Working on the ’73 Corvette Restoration

A couple weeks ago, we rolled in the 1973 Corvette to get started on its restoration.

This is going to be a full restoration, including refinishing and painting the body, as well as upgrading the motor and interior. New interior will be installed once the seats are reupholstered.

Here is the Before…

Before pic of Corvette

For this classic restoration, we are also helping with the motor and getting various upgrades done. The motor needed to be pulled out and taken to Mountain Machine and Performance shop for rebuilding. It’s getting a complete overhaul and cam and valve train upgrade.

Motor out!

After disassembling several parts and pieces, the first order of business was to strip the paint. This Corvette has a fiberglass body, which cannot withstand the harsh chemicals in paint strippers. Therefore, like many other jobs in this shop, we find it is better to do it by hand.

Stripping paint

After the paint has been stripped, it is time to start on the long process of body work. This involves making the body lines flat and smooth, and taking care of any body blemishes.

There is definitely a lot of sanding that has to happen before it will look and feel perfectly straight. We’re talking days and days! Of course, the reason being you want to see those beautiful curves and lines that make a Corvette what it is.

When the body work is very, very close to being done, then it is time to put the first stage of primer on it. After first primer, our body techs will block sand the car down by hand again.

After all that sanding, you should be able to run your hand down the body of the car and feel no waves. Once the car is painted, you’ll be able to see those subtle waves a lot more. When body work is done right, the painted car should look smooth from all angles.

There’s still a way to go with this car, since we are coordinating the motor and interior work as well. It won’t be long, though, before it’s time to paint and start putting it back together.