Fast81

I had a 79 Z28 that i sold shortly after we married to pay some bills AND on the grounds that i wanted to replace it with a C3. I got done with grad school, wife got deployed to Saudi so she got me a softball umpiring gig to keep me out of trouble. i also had a motorcycle that she despised. Well lo and behold she's only been gone 3 weeks and Fast81 shows up in the local paper as a project and my bank acct alread has enuf to buy her. Called the wife over sat-phone, offered to sell the bike for repair money and bought her the next day !!!!
BTW - my dad burned his shed down with Fast81 stored inside so i'm now shopping for Fast80-82 version 2.0!

Eroc731

For years I have looks at corvette ads...always new I wanted a c3 and was not year specific but looking for the best balance of initial investment and my budget knowing anything I bought would likely need some initial TLC...
In September a former boss and mentor died unexpectedly at age 58 and I got to thinking about life and decided that putting off certain dreams was foolish as long as money was in the bank and life's other needs were tended to. So in February I began to actively but respectfully "kick tires" and physically check out various cars everything from 76 - 82.

I looked at 5 vettes and saw a lot of bubba work and realized that I needed to tweak my budget to avoid more project than I could or wanted to handle. On March 15th my son found an ad on Craigslist for a 74 and I went to see the car on March 17th...a dark metallic brown lady in excellent condition with only 59k miles...she was perfect...original interior some nice performance mods and a respectful 10 footer paint job...on March 22 she became mine and my dream was fulfilled!!... Turns out the car had been listed on this forum and the owner was and still is a pleasure to deal with.
This car was a former local show winner and the trophies have been passed along with the car. Not sure she is a 1st place winner still but in my eyes she will always be my winner and it is truly great to share the car with my 17 year old son and to pass along the love of American car history
Evan

tzeller

As a kid I loved Corvettes. The TV show Route 66 was popular at the time and I watched it mostly to see Buz and Todd drive the Vette. Soon after that I went to the local Chevy dealer and saw the first Corvette Sting Ray on the sales floor. I was hooked for life.

I have always been a motivated person and I started saving my money. Jump forward a few years and when I came back from basic training at Lackland AFB I was able to buy a 63 convertible. After having the car for a couple of years I fell in love with the C 3's. At the age of 21, I purchased a 69 coupe that was only 6 months old. It was Black with Black leather interior, 4 speed, 350-350, and had factory side pipes. I really enjoyed the car and along the way met a lot of fantastic people that shared my enthusiasm for Corvettes. After I graduated from college I got married and the Corvette saw less action. As our 2 children came along the car saw even less action. The car has always been meticulously maintained and stored in a garage. I did not want to sell the car as I knew that the day would come when I would have the time to enjoy it again. Fortunately I had a wife that shared my interest in the car and never applied any pressure to sell it. Along the way my son became interested in the car and we started going to car shows and other car events. I eventually bought a C5 convertible, but certainly held onto the C3. I have had the C3 for what will soon be 43 years. It has been a great Father/Son bonding experience.

My son eventually became as much of a car guy as I was. When he was 20 he bought a 04 GTO 6 speed and started modding the car. It is a beast. After he graduated from college and had worked a few years he bought a 01 Torch Red Z06 and yes he is in the process of modding it right now. I am very proud of my son and his accomplishments and attribute some of that to the time that we were able to spend together with cars and it all started with his interest in my C3.

Bob Heine

When the 1953 Corvette showed up at our local Chevy dealership I was 9 years old and I was hooked.

I waited until I was 17 to get married (she knew about my obsession but said yes anyway). We couldn’t afford to pay attention, let alone afford a Corvette. We also couldn’t afford birth control so we had a child in 1962 and another in 1963. Then my wife found Planned Parenthood and put a stop to our population explosion.

Even working three jobs I couldn’t afford a Corvette but the ’63 Coupe looked like it had room in the back for a couple of toddlers so my dream was still alive. In 1964 IBM hired me in a disadvantaged training program and I learned to fix computers in mid-town Manhattan. My commute to work involved a bus, train and subway ride lasting two hours to get to the big city. My Corvette dream was fading pretty fast.

In September 1965 I was running a little late and the train was already moving out of the station when I arrived. Not wanting to be late, I ran after the train and tried to jump on board, something I had done successfully many times before. I don’t recall the details but I ended up under the train, which beat me up pretty badly. Something crushed my left elbow and smacked the side of my head hard enough to fracture it in 7 places. With the help of a couple of Samaritans, a police officer and two volunteer firemen I was in an emergency room six miles from the station in less than 12 minutes. A nurse, who was also my neighbor had me stabilized and in the operating room in another 5 minutes. A 70-year-old elevator operator in the hospital donated a pint of my rather rare blood type when the surgeons discovered the hospital had none in stock.

My health insurance only covered half my expenses and the bill just for the operating room and 4 days in intensive care was twice my annual salary. The first day out of intensive care, my IBM manager and his manager were at my bedside to let me know I still had a job but it wouldn’t be fixing computers. They also gave me a personal note from the Chairman of the Board, who had authorized two years full salary while I recovered. Another 7 days in a ward and the doctors kicked me out of the hospital. After two and a half months resting at home and making my wife crazy, I went back to work.

I ended up working as a technical writer at a manufacturing plant but my prospects were limited without a college degree. With the shorter commute to my new job, I had time to attend night school and in the blink of two years and a decade I had my bachelor’s degree. Along the way I transferred from New York to Florida. When my wife asked what I wanted for a graduation present, I said “A Corvette!” and she didn’t look surprised. Our first new family car had been a ’68 GTO so it just made sense to her.

I found a tired 1969 convertible with a 427/390 and a 4-speed with A/C and power everything. It was everything I ever dreamed of but it needed work. The u-joints on the axles were bad so I replaced them right away. It also needed tires but I wanted to take it for a test drive. It was raining and I managed to spin out and broadside my car into the fronts of two brand new valet-parked cars – a Cadillac and a Lincoln. I walked away but broken glass from the side window nicked my stump. The rain made the drop of blood spread over the whole end of the stump so the valet running to help me screamed and fainted. I had to rescue my rescuer.


I loved my first Corvette and wanted to fix it. I paid cash for the car and didn’t carry collision so I figured it was my only option. My wife said no! She told me to go buy another Corvette but it had to be an automatic and it had to have a roll bar. I parted out the ’69 for more than insurance would have paid and bought the 72 454 (automatic) I still have in the garage and in my avatar.


It turned into a project after six years of daily driving when an oil filter failure took out a main bearing. I was devastated, having to tear apart the engine and rebuild it at my friend’s machine shop. Devastated, just devastated.


I chose a more economical daily driver that quickly became the bane of my existence in the Corvette club. I managed to win enough “open-class” auto-crosses at club events to maintain my membership.


By the late ‘80s my job had taken over my life, including two years working in Australia, with the Corvette sitting in the garage in Florida. On our return to the US, my wife told me to go buy another Corvette because it was obvious to her I was never going to finish the ’72. Knowing I wouldn’t leave the next Vette alone, she made me buy this, which forced me to buy a house with a 3-car garage:


IBM made one of those "too good to pass up" deals, forcing me to retire with a full pension and medical when I was 50. I was happy but me being home all the time made my wife un-happy.

I took a 6-week contract job with AOL (America Online) in the DC area in 1995. It was back to a long trip to work but only every other week. Five hours to get to DC on Monday, four nights in a motel a block from the office and another five hours home on Friday. A week in DC was followed by a week of "phoning it in" from home (I think it’s called telecommuting). My six week contract lasted four years at which point my wife adjusted to the idea of me being home all the time.

We were RICH! My dot-com investments put us on easy street and I was looking at 572 crate engines. The bursting of that bubble had me adjusting my expectations and the upgrades and project plans are more realistic and more fun now. Everything done to the car is being done by me. It's probably slower and might not be done to Ridler standards but the smile on my face is starting to hurt.

I’ve celebrated my 18th birthday fifty times and my wife has stuck with me for more than 51 years.

I don’t think our love of Corvettes is genetic. Neither of my children own one and neither is dying to get one. None of my nine grandchildren care about cars. Five of them are over 16 and they could care less about Corvettes.

All I can tell you is: life is good and having a Corvette in it makes it better.

C3mafia

after recent divorce I found me a gorgeous 1982 collectors edition been sitting for a while so I'm gonna have to work on her a little will more than likely have a question or 2 and will certainly share any info I learn along the way

sray454

My Corvette affliction started - best I can remember - while as a kid sitting in the back seat of my mom's Oldsmobile Cutlass. My two brothers were stuffed back there too. I was the oldest so I always got a window seat. My youngest brother always had to sit on the hump. Anyway, looking out that window one evening, I saw a Corvette for the first time. It was a gleaming yellow 70-72 big block. I loved the curves, the long hood, the removable back window, the '454' numbers on the hood and those egg crate side grills. WOW !!! There was simply nothing else like it.

Skip ahead 30 some years and I'm an Texas boy living in Chicago. Long winters and cabin fever. Gotta find a winter hobby. As a kid, I worked a lot on my Mustang - mostly just to keep it going - so why not work on an old car as a winter hobby. Maybe it'll help with the cabin fever. So I start looking, and looking, and looking. I keep noticing one in a Corvette Trader magazine - a '72 big block, 4 speed - and the phone number 'could be' from my Texas home town. That summer, while back home visiting Dad, I notice out of the corner of my eye a Corvette sitting at the back of a dump truck lot - actually I could only see the wheels and a part of the rear window from the street. But I was sure it was 'the' Corvette in the magazine. I tell my wife all of the details about that car from the magazine. Were 12 hundred miles from home, and I'm rattling off details of a car that I can barely see from the street. Only issue was it was Red, not gleaming yellow. She's amazed - or horrified - not sure which. I call the number in the magazine and yes it is the same car. We drive and buy the car the next day. We trailer it back to Chicago and I start restoring it during the winters. Check the trim tag - car was originally War Bonnet Yellow - so a repaint is definitely in order !!

10 years later - this last weekend in fact - My wife and I cruise in it for the first time. While riding in it - in fact - I notice in the car behind me, the passenger has a camera and is taking pictures - of MY gleaming yellow '72 big block, 4 speed with big swooping fenders. Still the coolest car ever. To imagine a company like stogy 'ole GM producing something with such a bold design still amazes me.

sharktooth

I've watched this thread, and wondered if I should chime in, and I'm finally knuckling under.

I was a bit of a computer weirdo growing up (some might argue that I still am). I had no idea what makes a car run. I simply knew that they have an engine, wheels, and a gas pedal. I spent some time in the mid '90's up in a small town called Tabor, in Alberta, Canada, and lived in an apartment above the printshop up there. We could walk out onto the roof overlooking main street, and one day, I saw this spectacular, beautiful car. It was a peaceful afternoon, and I think the timing was just perfect. It was painted something like a Victory Red, had the C3 curves, flat window, and no chrome bumpers. Later saw the car, and found it was a Corvette. Standing on that rooftop and seeing that car, I knew I'd have one some day.

When I arrived in the USA later that year, I immediately joined the VetteNet (love that list, miss some of the people who aren't on that list anymore), and started learning about them. Checking classified ads almost daily (and websites that existed at this point), I finally found one I could afford (college kid). It was rumored to be sitting in an Ohio field for a couple of years, and a "restoration" had been started, but it was still in pieces. It would run and drive, just didn't have any interior in it, and ran poorly.

So, I bought it, sight unseen, and had it shipped to me (got it December 14th, 1997). Found the frame was pretty rusted, there were some stress cracks in the fiberglass, ran really awfully, and needed a lot of work. I drove it for a bit in that state, and had part of the frame collapse on me (it apparently sat in a field for 12 years, not 2), and that's what started a complete rebuild. For the last 15 years, it has been stripped to the frame and the frame rebuilt, underside of the body cleaned up and recoated, 383 stroker installed (still have the original 350/TH350) with a Tremec TKO II, had to figure out how the carpeting is to be installed (never took it out because it didn't have it) along with the A/C ductwork (sometimes I love puzzles), seats recovered, columns rebuilt, Torque Thrust II's installed, wiring harnesses taped into for remote start/alarm/radio connections and the Tremec installation, learned about installing glass windshields, fiberglass body work (I did that on my own), fuel tanks, switches, and everything else. It's literally a brand new car (the "new car" smell comes from that 3M contact adhesive used to install the carpets), custom kick panel speaker baffles, wiring, cables, conversions, and everything else. It's been a long, expensive road, and I might not do it again, but I'd do it over with what I have learned.

Met the wife along the way, and progress slowed down considerably (yours would, too, if you had the perfect wife like I do - except for the fact she wants an old Shelby Cobra to call her own). It's still in progress, and only recently have I acquired the parts I need to finish the electrical so I can test and then install the glass and door panels.

Oh, and I'll throw in a shameless pitch - if anyone knows of a situation where a child is being born and the child will be put up for adoption, PM me, please. Adopting a Corvette is one thing, but I'd like to adopt a generation of Corvette lovers.

stingrayjoe

Hello Corvette Brother's and Sister's,

I own a 1975 Chevy Corvette Stingray. It was because of my Dad that I am now involved in this great hobby. My Dad is a former Army Officer and over his lifetime has had some really nice car's for example: a 1970 Cuda, 1985 BMW, 1986 Trans am, 1989 Corvette, the 1975 corvette that I now own, a 1999 Corvette black hardtop and several other nice cars. I first got the Corvette "bug" when Dad came home with that bright blue stingray. I was 19 years old at the time and when he told me to take it for a ride I was excited because I never drove a classic like that before. I became hooked from that point on. Then things took an unexpected turn in my family's life. In June 2008 my Dad suffered a massive heart attack and almost died at his work place. Needless to say he was in the hospital for awhile, and I came to visit due to living out of state and he was able to recuperate and have surgery for stints. After his heart attack, My Grandad took the old stingray to some carshows before he started to decline in his health. My Grandad passed away from spinal cancer on October of 2009. The old stingray sat in my Dad's garage for a good year without being touched. My Dad was thinking about selling her and getting rid of her. I told my Dad that I was interested and that I would buy it off of him. The car meant so much to me due to My Dad almost passing and My Grandad passing away. I felt moved in my heart that I would take care of that car(it's more than just a car to me it's a family bond),
My Mom and my Dad agreed to pass it on as a gift and I had the car shipped to My wife and I's home and it felt great to finally own the car and I had some tears in my eye's because it felt like a dream come true which it did. When I see that car today I see my Grandad smiling back at me and my Dad shining her up it just brings so much happiness to people. People just light up when I drive her by and even though she needs still a bit of work(she's a project vette), I will do the best I can to make her better than she has ever been before. It's a family history thing that connects me back to my uncle's, my Dad, and my Grandad and it's a reminder of those that have passed before me and I know my Grandad is proud of me and told me before he died that he see's me doing great things to fix that car up and it always reminds me of all my loved one's that have passed away and I will continue on in their loving memory. I Love you Grandad and Grandma McClelland, Molly Girl(our beloved yellow lab),Uncle Bucky, Uncle Jerry Ribble, Great Uncle Wayne, Bob Bruce, Pat Quick and Grandpa Jim Shoemaker. Shine down from heaven and when I drive that corvette I will always remember you and see your smiling faces shine upon me from heaven. So you see it's more than just a car it's a family passion and I hope this inspires other's to chase their dreams because dreams can come true in ways sometimes we can't understand. Thank you for reading my story and nothing but love to all my corvette brother's and sister's. Corvette's Rule Forever! Love In Christ,
Your Corvette brother,
Joe

patricksykes

First of all let me say that I have read some really beautiful stories in this thread and although I don't personally own the 'vette I take care of, I feel my story warrants merit so here goes....
I grew up in a family of less than modest means so I always tried to accept reality and keep it in perspective knowing that I would most likely never be able to afford items in the upper end of the price spectrum. I first laid eyes on a 1973 pearl white Stingray at the mere age of 9 yrs old that a deacon from my church showed up in that belonged to his father-in-law circa 1982. I was instantly mesmerized by the sexxy lines that it possessed as well as the guttural throaty sound of 350 horses. The guy (Ron) let us look it over, listen to it, and even sit in it with the motor running. I foolishly vowed that one day I would own a 1973 Stingray Corvette, but as I grew aware of dollar values and reality, I resigned my unrealistic expectations to just reading about them, building models, and drooling every time I would see any Corvette anywhere.
Fast forward (life stuff happens...blah blah blah)
I met my wife in 1998 not aware of what the future held in store. We lived in Oklahoma with her family living in Pennsylvania so a vacation trip was in order to meet the family and properly ask for her hand in marriage. I had previously been made aware that her father had passed away suddenly (heart attack while arguing with my wife) in the early 90s, so I had to ask her mother. Everything went well on the trip with the pinnacle being shown a building her mom had sitting on her property with a dust covered competition orange 1975 Stingray sitting there not being properly cared for (it was dust covered but all I saw was a beautiful piece of machinery shining like a diamond). We moved to Pennsylvania in 2000 and I continued to drool even being told that somebody was in charge of it's maintenance and I shouldn't even mention how much I loved Corvettes or how badly I hated seeing it sit there wasting away. The gentleman in charge of its "maintenance" was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and passed away in August 2012 so there was opportunity for me to step in and make things right to honor my wife's father's memory. When her mother said I could take the reigns I felt like I was on top of the world. There are several other vehicle in the building including a 1982 Delorean, 1978 Lincoln, 1982 & 1987 AMC Eagles, & an extremely rare car called a Pulse (autocycle.org to see examples...only 360 ever built) but my love affair with Corvettes will always trump any other vehicle on the face of the earth. Anyway, my mother-in-law has helped us out through some extremely difficult times due to multiple shoulder surgeries ruining my career as a painter and causing me to have to return to school and get my chemistry degree so my passion for Corvettes has been fortified with an appreciation for her kindness, and a respect for her father's memory. I know I will never own a Corvette but I vowed to her mother that these vehicles will be maintained properly and cared for like they are my own. All vehicles run and 3 of them drive and even though I am still having a few difficulties with some of them, nothing will curb my determination to allow her mom the opportunity to go fire up her Corvette, take a Sunday drive, and stroll down memory lane with a smile on her face. I remember how excited I was the 1st time the Corvette motor kicked over and began to run. I will add pics of all vehicles to my profile for people to see before and after photos. Once again, I have loved Corvettes for almost 40 years and even though I will personally never own one...... it doesn't stop me from appreciating every one I see and dedicating tons of hours to honoring my wife's father's memory.

PeteL46

Last night I became a member of this cool forum, a long time coming. Thanks for having me! Here's the story..I was employed in an engineering department (Torrington Co.) in 1983. I was talking to a co-worker about purchasing a 1972/73 BMW 2002. He said "Pete, get yourself a vette"... I took his advice. In 1984 I bought a 70 350/350 with w/61k, matching # motor. In 1991 I was introduced to a restoration shop in Wolcott Ct. In the garage was a restored 66, 427 rolling chassis. I got the restoration bug! I had to do this to my car. During the resto process I performed a title search. I contacted the original owner, well the 1st owner who took possession. He told me this story. In 1972 he wanted a used corvette. His dad was a Bridgeport Police officer and new of a few places. I can't recall the name of the place of purchase (it's written down in my records) but it was strictly used corvettes. Upon arrival, (his dad new the owner) and after looking around he didn't see anything of interest. They were all B. blocks. As they were ready to leave he noticed another car under a canvas. As he lifted the canvas there sat a 70 small block with the window stickers still in tact. He said "Hey what's the deal with this car?? The owner said he's having problems getting it titled and proceeded to tell this story. He bought the car from the N.Y. shipping docks. The car had been shipped to Saudi Arabia. In transit the original owner passed away prior to taking delivery. The car sat overseas for 4 months, and 2 months at the docks. Long story short..He bought the car. His dad got the car through the titling process... He became the original owner! During our conversation (1991) he stated he now owns the 1962 Motorama vette, a 1963 split window. 2cnd owner was the light manager of Molly Hatchet (Rock Band)... During resto I found #'s matching carb, intake, heads, block, alternator, trans, rear, etc. etc. More to come... It's a pleasure to be a part of, thanks. PeteL46. Sorry for the choppiness of the writing. I only had so many characters..

PeteL46 is online now Report Post

John_Masters

It's all here >> http://www.motorcyclekit.us/1977_cor...estoration.htm

stingrayjoe

Hello Patrick,

Thank you for sharing your Corvette story on the forum. It's nice to see fellow Vette guys share their story. I was inspired by reading your story and it keeps me motivated to keep up and maintain my 75 vette. They are beautiful cars and no other car is like the vette's. Just wanted to say "hello" and thank you for your story. God Bless

Joe

Assmanfrom1973

I had always loved corvettes, still remember being a little kid thinking "...someday..." I inherited enough money to put down as a down payment on a house but I was 23, recently single after a long term relationship and had a half decent factory job and still lived at home. i talked to my parents telling them I'd like to buy my dream car ( corvette or magnum pi style Ferrari). I have great supportive parents. Anyway they believed my theory that "if I don't buy one now and move out and buy a house it may never happen"
So the search began in 96. I was set on buying a black on black c4 and I looked all over. I went to a used car dealership in Kitchener that was well known for selling corvettes and other exotics and when I walked into their showroom their was this gorgeous 1973 electric blue corvette that had been suped up with side pipes and a bunch of other upgrades. They were selling it for a guy from Toronto so I had to wait a few days to get a test drive.
I made a few calls to the bank and insurance company. The payments and he insurance would be a couple hundred dollars less a month, bonus! I thought it was cool we were both the same age and it was so unique as opposed to my original plan to buy a plain old factory black on black that would depreciate for the next decade ( no offence to the c4's but I was also surprised that this 73 threw me off of my plan for those beautiful 92-96's)
I drove back a few days later and this smoking car was out waiting for me. We went out for a test drive and I knew I was buying this car as soon as I heard it start with the roar of those side pipes and gear drive. The test drive was exhilarating and the owner had a great binder put together with some original documentation and over $45,000 worth of receipts from the rebuild. Needless to say, the papers got signed right away.
I drove it home a few days later and the car was so sweet the cop that pulled me over for speeding couldn't blame me and let me off with a warning to keep a better eye out lol.
I paid it off in less than 3 years and got married and built a house in 99. I'm so glad I made that decision because life is so expensive and busy there would be no room to buy my dream car anytime soon. I'm still happily married and have 3 awesome kids who have got corvette fever and often argue about who gets to go for a ride. I still love this car and it has been awesome!!! The two youngest kids have back to back birthdays in June, 13 & 14th and they've both asked to be driven to school and picked up in the corvette for their birthdays, awesome!
I loved the car even more when we turned 35 as the insurance plummeted. I just paid $244 for the next 12 months, lol I was paying over $300 a month when we were 23! Anyway there were a few crazy years where it only got out once or twice but with this being our 40th I've booked a bunch of time off work throughout the summer and we plan on hitting a bunch of shows in ontario this summer!!!
The only downside with one on my favourite toys is that the whole family can't enjoy it at the same time.
Anyway that's the story behind my corvette

myfirstvette71

When I was 13 my uncle let me drive his 1971 convertible Corvette. It is Bridgehampton blue with a base 270-hp engine, A/C, four speed etc. It was the first car I ever drove. I killed the engine three times trying to get it moving but wow what a feeling! I forgot all about that experience until a few years ago when my cousin told me that her dad had given her that car and she had to sell it. I started telling her my story about driving that car with her dad and bought the car right on the spot. Now I own the first car I ever drove and it has been in the family since 1972. Last winter I got all the mechanical stuff taken care of and drove it for the summer. Run's great. This winter is the interior, dash components, new wiring etc. I'll enjoy driving it again this summer and then new paint and chrome next winter. Summer of 2014 she'll be like new.

fazang

I guess my story wouldn't even exist if it hadn't been for my Dad....He was a Barber in Hartford Ct.
He opened his own place with a partner that was also my godfather. My godfather was a car guy, to this day
every time i see him i ask "...what are you driving" and it's always different than the last time !

Fast forward to the 1980's they somehow end up buying a '69 vert together as a "company car" (read tax write-off).
Pretty sure they bought it from the original owner... i recall for years a box in corner of the garage with all the OEM AIR pump equip for the L-46....that stuff is long gone now
That first year i vividly remember the sharing of the car every 2 weeks, happy to see it arrive, sad to see it go.
Back then laws were lax, and dad would pile the family (all 4 of us) in the vette and take rides to get ice cream and stuff, good memories in that car.
My godfather got tired of it and my dad bought his half, and it's been in the family ever since. It had side pipes originally and they rotten off, so now has rockers. It had black pin stripes and dad added red ones to match ( they were in back then).

AFA the car it's definitely had an interesting life when it was my dad's daily driver....he's had the center caps stolen a couple times, had it keyed in the parking garage where he worked... I remember one time watching him leave for work in it and blew the timing chain not a 1/4 mile from the house. Luckily only a couple push rods got bent, it still has same motor in it.
One time a big rig didn't see him and it's tire clipped a front fender and you could see the fiber glass strands exposed, it was horrific looking. Learned the hard way not to let it sit in the winter, did that one year and needed a valve job, now it gets run every month if not more often.
It's got about 125K on it now, I've replaced the vinyl top, and rebuilt the carb, other than that i try to keep it running.
I think i even learned to drive stick in that car.....
Once dad even asked if he should trade it in for a newer vette, my vote was always a "no way !"...Sadly he passed in 2008
and i inherited it and everytime i see it in the garage it makes me think of him....

Pic of me and dad around 1991


I really enjoyed all the other stories, thanx guys and gals...

-ALF out...

dunit2myself

I have always had a preference for GM` Muscle Cars` from the 60`s-70`s .My first ride in such a car (~`77 I was 10yrs old) was in a `67 Chevelle SS 396 4spd (had a highly modified 454) and I have wanted one ever since. I can remember at the age of 5 or 6 yrs old, sitting in a Corvette on a showroom floor and thinking that was a very cool car too. Over the years I have owned and worked on a few projects a `74 Camaro (my first car) and my last project a `87 Blazer that included my first (only so far) complete engine build. On to my current Corvette; A friend of mine had owned this 1968 since `74 and for the last 25 yrs it has sat in his garage. I would try to encourage him to get it fixed up and offered to help him but...I don`t know why he just didn`t seem interested. It pained me to see it sit there`lifelessly`..lol, so now I own it. I look for it to be shredding tires by Fall of next year.

Stewart's74

My Dad was the original owner of my 74.
I can remember him taking me to Humberview Chev-Olds almost daily to see if it had arrived.. then on a snowy night in March of 74 we spotted it parked in one of the service bays..
The next day he drove it home and I was instantly the coolest kid in the neighborhood.
Thankfully Dad never sold the Vette. Now it lives with me..
So many memories with the Vette.. its absolutely one of the family.

Stewart

funit1

Bought this car new in June 1970. Have had it ever since.
Went to the first couple Bloomington Corvette Shows, Road America June Sprints ,and many others, too many to remember. Still having fun with the car today.

Bigeddie

im 22 years old i grew up working since i was nine years old. family has gone thru hard times and i learned from an early age that i needed to save my money to be able to face what life throws at us both bad and good.and boy did life throw me a bone. last year after searching for a year for the right car ii found her. i was lloking for a muscle car 75 or below because i live in california to no avail. i was doing a delivery for my familys business when i saw here parked in a parking lot. a golden 1979 corvette. at the time i hd like 6-7 grand saved up from any money i would get from mom or dad. the guy wanted 7500 for it but he was going thru something and needed to sell asap. my dad talked him down to 5000 and drove it 30 minutes home and it ran beautifully and looked great too. i was so happy with it and i am still happy with it eventhough i dont drive it as much do to things needing to get fixed.hopefully it will be running next week and it will be my daily driver. i might not have a lot of horsepower(190 CA EMMISIONS SUCK) BUT it is my baby my first car that i bought with my hard earned money and eventhough its been a love hate relationship i wouldnt trade her for the world.it tought me patience and gave me knowledge.my brother and i say that the car is running on our blood sweat and tear which is true.

Freepop

My father bought my 74 new, off the lot. It's seen a lot of time sitting but I've finally got it finished (like anything ever is finished).