The parking brake console was cleaned up and sprayed with SEM Landau black to freshen its appearance and a new trim plate installed.  The really isn't too much to performing this job but be careful when removing and tighening the nuts on these old plastic consoles. The studs are molded into the plastic which can be cracked and brittle with age.  I had to epoxy two broken studs back into place on this one.



It may take some slight bending of the aftermarket trim piece to fit correctly and for the switches to fit properly.






Ready to go back into the car.

        

The center console wasn't in the best shape and the clock and ammeter were inoperative.  It was missing the wiper switch, and the pot metal began to pit in some areas.  It was pitted pretty bad around the radio area so we didn't feel too bad about cutting out the old radio opening for a new Panasonic head unit.  I stripped the paint from the console and used Bulldog adhesion promotor before applying the SEM Trim Black paint.  There is a lot of chrome trim and lettering to wipe the paint off too, fun stuff.



A close up of the new air diverters with new seals installed, and the chrome lettering that needs to be wiped off as soon as you are finished spraying.



There were a few small parts needed for this job too.  Since this car came in boxes there were some small items missing like the lenses and lense covers.  I was able to buy the covers and retainers from a parts car and new lenses and the cluster seals from Paragon Corvette.



Installing the new clear plastic gage cluster lense and the two warning light lenses.



The gages were calibrated and replaced as needed by Corvette Instrument Services.  Fortunately all we needed was a new battery (ammeter) gauge, and we went with a new quartz clock as well.



All back together including a used OEM wiper switch.

        

The original dash pads were pretty beat up from age.  Some cleaning with degreaser and silicone remover followed by SEM Landau Black makes this look like new.



Next the gauge trim bezels needed some attention as well.  I stripped the peeling paint from them and used some Bulldog adhesion promotor to ensure the SEM Trim Black adhered well to the chrome.  The trick with cleaning the chrome strip is not to mask it because that leaves a hard paint line.  As soon as you apply the paint, wrap a t-shirt type cloth around your finger, dip in solvent and wipe of the paint.



The plastic lenses had their fair share of scratches as well.  One had some deep scratches that could not be removed, I was lucky to find an OEM one from a car being parted out.  The Mequiars PlastiX polish and a cotton cloth does a nice job of polishing plastic lenses.



The speedometer and tach were both inoperative and in need of rebuilding.  I sent all the gauges off to Roger Scott at Corvette Instrument Services in Florida for some of his fine work.





Here is a side photo of the assembly.  The metal bezel, plastic lense, lense gasket and the speedometer.



Now we need to add the headlight switch and the air diverter ball.



The air diverter balls are notorious for flopping around as the felt seal wears out.  I installed new felt and new diverter balls at this time using a kit of felt strips and 3M weather strip adhesive.



The 3M is basically a contact adhesive so both sides must dry before you assemble them.



I also lubricated the pivot points with some teflon lube.



With all the felt seals now installed.



Inserted from the rear of the dash panel.



At this point I installed the odometer reset cable as well.  Now the dash should be complete.

        

        

SERMERSHEIM'S CORVETTE FIBERGLASS<< MORE >>

While Nick goes on his epic cross country adventure which is helping Kyle move to Florida, I get to start laying down some color on his '76.  Nick and I before they head out on the trip.

I'm using all Southern Polyurethane Products (SPI) on his car, they are excellent quality products at great prices.  Unfortunately SPI is no longer making their line of base colors but still provide their great epoxy and other primers, reducers and clears. http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/

I'm using an Iwata LPH400 with a 1.4 tip to lay down the base and clear coat.  It really lays the paint out like glass at a reduced pressure which helps cut down the overspray.



On to the hood.



Nick designed a stripe for his hood which I had fun laying out, I think it looks pretty cool too!



and the T-tops. 



More paint fun to follow as things progress.

        

You need to lock the shaft with an allen screw to hold it in place in order to use the press.

Press installed to remove the retaining C clip.














Remove ignition switch by pressing on that black tab.











Note the two covers installed.



Remove C clip.





Here is a pic of one of the pivot pins pulled loose.  The lower plastic cover is off to show the relationship of the parts and how close the pivot pins are to the lower housing.





Pivot pins removed and take it apart.  Remove shaft so you can take off the support.





Here is the lowe support and the 4 screws.  The black plastic cover is off, normally it would still be in place.



Here is the plate that the support bolts to, the cover is broken so it is not in place, once you get this far you can finally remove the cover.  Do NOT bend those tabs to remove the plate.  The support fits snugly around those tabs.


Here are a few shots of replacing the lower bearing.


New bearing installed in plastic holder.



Sliding assembly onto the shaft.  I cleaned up the rust and treated the shaft with zinc chromate.



Media blasted the old retainer and locking shaft and painted with silver paint.

        

I can only add one podcast per entry, here is Pat's sharp looking coupe at idle.

Download | Duration: 00:00:52

        

Here is a Corvette Forum member's car with a fresh 383 and new chambered side exhaust system.  What a sharp looking ride, wait until you hear Pat get on it a little bit.

Download | Duration: 00:00:45

        

We just returned home from our week in Vegas and my 3 day driving course at Spring Mountain Motorsports.  I wish I could have spent the entire week on the course with the instructors in one of the school's Z06s or one of the new '08 C6s.  This was an incredible learning experience that I can highly recommend to any driving enthusiast.

From the moment one enters the road to the impressive facility and you see the new C6s and Z06s lined up for your use your heart begins to race with excitement.  The facility has an aurora about it that lets you know that this is a first class operation.  Here are just a few of the cars ready for the day and my wife caught me off guard while powering down some Starbucks before heading into class.






Once we walked through the front door we were greeted with friendly and professional staff and we felt very welcome by the other 15 class mates and all the instructors and support staff.  The mornings started out with some coffee and a few minutes of social time before heading into the class room and being greeted by chief driving instructor David Roberts and the various crew members that were assisting with the class that day.  This was my class with David Roberts on the far left standing with instructor Justin (JJ) and instructor Victor on the far right.




Although my wife wasn't taking the class, she was welcomed to ride with any of the instructors out on the course and hang out with the group during breaks and the great catered lunches.  She took all the photos and some video which I'll add as soon as I load it onto the computer.

During the first day we were introduced to proper braking technique, both with and without the ABS system which was a real eye opener on how to properly use ABS.

We all spent time in the hydraulically controlled skid car which the instructor could lighten the weight to any or all of the four wheels real time.  This taught us the feel of the car as it was about to spin out of control, how to counter steer correctly and where you should be looking the entire time the car is skidding.

If you have never been exposed to the technique of "heel toe shifting", you will certainly learn proper shifting during your time at Spring Mountain.  This is where a good pair of driving shoes designed for this will be of benefit.  I wore street shoes the first day not realizing that driving shoes were recommended.  I wore better shoes on the second day which made the whole "heel toe shifting" experience much more fun and less frustrating.  With some one on one time with instructor Byron Payne who corrected my mistakes and taught me better technique I was soon shifting correctly.  It is one of those techniques that when you do it right, you know you nailed it.  It not only feels right but it sounds even better!



Everything we learned during the class is applicable to every day driving.  I definitely came away from the class on the first day feeling that I had learned invaluable new skills.  Stay tuned, there will be some more to come as I cover days 2 and 3.

Scott