Jody Durst 1967 Elkhart/ Teal Co

1967 Elkhart/ Teal Convertible
Sitting since 1979, County Corvette brought this original family owned 67 back to its original glory in less than 5 months.

12/9/2005

Overall, the car is very complete. It had a light front hit with some fiberglass damage on the lower valance and grill brackets. It was originally Elkhart blue, repainted a non Corvette blue, what looks to be a nice paint job for its time. The original GM door tags were put back on in the front of the door jambs. The original convertible top frame is in good shape.

The interior is virtually original. Door panels, dash pads and many other high wear items will be reusable. It also appears that the car still retains its original carpets. There is heavy mildew.

At first glance it appears to be a very early car with the original engine, trim tag and VIN plate. The car also has a BK ECL code which verifies this was a factory hardtop car.

The frame has some rust but by far not the worst we have seen

Although the engine compartment shows decay and "artistic" coloring of components, it is very original and retains many of the correct components including radiator.

The window glass with the exception of the windshield are correct. It even has an one original tire which are incredibly rare.

12/12/2005

The car is being disassembled for preparation of body removal. Component condition is identified as disassembly continues.

The grill area shows some history of damage. The passenger side maker light panel is stock, while the driver's side panel has been replaced with an earlier (63-64) piece. This will have to be addressed during the body restoration process. As indicated earlier the fiberglass grill bracket braces are missing having been replaced with aluminum brackets.

12/13/2005

The dash cluster has never been changed and retains the original tags and date stamp of September 27 1966, the spare tire bucket assembly is also original appearing the correct corresponding date of May 21, 1966.

The removal of the exhaust bezels and carpets further document the factory original color of Elkhart Blue.

The chassis has some rust and scale but is very original otherwise. The rear body mounts required drilling for removal.

Our custom made brace (yellow bar) will strengthen the flexing convertible body during the body removal process. The spare tire is correct but a DOT (department of transportation) replacement.

All usable fasteners will be cleaned and re-plated in clear or yellow zinc.

The body is removed from the chassis. The body mounts are carefully measured saving time during reassembly.

The chassis is now exposed for total disassembly.

The factory build sheet (tank sticker) is present and in remarkably well preserved condition needing only the dirt to be brushed away. Upon cleaning and removal it was observed that this was in fact the second sticker to be adhered to the tank! A mistake on the assembly line must have been made and the first sticker, showing a 390 horsepower, black convertible was removed but a partial section remained. It is hard to believe but the UAW(United Auto Workers) line assemblers must have made a mistake! This only goes to show that General Motors was building cars and not with the intention of building legends. This is a nice piece of documentation that will add value to this particular vehicle. There is one anomaly however, that being the tank sticker does not show an auxiliary hardtop yet the original trim tags has the ECL code for it. This is why photo documenting the disassembly process is so crucial to the value of the finished product.

12/14/2005

The frame is disassembled with components identified and evaluated. The frame number is not visible at this point. Hopefully after blasting it will be visible.

Vehicle serial number on left of stamp pad- 7102470, Final Engine Assembly code on right shows V0922HT V= Flint Plant, 09 =ninth month, 22nd day, HT = 350HP 327

casting number 3892657
casting date 1 21 6 = January twenty first 1966

intake manifold casting number 3890490

M21 - single groove spline= M21, when we disassemble the unit it should have a 2.20:1 ratio first gear
P7P26 P=Muncie Plant, Assembly date 7= 1967, P = September, 26th day

7S102470 Transmission stamp 7=1967 S 102470= VIN

All of the major components appear to be the factory equipped pieces.

12-15-05
The engine has never had the cylinder heads removed. The casting numbers are correct 3890462. The casting dates are G 1 6. G=July, 1 = first day of month, 6 = 1966

The rear differential was uncooperative having never been apart. In fact it appears that the U joints are original. The U joint straps were seized and ultimately had to cut to be removed. the rear code is AO 23 66, AO = 350 HP 3.70:1 positraction. 2 3 = Feb third. 66= 1966. The gears confirm the ratio with 10 37 stamped into the ring gear. 37 representing the ring gear and 10 representing the pinion gear. 37/10= 3.70 thus the ratio.

Right hand exhaust manifold. 3747042

Left hand exhaust manifold. 3846559

12-16-2005

Things are progressing nicely. The chassis is fully disassembled. Typically, we can located The VIN on the driver's frame but we could not see them on here. Hopefully once the chassis is fully prepped we can see them. The components are now being broken down and will be rebuilt and restored.

12-19-2005
Removal of the non factory undercoating is being performed. There is no easy way to remove it. It is manually scraped and then cleaned with thinner.

12-20/21-2005
Many of the components are being cleaned, glass beaded, rebuilt and refinished. Some components such as the brake rotors do not warrant re-use and will be replaced. The engine and components are cleaned, evaluated and machining will be the next step. Throughout this process we will keep all components to insure the new replacements are adequate in appearance and functionality.

12-22-05
The rear carrier indicates the correct part number FDB 30117. The differential parts are in great condition and will most likely only need new bearings and seals.

The yokes are in near mint condition showing little wear as well. The ends are usually mushroomed at the end if the car was autocrossed or driven hard.

The undercoated has been mostly cleaned off the underbody leaving the original primer and paint overspray from the factory

12-23-2005
The headight assemblies show the original zinc primer(green) the red primer and then the Elkhart color. The operating mechanisms are being glassbeaded, and restored.

The engine and components are cleaned and ready for magnafluxing (checking for cracks) pressure testing and machining.

The rear differential is clean, glassbeaded and ready for rebuilding. All components were kept for reference. It will get all new bearings and wear items. The gears are in near perfect condition and will be reused.

12-27-2005

The frame is now blasted. It looks good although will require cosmetic repair.

The body is further disassembled. The original color of Elkhart Blue is clear upon disassembly.

12-28-2005

The heater box assembly will be fully rebuilt and is being disassembled. The body is almost fully disassembled.

12-29-2005

The wheels have been sandblasted and primed. They are all the correct DC code. The silver outer only finish will now be applied. The cross member, fuel tank support, strut rod housing and rear spring leafs are glass beaded ready for refinishing. The frame is fully blasted and primed. Minor rust work will be done. The cosmetic preparation will begin soon.

12-30-2005

All of the original components will undergo what we term cosmetic restoration. While they are good, usable, authentic cores, they have rust pitting. We coat these pieces with a hard polyester compound ( similar to body filler but more flexible) that we will sand smooth achieving a smooth, base for a show quality finish.

1-3-2005

The rear differential carrier has been rebuilt with new springs and clutches. New bearing are installed on the carrier. The rear spindles are ready to be reassembled, new backing plates will be installed.

1-5-06

The rear is now together and the pattern checked.

1-6-06

The frame is now being cosmetically prepped. This is a time consuming process but the final product will be well worth it.

1-9-06

The new end cap is installed on the frame rail

1-10-2006

The body is installed on a jig, where the underbody will be completed, then the body panels will be stripped.

1-11-06

The frame is nearly ready for sealer and paint.

1/12/2006

The frame is now painted.

1/12/2006

The job number 420 on the front firewall and rear inner panel match the door job numbers.

The underbody is still be cleaned of the waxy undercoating. The body panels are in nice condition. The steel structural supports will be sand blasted to remove the surface rust. There is no structural rust present.

1/13/2006

The dash is completely stripped

The dash pad assembly is being restored now.

The rear control arm assemblies are being rebuilt and nearly completed.

The transmission is apart and ready to be rebuilt.

1/16/2006

Most components are rebuilt, restored and ready to assemble

The body is masked of to prepare for the sandblasting of the metal structure (Birdcage) that the fiberglass panels adhere to. This is often overlooked during some restorations but as important as any other area.

1/17/2006

The chassis is being reassembled starting with new fuel and brake lines.

The body panels are now in the process of being stripped. The hood edge has a unique finish and is the scrutiny of judging. These photos show the original finishes, specifically the black and how it was applied. These were painted (blacked out) after the hood was installed.

1/18/2006

The frame is coming together well.

The body birdcage is now clean and ready to be primed. The original green zinc primer will be used. This is the same finish that is still present on the windshield frame.

The transmission is nearly completed. The rear suspension is being assembled

The underbody cleaning is nearly completed.

New fuel tank, we painted the factory correct stencil on.

1/19/2006

More underbody cleaning

The front suspension is coming together.

1/20/2006

The steel body components have been primed using the authentic green zinc primer. The yellow brace in the last photo attaches to a well preserved inside structure that shows the accuracy of the color. The bottom of the body and engine compartment are now sprayed with degreaser and power washed, this will finalize the underbody cleaning/ painting process and allow for masking tape and paper to properly stick during the body refinishing process. The detail in the photos shows original paint and primer over spray. This will be left in its original condition. A light undercoating will be done after painting in the wheel wells to replicate the light factory undercoating.

The braking system is in place on the restored chassis.

1/23/2006

The body is in the stripping process. All panels are hand sanded to remove paint.

1/24/2006

The body is in overall good shape. There is minor damage on the Right rear quarter panel. This is being repaired and does not warrant panel replacement. The area on the inside has factory undercoating so it will not be detectable in any way. The bolt holes for the bumpers are enlarged and being repaired as well.

1/25/2006

1/26/2006

The wheels and tires are now together and being installed on the chassis, radials will offer a much better road response. The correct finishes have been applied to the wheels. the black insides should have a bit of silver overspray on them. The trim rings will be replaced, currently, the only replacement is a high quality reproduction. They are different in configuration a bit however, the holes for the tire valve are not the same. The reproduction has an oval hole while the original is not oval. The outer edge on the original is thinner than the reproduction.

1/27/2006

The body stripping and repair is coming along very well. The panels are in very nice overall condition. All areas are removed of original paint and primers.

1/28/2006

1/30/2005

1-31-2006

2-1-2006

2-2-2006

2/3/2006

The new marker lamp housing panel is now installed. The adhesive used to bond the panels is identical to the original adhesive making the repair undetectable inside and out.

2/6/2006

2/7/2006

The headlight assemblies are now fitted. The hardtop is being disassembled and prepped to strip the paint.

2/8/9/2006

The body is now completely prepped. All gaps are set and the hardtop is completely stripped and ready for gelcoat.

The cylinder heads, intake and exhaust manifolds have been port matched. The bowls in the heads have been cleaned up, new valves, seats and guides installed.

2/10/2006

The bottom end is now assembled.

2/13/2006
The body panels in the booth and are prepped for polyester. The body is shown being wiped with a special surface prep.

2/14/2006
The panels are sprayed and baked at 155-160 degrees for an hour.

After baking they are allowed to site for a day and will be sanded.

The body carefully taped and put in the booth. We also bake the body prior to the polyester to remove any solvents.

The body is sprayed with polyester and will be ready to sand as well.

2/15/2006
A tracer coat is applied then the panels are sanded and will soon be ready to prime with a urethane primer.

2/16/2006
The panels are now painted in urethane primer. Red primer has been applied to the door insides to replicate the factory appearance if the door panels are ever removed. The body is now being sanded and the next step will be urethane primer.

2/17/2006
The body is now fully block sanded. The next step was wiping down with an antistatic cleaner. It will now air dry and go to the spraybooth where the Urethane primer is applied.

The stainless trim is hand sanded to remove scratches then will be highly polished. The center console and steering column are shown being restored.

2/20/2006

2/21/2006

2/22/2006

2/27/2006

Chassis is now complete.

The body is being final prepped and now ready for paint.

2/28/2006

The body is now color coated and cleared. It was baked at 165 degrees for an hour.

3/1/06

3/2/06

3/3/06

3/5/06

The body is being wet sanded and then polished

3/6/06

3/8/06

3/9/06

3/10/06

Nice to see you today Jody!

3/13/06

3/14/06

3/15/06

3/16-17/06

3/20/06

3/21/06

3/22/06

3/23/06

3/24/06

Note that the glue from the weather-stripping on the doors, hood and rear hatch are intended to be slightly "sloppy". These were originally applied by hand with a brush.

3/27/06

3/28/06

The car is now on the ground and almost ready to be started.

3/29/06

The car went through its initial start up/ break in. We prime the pump for 15 minutes and then install the distributor. It is static timed so that there is little or no excessive engine cranking. The engine is run for 15 minutes then shut down and allowed to cool. Not visible in the images is the large high power fan in front of the car to keep the temperature under control. We will start again after it has cooled and make some more adjustments.