Toward the end of 2019 we found a highly original 1981 Chevrolet Corvette in original two-tone beige and bronze. The car arrived and was exactly as the seller had described with original paint that was faded and flat from 29 years of use. The car drove beautifully, and the interior was all original and in excellent condition. The last owner had fitted some large 18-inch chrome wheels to the car which did not suit the car or colour scheme at all.
As with all the cars that we get at Carrot Town Garage we jumped in her and started to drive her around to see what faults would come to light. She ran great for a few days then suddenly the gearbox lost all drive and refused to move forward or backwards. Upon further investigation we found metal particles so knew something had given way and the gearbox was going to need to be rebuilt. Fortunately, these Corvettes use the GM TH350 or TH400 gearbox which was used in practically everything during the 1960s and 70's from Camaro's to Jaguars and is the same box fitted to Rolls Royce’s of the era.
It was at this point we decided rather than just respray the car we would strip the whole car and rebuild it as a showcase Classic American Car for Carrot Town Garage. Customers looking to buy a Classic American Car can then see what is possible if they really want to restore a Classic American Car to showroom standard or just make some upgrades to the standard spec.
So, the Chevrolet 5.7 litre 350 cubic inch engine was removed along with the gearbox and the gearbox sent off to be rebuilt. The engine is being stripped and will be fitted with Edelbrock E street Cylinder heads, Edelbrock carburettor and finished with Hooker Chrome headers and side pipes for extra power and that awesome V8 sound.
The suspension was removed so it could all be shot blasted, painted, and new poly bushes fitted all round. The body was stripped with the front and rear clips removed along with all the door handles windows and interior so the car can be properly prepared and painted.
I will update this blog as we progress on our Carrot Town Garage Classic American Corvette. You can follow progress on our Instagram page which is www.instagram.com/carrottowngarage
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