center caps, and repainted them silver with Dupli-Color Perfect Match spray paint.

I am aware that Rallyes were painted at the factory a specific shade of silver, but since NCRS standards do not necessarily apply to my 1976 Stingray, a general-purpose GM silver fit the bill just fine.

Edelbrock 1406 600 CFM Carburetor Installation

A few weeks ago, I had a new Edelbrock intake manifold installed. I also had the original Rochester Quadrajet rebuilt.

Everything seemed okay at first glance, but the car had a flat spot upon acceleration, so that prompted me to bring the car back to the guy who had worked on it right after I bought it.

What we found upon closer inspection, was the fact that the other mechanic had first, failed to really tighten a lot of the bolts that hold the intake manifold in place.

Replacing the Radiator and Radiator Core Support

Since I had purchased a bunch of parts for the '75 Corvette I was planning to restore (which I decided to sell), I ended up with a good selection of stuff that would fit my 1976 model.

As a side note, you need to be very careful when you purchase parts from private sellers, since parts that fit one year may not fit newer or older C3 models.

A reputable Corvette parts reseller will know this and help you get the right parts.

In this case, the 1975 Corvette radiator and core support would fit my early production '76 and that helped me save a bunch of money from having to purchase yet more parts.

Restoring the Wiper Bay Area — Part 2

A few parts after polishing and painting

Since there's no way to properly clean and detail the wiper bay area without removing the wiper arms, mechanism, washer hoses, and motor, I started by doing just that.

I also felt that it would be necessary to detail all components so everything would look new.

As the photos show, all the parts were in rough shape.

The only way to make parts look new again was to wash them thoroughly, then sand them to eliminate as many imperfections as possible, followed by painting them in the right factory-finish.

Restoring the Wiper Bay Area — Part 1

It is obvious that assembly line workers back in the 1970s cared very little about quality.

All you have to do is look inside the wiper bay area, or wiper trough as some call it, and you'll see globs and globs of body seam sealer all over everything.

Some owners choose to hide this mess by installing an aftermarket wiper bay cover. And while it does the job and looks nice, it only masks what lies underneath.

Instead, I chose to take the time to remove all wiper system components, including the wiper arms, washer hoses, and motor, so I could detail this area properly.

My Plan for my '76 Corvette

Since I failed to start my chronicle the day I got the car, this blog —from this date back—will be more of a recap of what I did (or what I'm doing) to my Vette.

I bought the car from the second owner who purchased it from the original buyer in New Jersey.

According to the story, they were friends and both of them were policemen up in NJ.

The guy who bought the car originally loved Corvettes, and after a few years had three of them in his garage, including my '76.

But apparently, he really enjoyed driving the newer cars he had, so—according to the second owner—the car just sat in the garage and served double duty as a bench for a roll of carpeting as well as several boxes that were piled atop of the vehicle for years.

The Chase: Finding my C3 Corvette

On February 16, 2015, I ran across an ad for a 1976 Corvette Stingray for sale in Orlando. It looked good and original, so I emailed the seller to get a little more info about the car.

C3 Corvette - 2015 Vette Show at Disney's Coronado Resort

I drove down to Disney's Coronado Resort in Orlando for the Thanksgiving Weekend Corvette Show.

A bit odd they chose this date since it conflicts with the Daytona Turkey Run.

Nonetheless, there were a few C3s in attendance, but most of the Corvettes present were C5s and newer, with a sprinkling of C1s and C2s.