1975 Corvette - 1990 midlife crisis

[mark_m]

Our C3 Corvette was my father in laws mid life crisis car. Big Jim bought the car in 1990, supposedly without discussing with my mother in law. He drove the car some, but the real beneficiary of the car was my wife Tara. She got to drive the car as a teenager, her Dad had no problem flipping her the keys and letting her enjoy the car.

It took a few road trips to College but didn’t get a lot of use after Tara was at school. One day, Jim parked it in a barn and there it sat for 20+ years.

A few years ago Big Jim gifted the car to Tara and we received the title in the mail. We sat with the title for about four years as we prioritized spending elsewhere. Now we’ve decided to start work and get the car back on the road again.
My wife and I are new owners of her Dad’s 1975 Corvette. It’s sat in a barn for the past 18 years.

Currently, the car is with a friend, Clint Coffman, getting the basics ironed out. Running and safe first. Then moving forward with interior redo.

 

[mark_m]

 

[mark_m]

Radiator support and frame replaced. Waiting for carpet to be replaced. We are so looking forward to getting her running and on the road!

Corvette forum not nearly as cool as this one.... any support / guidance appreciated.

 

[Neutron]

Gotta get up some pics man.
I love vettes. I have had 2 in the past, a 77 and an 82 limited edition. Next one i would buy is a 72 (last with the 2 chrome bumpers)
No time or space currently for another project. Lol...

Just saw the pics. My bad

 

[mark_m]

Posted some pics. The car is currently with Coffman Corvette in Mansfield, Ohio.

They specialize in parts fabrication, but Clint is covering resto work for me.

so far:
Transmission serviced
Brakes replaced all corners including lines
Fuel lines replaced
Carpet and door panels ordered
Paint for rear fiberglass bumper ordered

pending:
Shocks & rear spring
Tires
Door panels
Tires

 

[Squirts]

Love a good build thread! Keep it going, lots of pics!

 

[Ronnie]

I have a an ‘03 Convertible, my wife calls it my mid life crisis car but I call it crisis averted. It’s the best looking car I’ve ever owned it’s also the most impractical and therefore least used so it’s on sale now via Craigslist SF Bay Area but that is another story.

@mark_m , it sounds like the shop you are using has the replacement parts aspect of your rebuild covered but if you don’t already know vettenuts.net may have some of the harder to find oem parts (e.g. I bought a visor and interior fastener/screw covers from them) and corvettemods.com has a lot of newer aftermarket parts and mods (I bought things like a custom dual cup holder and a spring to assist with lifting the trunk lid from them, they also have a lot of carbon fiber and custom colored interior parts).

My best friend in high school had a father who was a corvette fanatic as in he was the president of local corvette club for a few years. I watched as he rebuilt a totaled corvette (junk yard find not barn find) over the course of three years, what a thing to see. Good luck with your rebuild, I look forward to seeing more before and after pics.

 

[mark_m]

I have a an ‘03 Convertible, my wife calls it my mid life crisis car but I call it crisis averted. It’s the best looking car I’ve ever owned it’s also the most impractical and therefore least used so it’s on sale now via Craigslist SF Bay Area but that is another story.

@mark_m , it sounds like the shop you are using has the replacement parts aspect of your rebuild covered but if you don’t already know vettenuts.net may have some of the harder to find oem parts (e.g. I bought a visor and interior fastener/screw covers from them) and corvettemods.com has a lot of newer aftermarket parts and mods (I bought things like a custom dual cup holder and a spring to assist with lifting the trunk lid from them, they also have a lot of carbon fiber and custom colored interior parts).

My best friend in high school had a father who was a corvette fanatic as in he was the president of local corvette club for a few years. I watched as he rebuilt a totaled corvette (junk yard find not barn find) over the course of three years, what a thing to see. Good luck with your rebuild, I look forward to seeing more before and after pics.

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@Ronnie

Thank you very much for the link! I had not heard of this site before. There will definitely be a point where it will be prohibitive cost wise for me to have Coffman Corvette do the work for me.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Scottintexas]

congratulations!, excited to follow this thread,

 

[mark_m]

New carpet going in

 

[mark_m]

Visited Clint today after dropping kids at camp for the week....

 

[mark_m]

Old old manufacturing building in Mansfield, built in 1896.

Carpet install in progress.

Very nice C2 frame off resto in progress

Views from the rooftop of the building

Sorry I’m not as sophisticated in my inline posting, I’ll try to get better. Excited about the corvette!

 

[Kevin hughes]

Good luck in your build I've done a few for people myself. I do body and paint for a living and know how expensive this can get real quick. If you are building it to keep and use build it how you want it.

 

[mark_m]

Took the corvette for a spin around Mansfield this morning. Clint is going to bring the car to us here in Columbus so we don’t have to chance using the freeway and 1 hour drive as her maiden trip.

 

[mark_m]

C2 restomod, LS engine. Sweet sweet car

 

[Weeb]

Nice post I enjoyed the pics. I had a 77 I could dump the clutch at a stop and be doing 60 mph in the opposite direction by the second telephone pole fun car

 

[BlkGS]

I've had a thing for vettes for like 6 years now. When i was 26 i was looking for a sports car, had been looking at 370z but my best friend convinced me to drive a c6. The targa roof and low insurance sealed it, i`m on c6 #3 now (a 2012 Grand Sport Centennial) and picked up a 1992 as a track car / fun daily. Great cars.

My next vette will be a c3. I have a thing for the chuome bumper cars, they just look so timelessly cool.