rjent
01-16-2008, 02:38 PM
Our ’74 coupe was a Pro-stock drag car in the 70’s. The body was trashed (it hit the guard rail from front to back) on a run and re-bodied in ’79 the frame and suspension was fine. A friend of mine, actually my parts supplier to my shop, bought it and wanted to fix it up for his honeymoon as a surprise for his bride, so he asked me to help.
It was missing the engine and transmission, so we went on a search for a good four bolt truck 350 to build (remember this was in 1980 and engines were pretty easy to find). We found the engine, I had a rebuildable THM350 core at the shop I gave him as a wedding present, soooo we had our power train. Dale started working on the interior with front carpet, and a console, the interior wasn’t really all that bad while I started on the engine/transmission. I designed the cam/intake/head combination with a competition cam, an Eldelbrock intake, and a pair of camel hump heads (I forget the specs now) which was pretty much top of the line at the time. Dale took the block, had the machining and balancing done and then assembled the engine while I built the street/strip tranny for him, as that was my expertise as well as engines and electrical/fuel injection. Dale put it all back together at his home shop, painted it, and went on his honeymoon. When he returned from the honeymoon, he came by the shop one day in 1981 and asked if I wanted the vette. I was really not a vette guy, but I talked it over with my wife and we decided to ask what he wanted for it. The funny part of this story is that he was in dire need of a farm tractor, and I had a late 70’s Ford 2000 35 hp two-wheel drive tractor that I was no longer using. I offered to trade him straight across, the tractor for the vette, and he agreed! I still laugh about that, because I was concerned as to how to sell the tractor (I am in a small town) as there is not a big demand for farm tractors.
The old gal had about 20000 miles on her then and was pretty quick for the era. Laura and I have driven her for 70000 fun miles since then. She went into storage for a few years in the early nineties and then we rebuilt the interior and gave her a new paint job. The front and rear urethane bumpers finally went to hell a few years ago so we replace them and repainted her again in Mulsane blue. I will never get rid of this car. It has been part of our “family” since 1981, and it would seem funny not having her around. The engine is pretty tired now and I am really struggling with whether putting a stroker into her or rebuilding her again. The 350 is at .030 now so I may have to go to .060 and the potential hot spots. Well see.
All I can say is that I have totally enjoyed every min. we have owned this old gal, even when she would break on us from time to time! :laughing:
I will write up the story on my ‘vert in a few days! :thumbsup:
Then (about 1982):
http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/corvette-photos/data/508/3474374_2.JPG
Now (2005 Vettes on the Rockies):
http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/corvette-photos/data/525/34743DSCLOWRZ.JPG
It was missing the engine and transmission, so we went on a search for a good four bolt truck 350 to build (remember this was in 1980 and engines were pretty easy to find). We found the engine, I had a rebuildable THM350 core at the shop I gave him as a wedding present, soooo we had our power train. Dale started working on the interior with front carpet, and a console, the interior wasn’t really all that bad while I started on the engine/transmission. I designed the cam/intake/head combination with a competition cam, an Eldelbrock intake, and a pair of camel hump heads (I forget the specs now) which was pretty much top of the line at the time. Dale took the block, had the machining and balancing done and then assembled the engine while I built the street/strip tranny for him, as that was my expertise as well as engines and electrical/fuel injection. Dale put it all back together at his home shop, painted it, and went on his honeymoon. When he returned from the honeymoon, he came by the shop one day in 1981 and asked if I wanted the vette. I was really not a vette guy, but I talked it over with my wife and we decided to ask what he wanted for it. The funny part of this story is that he was in dire need of a farm tractor, and I had a late 70’s Ford 2000 35 hp two-wheel drive tractor that I was no longer using. I offered to trade him straight across, the tractor for the vette, and he agreed! I still laugh about that, because I was concerned as to how to sell the tractor (I am in a small town) as there is not a big demand for farm tractors.
The old gal had about 20000 miles on her then and was pretty quick for the era. Laura and I have driven her for 70000 fun miles since then. She went into storage for a few years in the early nineties and then we rebuilt the interior and gave her a new paint job. The front and rear urethane bumpers finally went to hell a few years ago so we replace them and repainted her again in Mulsane blue. I will never get rid of this car. It has been part of our “family” since 1981, and it would seem funny not having her around. The engine is pretty tired now and I am really struggling with whether putting a stroker into her or rebuilding her again. The 350 is at .030 now so I may have to go to .060 and the potential hot spots. Well see.
All I can say is that I have totally enjoyed every min. we have owned this old gal, even when she would break on us from time to time! :laughing:
I will write up the story on my ‘vert in a few days! :thumbsup:
Then (about 1982):
http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/corvette-photos/data/508/3474374_2.JPG
Now (2005 Vettes on the Rockies):
http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/corvette-photos/data/525/34743DSCLOWRZ.JPG