I Drove the Vette Today

It was nice here in Kansas City. I pulled the cover off the beautiful Cherry Berry, started up the always responsive engine, and backed out of the garage. The air was cool, the sun was shining down, and all was right with the world.

But winter is coming. We can't avoid it. And those of us who live in the less tropical regions are going to have to take some steps to make sure we protect our babies during the next three or four months of frigid temperatures. I'm planning on posting a list of things you need to do to get ready for the long, dark winter. Those sad days when we can't drive our favorite cars.

So. If any of you dear readers have experience in this winterizing gig, and you have any suggestions of techniques and products that have worked for you, please add them to the comments list below and I will include them in the upcoming post.

I almost forgot to tell you. There will be a new Corvette in the Showcase Photo coming up this week so come back and Read All About It!

Oops!

One of my astute readers pointed out a huge boo boo in my October 4th post. I obviously wasn't thinking at the time and credited the Sting Ray emblem to the C1 generation, and the Stingray nomenclature to the C2.

Anyone who knows their Corvette history knows that the Sting Ray was used on the C2, and the Stingray was on the C3. My apologies for misleading you readers, and my thanks to the reader for pointing out my error.

Big Red

In 1999, GM introduced another first. For the first time, the Corvette was available in three different body styles — the coupe with removable targa roof, the convertible, and the new for '99 hardtop model, which is the first fixed-roof Corvette in over thirty years.

The hardtop was the least expensive of the three models. It’s options list was somewhat restricted and designed to appeal to buyers interested in higher performance.

To add to that performance, the hardtop lightened the weight by 80 pounds compared to the Coupe. Driving performance was changed by giving it a 12% stiffer chassis than the Coupe. In the hardtop, the 6-speed manual tranny and the Z51 Performance Handling Package were standard. The Head Up Display was a new option in 1999 as well as the Twilight Sentinel and Power Telescopic Steering Wheel.

I’m going to turn the mic over to Oak now and let him tell you about his Vette.

The Vette is a ’99 Magnetic Red Convertible. It has a double din mod using a Jensen head unit with navigation and a back-up camera. B&B Route 66 exhaust, polished and ported throttle body. Signed by Chip Foose at a charity event for progeria.

Bowling Green turned out 33,270 of the 1999 model year Vettes. Only 11,161 of those were convertibles. And of those, only 1,164 were given the Magnetic Red exterior color. List price for the base model was $45,579.

Thanks for sharing, Oak. You certainly have a nice ride.

Jacking up your Corvette

And I mean that literally.

I'm actually a bit upset today. Any among you dear readers who have been following along every day might remember a few weeks ago when I wrote a story about getting new Michelin tires for my Vette. I was pleased when I left the dealership.

But today, well, let's just say I'm a bit pissed off. (Sorry ladies, but I can't think of a better way to say it.) Here's the story...

It was a beautiful day. The sun was smiling down, the temperature was comfortable, and the chances for rain appeared to be nil. I decided it would a great day to cruise in the Vette. So I took my gorgeous car for a ride. After getting the engine up to operating temperature and punching it a few times, I drove it home and parked in the drive, as I always do. I went into the garage to get my "stuff" and returned to wipe down the wheels and spray a little Meguiar's detailer along the rocker panels to get rid of any road dust and water spots that may have gotten on it. That's when I saw it. WTF? Aarrrgh!!!

There it was, plain as the nose on your face. On the driver's side, right behind the door hinge area, and on the bottom of the rocker panel were two wide, deep, gouges. And I mean gouges. These were through the paint and invaded the fiberglass by a at least a 1/16 of an inch, and probably more like 3/32nds. These areas were quite near the jacking area. I knew immediately what had occurred.

Now, for any of you who have never raised a corvette with a jack or a lift, there's a secret to it. And if nothing more than an opportunity to talk about my frustration and to get it off my chest so I can get on with my life, I'm hoping the knowledge will prevent you from making an error and inflicting similar damage on your beautiful Vette.

A lot of owners (and shops that know what they're doing) use what are called "jacking pucks" when they put a Corvette on a lift or use a floor jack. In essence, these pucks are nothing more than extenders to put a little more space between the rocker panel and the jack. The photo at the right is an example. Obviously the service-dude at the dealership didn't use these. And the damage has been done.

So, that's my tale of woe. I know you're probably thinking "Good grief, Broadway. Quitcher bitchin'. It's not that big a deal." True. The damage isn't visible unless you're laying on the ground, but the fact that it's there still bugs me. A lot.

Have any of you ever had this happen? And does anyone know how to repair this type of damage? I'm open to suggestions.

Sting Ray or Stingray?

Most Corvette enthusiasts are aware of this, but just in case there are some of you out there who aren't, I wanted to add a short post here regarding the nomenclature.

The C2 Corvettes, manufactured from 1953 to 1962, carried the Sting Ray emblem. When the model change took place in 1963 and the C3 was produced, the logo was changed to one word — Stingray — and the type font was changed from a Roman sans serif typeface to a script.

If any of you have photos of your Vette, be sure to e-mail them to me along with a description. I will add them to the collection you see running down the left sidebar. Eventually, your car could end up in the featured spot in the Showcase Photo at the top. And scroll down a little to read about that beautiful green Vette from Tallahassee.

1972 Big Block C3

In 1972, the changes in the appearance of the C3 were again minimal. However, the 1972 Corvette has a lot of unusual features related to it. This model was the last to have front and rear chrome bumpers, a bright "egg crate" grill, side fender grills and the removable rear window.

In addition, 1972 was the only year for the Corvette "Big Block" engines in the 1968 to 1972 range to have no horse power sticker on the air cleaner lid. Beginning in 1972 and continuing thereafter, horsepower would be measured as "net" rather than the less realistic "gross" ratings of earlier years. It was also the last year for the RPO-LT1 and RPO-ZR1. However, the ZR1 code was again used in 1990 and a new base engine carried the LT1 designation in 1992. And 1972 was the only year that Pewter Silver was offered as an exterior color.

Let’s take a look at the numbers. The base model price was $5,533, and production was 20,496. Serial Numbers ran from 1Z37K2S500001 through 1Z37K2S527004. The car above falls into a little rarer category because of its big block 454 engine. Those were only put into 3,913 Corvettes that year. In addition, the fact that it’s a 4-speed adds to the rarity, since only 1,638 were born with that transmission.

Bill provided me with some statistics on his car.

Obviously, it has the big block hood. Fortunately, it’s not just for show. There is a 454 cubic inch behemoth engine underneath it. Right behind that is a 4-speed transmission. It’s equipped with power brakes and power steering, air conditioning, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and the deluxe interior. And to top it off, there are only 51,280 documented miles on it.

In 2008 this beauty scored 96% on its first time out and was awarded Top Flight in Kissimmee, Florida. Like I said, it don’t get much better than that.

A bit more about detailing

I neglected to mention something in yesterday's post.

But it's something I thought might keep someone from making an avoidable error. It's regarding your wheels. This won't apply to all of you, but if you have polished aluminum wheels, it will.

Those wheels have a clear coat on them, just like your paint. Treat them the same way you would treat your fenders or your hood, or any other painted part. Don't use a metal polish on them. It's too abrasive and can dull the finish.

And by the way, I just looked at that Slideshow thingy on the left sidebar. They have a great price on a Meguiar's Wash and Wax Kit. You can save about $15 on it over buying the products individually. Check it out. I think once you try Meguiar's products you'll be sold on them like I am.

From Our Northern Neighbors

Many Corvette enthusiasts consider the 1957 Corvette the most aesthetically pleasing body style of the pre-1963 Corvettes, while others believe it was the best styling of all time. But this Vette had a lot more to offer than style and beauty.

In May 1957, the true performance version of the 283 made its debut. Sporting an advanced fuel injection system, the new "fuelie" 283 produced 283 bhp. Its 1 horsepower per cubic inch output was a record in 1957, and it was played up by the advertising and media. At the same time, Chevrolet introduced its new four speed manual transmission, and the Corvette was on its way to stardom.

When equipped with the 283 fuel injected engine, 4.11:1 rear axle, and the new four-speed Borg-Warner T-10 transmission, the Corvette could accelerate from 0-60 in less than six seconds, and do the quarter mile in the low 14 second range at over 100 mph. After winning a few major races in 1957, sales for the year jumped to a total of 6,339 units, up from 3,467 for 1956. (But there were only 487 painted Arctic Blue like the one above.)

It was an amazing automobile in its day, and it continues to be one of the most sought after classics. The photo above is an example of that beautiful vintage Corvette. It’s owned by my friends Bob and Kathy Willis, of Picton, Ontario, Canada. But you've listened patiently to me long enough. I’ll let Bob tell you a little more about it.

Our car is a 1957 Corvette painted in the 57 colors of Arctic Blue with Inca Silver Coves. The interior is Beige.

The engine is a 283 with dual four barrel carbs. It has a four speed transmission, and I have added 3.08 gears to the rear to keep the R's down on the highway. The Wonderbar Radio has been up-dated to AM/FM Stereo with extra jacks for an MP3 Player.

We have driven the car from Canada to Orlando Fl. in 2000 and many other road trips over the years.

And there you have it. What a gorgeous example of a classic Vette. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thanks so much Bob and Kathy for sharing your beautiful car with us. The next time I'm in Picton, I want you take a picture of me sitting in it. You won’t have to tell me to smile!

And the Winner is...

FAIRYMOMMA!

We had a total of 13 entries. I went to Random.org and requested a random sequence, made the decision before pushing the button to pick the top number in the list.

The numbers were as follows:

5, 7, 3, 6, 1, 10, 4, 2, 11, 9, 8, 13, 12

The number one position is owned by Fairymomma. So, if you're out there, Fairymomma, shoot me an e-mail with a mailing address so I can mail your Gift Card for $25! Here's the e-mail address: mbroadway@comcast.net. If I don't hear from you by the end of October, I'll have to award the prize to the person in the second position.

Thanks to everyone for your comments and for playing the game. We'll do it again in October. So keep coming back to check what's going on.

Giveaway Entries Have Closed

Our First Ever Giveaway is over. The entries have closed. If you entered, you could be the winner of the $25 WalMart Gift Card . We will announce the winner later today, so come back and see if it's YOU!

We will have another Giveaway coming up in October, so check back often to Read All About It! The number of visitors we have is going to determine the value of the prize, so spread the word and send your friends the site address.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING

That's my 2001 coupe you see to the left. But we're not going to talk about it today. Today's post is going to be a bunch of reminders. Just so no one misses out in the future.

First of all, don't forget to enter the Giveaway. If you scroll down to the post with the piggy picture on it, you can leave your comment by clicking the COMMENT link on the bottom. Then type out your comment. It doesn't matter what it is. Just tell me what you think of the site, any suggestions for improving it, things you'd like to see, etc. That's all there is to it, and you'll be entered. But remember, the window of opportunity closes at 9:00 p.m. CDT tomorrow night. That's the 28th of September.

Secondly, I've added a SUBSCRIBE option for any of you who want a reminder that something new has been added. All you need to do is enter your e-mail address.

Thirdly, don't forget to cast your vote for your preferred transmission. That also ends tomorrow night. The larger the sample, the more accurate the result.

Fourthly (is there such a word?) you may notice a Blogrush graphic on the left sidebar. I put that on the site, hoping there might be some other sites that come up that may have something else you'd be interested in reading about. So take a look at it and see if there's anything of interest.

Lastly, if you have a Corvette, send me a photo (jpeg preferably) and some info about it. I'll put it in the Showcase Photo position when your turn comes up so you can impress your friends and everyone else on the worldwide web with your beautiful ride.

I think that's it for now. I hope you're enjoying the articles on here. And if not, there's always that comment button.

Oh, So Sweet!

That's Tim Traurig's sweet 2002 Vette you see up there in the Showcase Photo. I hope you're not wearing a light colored shirt because that drool is going to be very visible.

Tim's Corvette is a model year 2002. I'm going to let him tell you about it. Take it away, Tim.

Hi, my name is Tim from Valencia, California. This is a 2002 A4 Pewter VERT with 18,000 miles on it. All stock other than a Blackwing Air Intake and pewter painted fuelrail covers, radiator shroud, wiper fluid reservoir and radiator fluid reservoir.

Also some SS letter inserts on the front and rear bumpers. Oh yeah... a black louvered license plate frame. I'm 48 years young and waited 25 years to get my first Vette (this is it) four months ago.

In model year 2002, GM produced 35,767 Corvettes. Only 12,710 were convertibles. And of those, only 1,072 were Pewter. So from a rarity standpoint, this is a great color to own. Plus it's a convertible and just so darned pretty. And with only 18,000 miles, it doesn't get much better than that.

So thanks again to Tim for sharing his gorgeous Vette with the rest of us.

If you'd like to share photos and information about your Corvette, please send the information to this site. My e-mail address is mbroadway@comcast.net We'd love to see your pictures.

And if you'd like to ask Tim a question or make a comment about his Corvette, simply click that COMMENT link at the bottom of this post.

And you can always bookmark this site so you can come back and see what's next. Or simply subscribe and you'll automatically receive an e-mail whenever something new is added to this stie. Can it get any easier?