A few pictures off my upcoming 1982 vette project

Yes, I know the garage is messy! This is my 1982 Corvette project that I am planning on resuming work on after my 1990 vette is done. This one needs a lot but it is primarily a cosmetic nightmare. It runs and drives though and is 100% rust free.

My plan with this car is to have it painted two tone white over silver with a grey interior. I'm also planning on steeroids or jeep steering box conversion, finishing the L-88 hood for it, adding 1986 corvette serpentine belt system to it, dual electric cooling fans and possibly TPI.

With the repro companies the interior shouldn't be a very hard task but I still have a lot of fiberglass work to finish from the conversion. I can add a soft-top to it at anytime but for now the car will remain just with a hard-top. The car was converted using all 1975 convertible parts but needs to be finished and then it should be a fun car to cruise around in.

I basically have all the parts such as body parts & mechanical parts. It probably could use a suspension rebuild also but thats a project after it is painted and reupholstered. Next weekend I will pull it out of the garage for better pictures. Right now the 90 is parked behind it with no seats in it so would have been to hard to move it. I've had the car about 10 years but gave up on the project since I was going through a nasty divorce ... She didn't get it LOL had it been finished then I'm sure she would have fought for it real hard. Looking back on the nightmare my 90 project has been I should have just finished this car though and never bought the 90.

IMO, concept, hope you do better body work than I did,...but shave the door locks, useless on a rag top, then fill in those silly grill panels on the gas tank filler deck....they left over from the ASStro ventilation daze....

:bounce:

get the '90 done so you can start this fun project :thumbs:

mrvette said:

IMO, concept, hope you do better body work than I did,...but shave the door locks, useless on a rag top, then fill in those silly grill panels on the gas tank filler deck....they left over from the ASStro ventilation daze....

:bounce:

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No the grills are not functional. Probably wouldn't be to hard to graft a piece of glass in there to eliminate them. The lock have to stay because I will take the car to work occasionally.

Here is the L-88 hood I am in the process of making for it as well.

mrvette said:

IMO, concept, hope you do better body work than I did,...but shave the door locks, useless on a rag top, then fill in those silly grill panels on the gas tank filler deck....they left over from the ASStro ventilation daze....

:bounce:

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The car wasn't sanded down at all, it was heatgun stripped so for the most part all the panels are still smooth. I had a few tell me really all it needs is minimal filler then use high build primer and go through the PITA block sanding process and it should be fine. I do have a door gap issue but the guy rebuiling his gave me a way to glass the jambs to correct the door jamb issue. I don't plan on doing the wheel flares or anything like that to the car and it's interior will just be put back to original. The L-88 hood and convertible conversion will be the only cosmetic changes to the car. It still has it's 305 CFI motor in it and I last remember it having like 124K miles on it. Drove pretty nice the last time I drove it, which was up to San Francisco.

I got burnt out on the 90 vette and finished trimming the hood for the L88 scoop conversion. I pop riveted it in place in preparation for glassing it on. It seems to line up pretty good just need to get both fiberglass edges level and then ground down and I can start glassing it.

I laid the hood on the car today to see how I like it on the car. I have never been a big fan of huge hood scoops and so on, so before I actually went through the hassle of fiberglassing it I wanted to see how it really looked on the car.

This one looks like a medium rise one since I have seen much higher L-88 scooped hoods, I also plan on a C4 hood light graft on this hood and possibly that gas lift things to hold it up. The main reason for the scoop was of course looks and second I really hate seeing the top of an engine and all it's vacuum lines so I wanted a C4 crossfire air cleaner on the car. I also want to try and make the air cleaner functional like the 84 vette was but on my draw air from the base of the windshield.

Once I get the edges of the hood scoop and original hood level should be fairly easy to fiberglass it then skim with bondo to fill any imperfections.

I tell you though with the minor work I have been doing on it I am losing interest in the 90 vette project. Gotta love a C3 and it's aggresive looks .... Too bad this one has one of the worst engines ever and there isn't much I can do about it. But who car for what it lacks in speed it makes up for in looks when done.

You know I was out in the garage for a bit today, I love this dam car and how it looks verses my 90. I might actually do some stuff to it today, I don't think I am going to fix the door gap issues but I can sure as hell drop a new interior in it, tires, and register it and start driving it again.

A Dutch saying goes "he's walking into 7 ditches at once" it applies to you LOL

Twin_Turbo said:

A Dutch saying goes "he's walking into 7 ditches at once" it applies to you LOL

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And there is an american saying theres two ditches per road ... plenty of room for ya on the other side marck .....

This 82 has a lot of sentimental value, thats pretty much why I have kept it all these years.

JeffP1167 said:

...Gotta love a C3 and it's aggresive looks... I can sure as hell drop a new interior in it, tires, and register it and start driving it again.

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I am hearing you mate - after so long off the road, then the brief "shakedown" drive to my new compound, I can't wait to take the BOSS to the streets again. Once the interior's done, I'm tempted to hit the primer with a light guide coat and call it done!

You know I grafted egg crate grilles into my 82? IMO that'd look sharp on your 82 convertible :thumbs:

Yeah I noticed the egg crate grills, but I kinda like the overall looks of the car. The 82 hood sucks though so that had to be modified, and t-tops well they suck in there own way and if your going to take a section of the roof off then take it all off!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before the car was stripped and converted I used to use the car every day and it was pretty reliable. Yeah the CFI isn't a powerhouse but I've never had a problem with it and has always run nice. With California smog laws the engine will remain bone stock.

If I performance mod anything it will be my 90 vette or my mini-van hahaha ... The 82 looks like a major project but it's not, it isn't missing any mechanical parts and for the most part it is a cosmetic fixer upper.

I halted progress on the car like 5 years ago when I divorced and she wanted the car. then she gave up because the title showed I bought it before we were married hahaha. After everything I just never had interest in it again until now.

How long before your 90's finished and you can throw all your effort into the 82?

I hope you're going to take a slow cruise past where your ex lives in the 82 when it's all finished? :lol:

saudivette said:

How long before your 90's finished and you can throw all your effort into the 82?

I hope you're going to take a slow cruise past where your ex lives in the 82 when it's all finished? :lol:

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Nah I am not a spiteful person. I really could care less about her lol.

I am actually planning on having both cars road worthy by January. The 82 won't be painted but will be mechanically sound and new interior.

A member here was nice enough to send me a picture of his autumn red/dark claret 81 corvette. This is the color I want this 82 to be painted. Gotta just love this color. Mine also has polished wheels like his as well but has a L-88 hood.

here is how it will look minus the roof.

saudivette said:

How long before your 90's finished and you can throw all your effort into the 82?

I hope you're going to take a slow cruise past where your ex lives in the 82 when it's all finished? :lol:

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:rofl::rofl::smash: Summer '96 I briefly dated this chick in South Bend Indiana.....her ex was a cop, she drove us by his house in her '63 rag top she got in the divorce, and shot him the bone.....true story....

a freeking COP to boot.....:twitch:

Jeff, I'm running an L88 hood now since that pic was taken that I sent to you. I really like the way it looks with this body style. Now that it's not 100 frigg'n degrees outside, I can finish the sanding work on it and get it painted. Can't wait to see yours when it's done!!

Pay no attention to the love bug juice on it!!

damoroso said:

Jeff, I'm running an L88 hood now since that pic was taken that I sent to you. I really like the way it looks with this body style. Now that it's not 100 frigg'n degrees outside, I can finish the sanding work on it and get it painted. Can't wait to see yours when it's done!!

Pay no attention to the love bug juice on it!!

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I am grafting a l-88 scoop onto my original hood. I got ripped hard on a pos l-88 hood that was a cheap piece a junk. So cut the scoop section out to graft onto my stock 82 hood. This way I should have a factory fit and a much stronger one then aftermarket.

My L88 hood is a pickup for 100 bux at Carlisle, years ago.....it was a cheep graft job...had it reworked here in Florida to match the car which was burgundy for a long time, since all the rework I have taken the center out from under the bulge, must have been 500 lbs of thick glass I cut out, didn't seem to change a thing structurally

used to be a bit of a chore to get that hood on/off the car with all that glass under there, now, it's a piece of cake...:thumbs: