well i decided to buy that project car that i thought was complete. i'm finding that alot of small parts are missing. for example; steering wheel, trim around the tail pipe exits, manifold & carb, bellhousing, spare tire carrier, distributor, and i'm sure i'll find more m.i.a. stuff as i continue reassembling. i would like to eventually be able to have this car judged. how important is it to have the correct bolts & paint on the suspension and motor? also when trying to replace these missing parts how difficult will it be to find the correct parts? or can i use reproductions?
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Re: project 1969
Hi Scott:
The best advise I can give you is to start a reference library. You will need the judging guide, Assembly Instruction Manual for starters. All the items described in the judging guide are judged in the field, subject to accessibility.
Some reproduction parts are made from the original tooling and are all but undetectable from original, some reproduction parts are made from original tooling but can be spotted a mile away due to such things as incorrect finish, tool wear and material. Experience and homework will be your best advocate. If you are within reach of the major swap meets, start attending and Carlisle is only a few months away and will offer you a huge array of vendors to enlighten you both in a positive fashion and less than positive.
Good luck on your BB 69.
jerry -
Re: project 1969
Scott-----
At this point, I'd be a lot more concerned about obtaining and installing the correct components than spending a lot of time over nut and bolt head markings. With respect to the parts you mentioned, I'll offer the following:
The exhaust manifolds are available in reproduction or you can obtain them used. Good used ones sell for about $175-200 each. Reproductions, which are excellent, sell for about $600/pair. The exhaust bezels are available in reproduction and are very good. The originals, actually, were never perfect and these parts degrade quickly due to exhaust heat inasmuch as they were chromed zinc-die-cast material. Stainless steel reproductions are available that are very close to the originals in visual configuration and will keep their appearance forever. These are better for a driven car; for a show-only car, the originals or reproductions are the way to go.
Assuming that your car is an L-36 big block, the intake manifold that you will require is an aluminum manifold of GM casting #3947801. This manifold was only used on Corvettes and only in the VERY late 1968 and complete 1969 model year. These manifolds in good condition sell for in the $300-400 price range and are not reproduced. The carburetor which you need, if you wish an original-numbered carb, is a Rochester Q-Jet GM #7029215. This particular carburetor can be difficult to locate. Otherwise, you can use any 1969 era Q-Jet rebuilt and tuned for the requirements of your engine. New Q-Jets of similar configuration are available from Edelbrock.
Your bellhousing should be a GM #3899621. This bellhousing is still available from GM but GM lists for $293.00. Good used ones are readily available for about $75-100. This particular bellhousing was used on MANY Chevrolet models equipped with manual transmissions and 11" clutches.
The spare tire carrier was never available from GM as a complete assembly. The fiberglass tray component is still available under GM #3914225 for $127.00 list. The "V-strap" has been discontinued for years. Good used spare tire carrier assmblies are readily available in the used marketplace for about $100-150. All 1968-82 Corvettes used the same carrier, so there are a lot of them out there which once belonged to cars that have gone to "Corvette Heaven".
Your distributor probably was originally GM #1111926(unless your car was TI-equipped). You may be able to find this distributor used, but you can use any 62-74 Corvette tach drive distributor which has been reconfigured to match your distributor's original advance characteristics. Small block and big block distributors will generally interchange, so you've got a lot of "cores" to choose from. Reproduction or original distributor bands are available to give your distributor the "finishing touch" so appreciated by judges.
As far as the steering wheel goes, you will need to look for a good, used one. These 69-76 steering wheels are not currently being reproduced, to my knowledge. Many used ones show considerable wear in the grain pattern of the black, hard rubber portion of the wheel. Many are worn smooth in some spots and, unfortunately, there is no way to restore them that I know of. This wheel, or a VERY similar one, was also used on some intermediate-sized Buicks of the period so you might try looking there. NOS examples are as scarce as hen's teeth. I've acquired 3 such examples over the years and they are among the "prize acquisitions" of my collection (NOT for sale, though).In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: project 1969
thanks for the info guys. i was wondering, could you send me a picture of some hens teeth? i don't think we have any of those in detroit.Comment
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Re: project 1969
Hi Scott:
As an afterthought you might give Jerry Luck a call for that Q Jet, he is a master at his craft and often has the components to assemble the correct carb for your application:
Jerry Luck Motorsports 314-895-1551, tell him Jerry sent ya.
jerry (clark)Comment
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Re: project 1969
Ask the guy you bought it from if he has any of the stuff you're missing in his attic or somewhere else. You never know and it could save you a lot of money if he has just one or two of the big dollar things you are missing. I'm pretty new into restoration myself. The reference books available through NCRS are a big help. Another good resource to me is the reporduction catalogs. Often they show you pictures or drawings that are easier to understand than the service manuals. The big decision is what do you want to do with this Vette? Show, drive, etc. Advice that has been posted many times on this board is to make up your mind first because changing things to fit a change in goals, from driver to show car, can cost a lot of time and money. A good example that I ran into was a transmission mount for my 69 427/390. GM wants $100+ for it, local aftermarket parts store charged me $5.00, YES $5.00. Granted it is not correct, is not as heavy metal, but I want to drive the car for now. If I go for a correct restoration later, I will change it. Until then I don't think I'll notice any difference in performance, but the extra $95 will make my pocket a little heavier and allow me to buy other things I need.
Good luck, take your time, don't get discouraged, and remember the contributors to this boad have years of experience that they will share with you.Comment
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Re: project 1969
So Joe has 3 examples eh ? I'm curious to see where GM put the part #.Comment
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Re: project 1969
Wayne-----
They put the part number on the boxes that they put the steering wheels in, but they didn't put it anywhere on the wheel, itself.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: project 1969
Joe --- I thought we were talking about "hens' teeth" (heh heh, -- see Scott's post).Comment
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