ROLLING PRAIRIE CORVETTE CLUB
Decatur, Illinois
SPECIAL REPORT
Dick & Marge's '65 CORVETTE
I
have been looking for a nice 1965 driver for a couple of years, but
everything I found was either in bad shape or the owners thought they
had a Barrett-Jackson car. Through a mutual Corvette friend in southern
Illinois I met a nice retired guy
who restores Corvettes and other classics for fun and profit.
He
was getting ready to restore a '65 coupe which he planned to sell after
it was finished. He said maybe we could put a deal together and he
would build the car the way I wanted it. My friend Steve, who
introduced us, told me he was very good at what he did and was a real
perfectionist. So we put the deal together. He would restore the car to
my specs. It won't be a numbers-matching Bloomington gold winner, but
it will be one fine driver when we get through.
These
pictures show what the car looked like when I first saw it in August.
The body was off and he had just completed the frame restoration.
The front and rear suspension are rebuilt with all new parts as are the brakes.
The engine has since been finished. Originally a 327 300 hp, It has been bored, new internals, Eddlebrock heads and intake manifold, electronic ignition and a 4bbl Holley replacing the original Carter. He is now working to get the body in shape to paint.
This
has turned out to be a big job. As you can see from the pictures it was
in pretty sad shape when he started. I hope to go down and see him soon
and get some up-to-date photos.
We'll keep you posted as the restoration progresses.
We'll keep you posted as the restoration progresses.
Phase II
Sam was formerly the head of the automotive school at Rend Lake College. Sam can do it all; he builds engines, does fiberglass repair, and is an excellent painter. He only does one car at a time and is known as a perfectionist. For example, I know he had my left headlight bucket out 15 times before he was satisfied with the way it fit.
This car will be a clone to my very first Corvette, which I bought new
from Jack Gadberry Chevrolet in Cerro Gordo in April of 1965.
However, with cruising comfort in mind I'm adding a few goodies that
the original didn't have, such as power steering and Vintage Air
airconditioning.
I'll be riding on modern radial tires mounted on after-market aluminum knock-off wheels. All the old wiring has been removed and and a complete new wiring harness from Lectric Limited has been installed.
We've also installed a Tremec five speed transmission so I'll have an overdrive gear for cruising at highway speeds. We'll be sitting on leather seats instead of the vinyl in the original car.
The bumpers aren't back yet from the platers, and the new power antenna he installed wouldn't work so we are waitng for it to come back.
Update on our '65 Restoration
The Master Sam McCowen
Herrin, Illinois
Herrin, Illinois
Sam was formerly the head of the automotive school at Rend Lake College. Sam can do it all; he builds engines, does fiberglass repair, and is an excellent painter. He only does one car at a time and is known as a perfectionist. For example, I know he had my left headlight bucket out 15 times before he was satisfied with the way it fit.
As
I mentioned earlier, the engine got all new internals except for the
crank, which was ground. The block was bored .060 over with.0035
piston-to-wall clearance. Sam mounted a Holley 600cfm carb to an
Edelbrock dual plane aluninum intake. The distributor is stock but with
an Accel breaker-less ignition and coil system. It should be plenty
healthy for a driver.
I recently drove down to Herrin and we started the engine for the first time. What a kick! It fired right up and ran strong. Sam has a few things left to finish in the interior.
I recently drove down to Herrin and we started the engine for the first time. What a kick! It fired right up and ran strong. Sam has a few things left to finish in the interior.
I'll be riding on modern radial tires mounted on after-market aluminum knock-off wheels. All the old wiring has been removed and and a complete new wiring harness from Lectric Limited has been installed.
We've also installed a Tremec five speed transmission so I'll have an overdrive gear for cruising at highway speeds. We'll be sitting on leather seats instead of the vinyl in the original car.
The bumpers aren't back yet from the platers, and the new power antenna he installed wouldn't work so we are waitng for it to come back.
But we're getting real close to
being finished and needlees to say I'm a little impatient and excited.
CLICK ME
WE FINALLY GOT HER HOME,
HERE ARE THE FINAL PHOTOS
DICK AND MARGE
HERE ARE THE FINAL PHOTOS
DICK AND MARGE
