New Member

frank_nesta17

Active member
Joined
Dec 10, 2011
Messages
27
Location
Los Angeles
Hi all,
I am new to the forum, but not to Corvettes. I am the original owner of my 1977 L48 and a 1999 convertible. I have started my 1977 as a project. It is going to be a restro-rod. I have completed frame cleaning and painting the frame. Yes, that was a lot of work. The front and rear suspension has been replaced. I also have a Borgerson steering box installed. The ZZ4 and a 700R4 transmission are in their new home and look very comfortable. The 700R4 is sitting on a new cross member from Bowtie Overdrives. The driveshaft is shortened and ready to be installed. The engine compartment is just about complete. The air conditioning and heater core have been rebuilt and the engine compartment is cleaned and repainted. Once I get the this complete I will be ready to put the body back on the frame.

Then the body work starts and the team at The Fibergalss Body in Hawthore, CA start their magic. We are going this 1977 Corvette into a convertible using original Corvette parts. The Fiberglass Body has done 24 of these conversions on C3's They will also be adding fiberglass bumpers. Once they complete their work I will take a little breather then the car will be painted black paint (original color) and a tan top. Last, but not least the interior. I know I want a tan interior (again original color). But trying to find suitable seats. I have been looking at racing seats, but nothing in tan as of yet or going towards C5 seats. any Ideas???. I would love to hear your comment, thoughts and suggestions.

Pictures to follow. I will need some instructions on how to post the photo's if someone does not mind.

Frank
 
Welcome to the motley crew....

Glad to see a original owner not too upset to modify their ride, shows creativity....

:bump:
 
Welcome to VetteMod :hi:

I installed C6 seats, they fit well if you get rid of the seat tracks and mount them directly to the floor. You'll have this issue with pretty much any seat you pick, they're all too tall....

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Coming together

As of Thursday we have th frame and body put back together,

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I'd love to see some pics on the details of the coversion you are having done. I've collected almost all the parts to conVert my 82, but haven't found time to start that yet.

Did they install the cross braces under the dash to the tunnel?

Did they put in the door guide pins and recievers? Did you do the interior at the pins?

How did you handle the interior trim around the windshield?

Are you going to use the Camaro seatbelt retractors, or something else?

Looks like it will be real sweet when she's done.
 
I'd love to see some pics on the details of the coversion you are having done. I've collected almost all the parts to conVert my 82, but haven't found time to start that yet.

Did they install the cross braces under the dash to the tunnel?

Did they put in the door guide pins and recievers? Did you do the interior at the pins?

How did you handle the interior trim around the windshield?

Are you going to use the Camaro seatbelt retractors, or something else?

Looks like it will be real sweet when she's done.

I am having the convertible conversion done at The Fiberglass Body in Hawthorne, CA. They have done 23 them before mine. The frame after the cutting off the T-tops metal work is exactly the same as what was in a 1975 convertible. Even the holes for mounting the top are there. So there was no need for any extra bracing. We installed the 75 rear door jam and rear quarter panel interior panels. Your should be fine using what your have in your 82. The carpet will cover up what the transition between the rear door jams and the rear compartment. We are using the stock 77 door latchs and are not using the guide pins and receivers. This has not been a problem with earlier conversions. The trim around windshield is stock 77 on the sides and we are using the 75 mirror setup so the top trim piece will be stock and we will fabricate a the smaller opening for around the mirror using a 75 top trim piece. The hard piece to find was the stainless steel top piece from a 68 - 75convertible. I have seen some conversions using a t-top stainless piece that was cut and bent. For me it did not look as clean. At this point it will be only lap belts. But once I select the seats I want to use I will be looking for a full seat belt or go the racing belt route. If you have any other questions please e-mail me directly your chances of getting a quicker response are a lot better. I am sorry for the delayed response.
 
C6 Seats

Welcome to VetteMod :hi:

I installed C6 seats, they fit well if you get rid of the seat tracks and mount them directly to the floor. You'll have this issue with pretty much any seat you pick, they're all too tall....

2149f4e1d1b595e.jpg
.

I have a few of questions. I just bought a set 2005 seats for my 77. Did you try to use the original seat mounts? I realize that my 77 mounts are different than your 79. If yes what were the problems? The second question is what did you do with the side air bags in the seats? I plan on recovering them so I have some options. How did you mount them? Did you find the most comfortable spot and mount thdrill. Did you use any of the existing mounting holes? OK that is every question can think of at this time. What else should I think of before I make the final leap???
 
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