Corvette Door Glass Finally Adjusted

Amazing what you can do when you aren't plagued by tree removal, then stump removal, then hole digging (by hand, not by auger or even shovel), and then fence building.  We finished our fence last week (but couldn't do much as we had a holiday up in northern Idaho around the Wallace/Osburn area), and that project freed up quite a bit of stress and "can't do because of a fence" demotivation.

So, with the fence out of the way, I was finally able to finish probing the electrical.  I knew I had to replace the power window regulator, which I had already ordered.  A screw and two plugs later (this is why the dash isn't installed - it was really easy to get to it without any panels), I connected the battery and pulled the door glass out (it was sitting there on top of the railings, and would have shattered if left in while working switches).  Once out, I checked the motors - the drivers' side was perfect.  I re-installed the glass, getting it into the right position, and everything came to a grinding halt when I realized....

... the painter from years ago and introduced a problem I had worked around, and the glass didn't fit evenly with his newly installed door panel.  [sigh].  I again made more adjustments, and pulled out the window felt strips I had adjusted earlier.  I made added adjustments, and reinstalled them, then reinstalled the window again, only to pull it back apart and made more adjustments to the window felt.  A couple of times doing this, I called it as good a compromise as I could get, and reinstalled the window glass once last time.  I ran some adjustments (luckily I have the AIM manual that had instructions, though I do know the Factory Service Manual has better instructions).

I had to redo the windshield chrome trim on the passengers' side - but once that was out of the way, the window was adjusted in 5 minutes.

So, it's time to start putting the interior together.  I run out and grab the door panels I've had squirreled away before I sent the car to the paint shop, about 6 years old - never installed to the car.  I never thought of things like this - I figured they'd be nice and stable.  Not so - they WARPED and don't fit:

Considering I'd love this car to be perfect, I was curious to see what it would cost to replace them.  Curiousity kills the car (not the cat) so I load up Ecklers to check prices.... $440/side.  There's no way I can mentally accept an $880 payment when we're trying to save for an adoption.  It's unacceptable.  So, the next step is to put the door panels on the back porch for a while with some weights on them to see if I can straighten them out.  That will be a HUGE step toward finishing the interior off.  I'll get there, though.  A little at a time.

The update on the car

Okay, okay. It's been a while. But, alas, I've been spending more time on the car than online. Seriously. I think I might be able to finish this project in spite of struggles, mine or otherwise.

The fuel tank is installed and the lines are connected. I have the rubber lip for the tank to be installed. I've had someone ship a new drivers' side door latch to replace the one the body shop (NuDeez Customs) forgot to put back in the car and subsequently lost. At $90 for a used part, it hurts, but alas, I gotta get this thing done.

I have the drivers' side exhaust panel installed.

I have the brake booster installed and I cleaned up the master cylinder. (Believe me, chrome rusts, and it is tough to clean up, but it does clean up. Not all master cylinders are the same, either, mine apparently has a smaller cylinder than what was in there originally. Or the parts stores rebuild kits are too large.)

I have the T-Top's trim cleaned up, polished, and installed.

I found that I am missing one of the brake lines that goes from the distribution block to the master cylinder, or I'd have those hooked up, too.

So, here is the list of things to finish :

• Headlights
• Fuel Tank protector (sits around the gas cap)
• Transmission radiator installation
• Hood
• The last brake line, then bleed the brakes
• Intake manifold
• carburetor
• distributor
• Dynamat
• Glass hardware cleanup
• Door glass
• Door panels
• Fabricate 1/16" plate to house the shifter
• carpeting
• windshield
• install the center console
• install the ignition switch and alarm switch in the fender
• install the dashboard
• connect the emergency brake and speedometer cables
• install the door glass
• Install the battery and starter

Sounds like a big list, but it's really small stuff. Yahoo!

Body Damage before I start going

Okay. I know, Nudeez Customs didn't do as good a paint job for 16,727.21 as I would have liked, and there are a few issues. However, I just added even MORE trouble to the infamous corvette.

I'm trying to install the passengers side mirror, and the bolts just DON'T want to attach. I lost three bolts, and the fourth one caught. The mirror slid and scratched the paint. No biggie, I can wet sand/cut it and fix that. I try installing the OTHER bolt to ensure the mirror is on there, and realize that the bolt holding the mirror is cross threaded. I try to pot the mirror forward, and it ends up flying about two feet forward, gouging the paint and fiberglass, and falling to the concrete and chipping the paint on the mirror in a number of places.

This is bad, because I don't have the paint formula, and I'm unwilling to take it back to the painter who did the paint job. He broke his contract in providing pictures of the body work, and also in providing the paint formula. So, he's no longer an option.

Instead, I need a local shop who can :

• re-formulate the paint
• fix the mirror
• provide me with a little extra paint to get back and repair the body gouge

And I can't wait to see the bill.