The 73 Reborn - part IV

Thirty four years is a long time. A damn long time. Such a long time that the effects of time had found itself showing on the 73's exterior. On some parts, the paint was so thin that you could see the underskin, on some other, there were signs of overspray, probably at least 4-5 haphazard coats of yellow to cover up dents and nicks. The body surface needless to say, was equally in need of rescue as orange peel and warp effects manifested from nose to tail. Doors were misaligned, due to the age-induced hinge shifting (quite a common problem with the older Corvettes), and and the bonnet dropped lower than it should have due to heat warpage and the missing bonnet stops.

I had a few folk view the 73 prior to starting off the bodywork. Everyone seemed to have a different view on how to handle the process (some even suggested refabricating the entire body!) - but all had one thing in common - they seemed intimidated and perceived a shitloadda work having to be invested into the process, and of course equated it with fairly high quotes. There was just too much uncertainty and doubt which didn't help to inspire any of my confidence. But then, through a friend's recommendation (who's into classic rebuilds himself) I decided to take a gamble with this one particular bloke in Subang, who seemed really comfortable handling the job, and seemed to instinctively know what he needed to do to get the job done. Mind you, the restoration of the 73 isn't just about metal work - its decades old American fibreglass!

Mr Body Man wasn't cheap, but looking back, he sure was worth every single penny. Here's a brief pictorial log of what was done:

The original paint stripped via the traditional makeshift blade method, and indentations and scratches smoothed out with filler. Together with the rest of the body, steel brackets were also subsequently sanded down with grit paper, and wet sanded.

Entire engine and steering column was of course masked. Interior - dash, seats, gear and brake consoles, door frames, windows, t-tops, carpets - all removed. Side rocker mouldings removed and sent for polish. Door locks were also filled and shaven off, and chrome door handles taken out.

Weather stripping, rubbers. clips, chrome inserts, and the front and rear glass panels were all stripped.

Vacuum headlight assemblies carefully dismantled and tops sanded down separately.

Bumpers, badges, rear lights & covers all carefully removed and stowed away. The entire fuel tank was dropped and the filler cap unscrewed and inventorized.

Rear aerial removed and assembly hole filled and shaved.

The bonnet was re-adjusted at the hinges with washers and thankfully sat quite evenly. Stops would need to be in place after paint to prop it up by approximately 1 cm.

Doors were also carefully adjusted and aligned by adjusting the hinges.

After about 20 man days of body prepping, the 73 was ready to take on some color!

To be continued...