PROJECT STINGRAY

The 73 Project - part VI

2007-11-09T18:06:00.000+08:00

In the spray booth (snapped through my noo Nokia E65) :

4 coats of color and 4 coats of clear went on.

Orange peel effects and cracked paint no more!

Decided to run metallic grey highlights on the insides of the exterior's rear roof and about 3 inches along the outside of the rear window over the rear deck vent grilles.

Concept metallic grey stripes running along each side of the hood mounds and tapering off towards the nose. Front deck vent grilles getting the same treatment.

In livin color! The body's condition and finish never looked better than it does now.

To be continued...

The 73 Reborn - part V

2007-11-08T10:12:00.000+08:00

At one point in his life, Henri Matisse - pscyhedelic lawyer immortalized through his million dollar works of art - quipped that impressions are made by the strongest choice of color effects, and the content from which they are surfaced over is really irrelevant. But with the Corvette (the C3s anyway), content seems stronger than color. The bold and flaring wheel arches provides fluidity over dimension, while the low central posture accentuates muscle toward the nose and tail. Bearing in mind that the original design evolved from a concept born from Zora Arkus Duntov's C2 mako shark to Larry Shinoda's manta ray, the C3's shape is iconically one of a kind. No other muscle car - the Mustang, Challenger, Camaro, Barracuda - comes close (though some may find cause to object :)). Not even the earlier or later versions of the Corvette.

With this challenge, the decision on color was of course not easy. The 73 came originally in yellow, and I had earlier wanted to maintain consistency with its factory code. I toyed with the idea of slapping on mustard yellow (ala Lamborghini), then metallic black (ala Knight Rider (but note - just need to highlight that I'm NO Hasslehoff fan), then Ferrari red to embellish the traditional sports car spirit that Prince echoed through his hit, Little Red Corvette. The experience of choosing your car's color is akin to choosing the right name for your first born. Excitement, anxiety, and anticipation. I consider myself decisive and sometimes impulsive but having changed my mind so many times at one point or another on this matter, I now sometimes question my understanding of who I really am. But then again, I suppose that's excusable. It is after all, my first real muscle car!

Poring over pictures of other C3s on the net and getting opinions from family and friends helped steer my choice. Dropped black as much as I loved it, as form would have been enveloped by color, and lines would have been lost. Dropped yellow, as its too much of an acquired taste. And dropped red, as its just too bloody cliched. So decided on something that would accentuate the lines, make it stand out from other cars on the everyday roads, yet maintain some form of subtelty.

Photoshopped images (from a Vette forummer) that helped with the elimination process:

Blue - represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness. Nice but..

Pink - represents romance and nostalgia. Naaah...

Green - emotional healing and protection? Pttthh..

Yellow - intellect, freshness, and joy. Only 1 out of 3 - I'm weathered and angry.

Red - represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love. Sure it also yells 'mid life crisis'!

Orange - represents desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action. Hmmm... perhaps just a tad bit darker, and a slight shade of red in it...

BINGO!!

So ORANGE it was.

At the body shop, I got samples of different orange shades and settled for 2:- (1) Saturn Metallic Orange, and (2) GM Sunset Orange.

Flipped through hundreds of different color shades.

$100 if you can tell the difference. Left is GM Sunset, somewhat of a browner shade, right is Saturn Metallic, slightly redder hues.

OK - so I suck at taking pictures..

Saturn Metallic Orange under the sun.

Off to the paint booth..

The 73 Reborn - part IV

2007-11-03T10:12:00.000+08:00

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...

The 73 Reborn - part III

2007-10-31T17:13:00.000+08:00

The 73's interior was pretty shod, considering it sat in a barn for over a decade. Fittings have remained stock from the day it rolled off the plant in St Louis Missouri, and will hence need to be replaced - this includes bolts, screws, washers, door assemblies, the entire dashboard, gauges, wiring, seats, carpets.. the works!

Weathered weather stripping needs replacement.

Wiper area requiring a compartment cover.

A new 20 gallon gas tank needs to replace this rusted out unit.

Gas sending unit equally rusted out, and needs to be changed.

Door panels tattering around the edges and require replacement.

Underside of flimsy gear console was plastered. To replace!

Gauges were fortunately, still in good condition.

Center plastic console bits removed for reconditioning.

Door latches and chrome sills removed for reconditioning.

Removable T-roofs, dash panels, gear and handbrake consoles, safety belts stripped.

Original spare tyre.

The front windshield has been removed and in its place a rebuilt unit done in KL. Other salvageable parts have been stowed away for refurbing, chroming or painting, and once put together should look better than it did new. Over 100 parts and items will be ordered through Eckler's or Corvette America in the next few weeks.

What's on the list right now includes body mount kits and reinforcement, brake pedal switches, rear bumper bolt kit, carpets, inner door handles, anti-rattle glass door cushions, door assmebly parts (gastkets, springs, sill plates, screws etc ), door felts, chrome mirrors, exhaust tips, fender louvres, a new front bumper (and the retainer kit), badges and emblems, gas cap, filler neck, guard, gas tank and sending unit, tank shield, headlight actuators, vacuum storage cannister, hood alignment bumper cushions, hood grille nuts, rubber bumpers... (pant!) ignition top shield, inner fender seals, park brake cable pulley and console slide seal, radiator support and shroud seal kit, rear astro vent and screws, compartment fasteners, crossmember bushings, spring liner kit and mount cushions, rear strut rod, trailing arm bushings, rear vent plenum drain hose, seat belts, side marker light, spare tyre carrier and kit, power steering hose kit, steering column firewall seal, steering damper, idler arm, relay rod ball stud sel, and tie-rods, sunvisors, upper and lower suspension ball joints, sway bar brackets, tachometer drive gear... (pant! pant!) taillight lens gasket, t-top fastener kit, weatherstripping, tunnel foam insulation, vacuum hose set, lower valance panel, windshield clip set, wiper compartment cover, and switch nobs... for now, which should be about 90% of what I will need.

Project costs just seem to be growing every day. The pain.. all worth enduring I guess.

To be continued...

The 73 Reborn - part II

2007-10-27T15:13:00.000+08:00

After clearing US customs at LA, the 73 was on the water for roughly 3 weeks, in which time, local import related papers (permits, appointment of freight and handling agents, storage, clearance, etc) were prepared to avoid having the 73 sit in local port storage for longer than it needed to.

As it arrived on new year's eve, there was unfortunately a good 2 weeks of unproductive down time at the local port and customs, by which time, the Approved Permit (AP) for vehicle import (which has a 6 month time frame) had expired. This entailed having to go through the entire rigmarole of getting the AP extended by the Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI), while the 73 continued to sit in (or out of) storage vulnerable to all kinds of forces de nuisance.

While at the port, the 73 understandably attracted a lot of unwelcome attention. Evidences of this include missing emblems, damaged wheel caps, and a pried open roof. As the fuel lines were disconnected, the 73 was immobile and our heroes at port exercised their keen professional judgement by deciding to move the 73 around by forklift (!!) that resulted in a bent and dented in left exhaust and nicked transmission.

After 2 months since its arrival (!!) the 73 was eventually hauled out on a flatbed tow truck to the shop.

Sitting in the open & unprotected for 2 months. Pried open roof is visible.

Local customs had trouble locating the VIN, despite having 4 seasoned officers inspecting the vehicle from all angles. Found on the left A-pillar and visible from the front windshield.

Rolling it down on brakes and into the shop.

Damaged exhaust - which no party is taking responsibility for. Dicks.

Misaligned exhaust coupling.

To be continued..

The 73 Reborn - part I

2007-10-26T19:00:00.000+08:00

Back to the project.

Its been about 10 months out and there is definitely progress. The ‘73’ (calling it ‘the Corvette’ is just too impersonal) came in with the engine and drive-train already worked on (not up to mark but definitely on the to-do list once the car is fired up). Over the past 3 quarters, there’s been a lot of planning and sourcing, and body work has since started and completed, with the 73 going through the motions of being sanded down, filled, primed, and painted. Just enough reason to neglect postings to this here blog.

In the absence of details, here’s a pictorial log. At least on the work done while it was in Texas..

The bay when I got it. A sleeper showing its age.

The numbers matching 350 chained out. Sent for cleaning, porting, balancing, block painting, and to be later mated with new pistons, conrods, cams, recut crank, and heads. I'll spare you the details.

Engine bay - frames still in good nick, but showing slight signs of surface rust, linkages enveloped with layers of grease.

Back from the shop. Block painted yellow with Weiand heads.

600 cfm Edelbrock performance carb sitting on the Weiand.

Recond small block stock valve cover, yellow striped to match the block, new jet hot coated Sanderson headers.

14" 360deg performance chrome Edelbrock air filter, and chrome power brake booster.

Cooling system hooked up - original radiator pressure tested, flushed, fins straightened, and repainted with new 350 chrome thermostat housing. Brake, ignition and air-conditioning systems all set up.

(Mental note to self : replace radiator rubber hose with braided hose & to have chrome plate rivetted on fan shroud (single fan)).

Fired up with a new HEI distributor and AC Delco starter. Plug wires haphazardly fitted.

Stock calipers heat painted with new organic brake pads.

Calipers slotted over recut rotors.

New B&M traveller torque converter.

To be continued...

Texas Hold Up

2007-08-23T11:57:00.001+08:00

OK. This little story of mine is starting to turn into a complete 5 season 100 part episode of a mid-day soap. Its really been awhile and I need to get something off my chest.

Before shipping the car back to KL, I made the bold move to get it transported to Texas (from Denver where it was registered) given that the shop owner in KL (lets call him 'BAC', for his fine skills of manipulating one's BACkside as some claim and for lack of a more imaginative word) had a contact that he used in shipping American car parts to him. Apparently, said contact was well versed in the fine arts of all things automotive, and was ideal in helping get the car's mechanicals worked on, seeing that the talent in KL "wouldn't know where to start". BAC said that his contact was also going to give my engine bay show quality detailing and being the owner of a relatively rare 80s Z28 CCam in KL, I stuffed caution into my tiny tight back pocket and bought in lock stock and barrel.

Don't get me wrong. BAC sure knows his stuff, and he can make you trip over yourself when it comes to what can be done to add more ponies under your hood, and how to keep 'em neighing happily. And I may be the biggest sucker this side of the boondocks, but I still have faith that under the right circumstances, BAC would actually be able to deliver. He's got passion for cars, he's invested his time and his life into his shop, he knows the difference between an IRS & a monoshock system, AND he owns a relatively rare 80s Z28 CCam, if I haven't already mentioned it.

So BAC volunteers to mediate the transaction, and undertakes full responsibility over all work done by his contact. Also volunteers to take my money and remit as necessary to the contact. Fine young man. Not someone you find everyday in KL.

Its only mid way through the project, and after I make a sizeable payment for the parts, that I start smelling some rotten tuna (a species of fish that accurately represents this situation that would normally solicit the chinese exclamation 'tuna ma chao hai'). Pictures of the project and its parts sent over the email are on another car or googled from the net. Reports are coming in slow. And when the pictures do come in, you start scratching your head on why they look different from the earlier ones received (duh!). You also start seeing that there are cultural differences in understanding the concept of show quality detailing.

That ain't mine!

That sure ain't mine too!

Spin doctors. All of them. Anywhere you go in the world. Pride and integrity in what they do in the more developed world? Kiss my ass.

This is an extract from BAC's email and the specs promised.

"Here is the final list.. this is direct from Texas I never touched anything so.. will need you to come in and discuss our part of the deal and additional charges for money handling etc..

let me know and I can write it up in time.

ENGINE BUILD UP 390-425 hp SHOW QUALITY & DETAILING
summit heads 2.02 valves .520 springs
comp cam .515 lift ,HYD lifters
roller chain , hv oil pump
new edelbrock carb
new wiand intake , polished or chrome if needed
chrome rocker covers , gm
new bearings, seals trw
recut crank10/10
recond rods , add arp bolts
sfi flywheels tci
new water pump
new ps pump
new headers coated jet hot , shortys
roller tip rockers comp cams
new hei ign w/ 50k volt coil
mallory 8mm wires
accell plugs
block vated and cleaned , new freeze plugs
chrome timing cover
chrome alt bracket, other misc chrome as needed
all machine work ,

TRANS, BETTER THAN JEGS OR SUMMIT RACING
overhaul trans th350 good for 500 hp
shift kit w/ extra clutches for hp engine
2500 stall converter , or other if needed 2000- 3500
new lines or hoses

COOLING/A/C,
complete custom a/c unit installed all new , comp , dryer, lines, ducts,condenser,
remove vat / clean radiator and recondition , repl if needed w/ 4 row
repl all coolant hoses , heater hoses , belts

REAR AXLE AND SHAFTS
rebuild center unit w/ new clutches , and your choice of gear ratio , new bearings 3.73 3.55
repl all u joints x6 & ballance drive shaft

BRAKES
repl booster
repl hoses
repl 4 calipers
new pads on 4 corners
recut rotors or repl if needed
repack bearings, repl all axle seals
repl master cyl
repl 4 shocks and bushings as needed

THIS WOULD MAKE A TURN KEY CAR ROAD OR TRACK READY

TOTAL PARTS & LABOR US$13250 ., MAJORITY OF COST IS PARTS . , THIS INCLUDES ALL LUBES, REPAIRING WIRING UNDER HOOD , ADD US$450 FOR COMPLETE CUSTOM EXHAUST W/ MUFFLERS, YOUR CHOICE OF LOUDNESS . FLOWMASTER , BORLA , ETC .

Thanks,

XXXXX"

Man. I kick myself everyday now for getting sucked into classic sales shpiel. But to be fair, while I have the benefit of looking back and knowing what has not been honoured, I also am on the verge of finding out further what has been, once I start stripping the car apart for the rest of the process.

Want to know how I've been buttplugged?

Stay tuned. After all, the story will probably end after season 10.

You Are What You Drive

2007-05-29T17:50:00.000+08:00

Stumbled accross one of those CTR (click-tabulate-reveal) sites today. I wouldn't normally have bothered but this one took me less than 10 seconds and it was furthermore entitled "Which Sports Car Are You?"

Apparently, I'm a Corvette!

"You are a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do."

The test : http://www.tomorrowland.us/sportscar/

Sigh! It's gotta be written in the stars..

Classic Corvette Purchasing Tips

2007-05-14T20:47:00.000+08:00

"It is not the destination but the journey.

A case in point. Jay Leno, well known car collector, wrote a guest editorial in AutoWeek a number of years ago. He spoke about a problem that often plagues celebrities: "hangers on" that do odd things to attach themselves to famous people. In his case, they will call up in response to an ad for a classic car and pretend to be his "representative" and will say something along the lines of "Jay saw your ad and asked me to call for more information". Jay wrote that if someone gets a call like that they are definitely talking to an impostor. He never has anyone call on his behalf when it comes to classic car shopping; if he sees your ad and he is interested, he'll call you himself.

Beyond saying something about Jay as a person, the article said a lot about the car collector hobby. It is fun. Lots of it! Researching and deciding what collector car to buy is fun. Shopping for them is fun. Buying them is a real blast. Owning them, maintaining them, driving them, preserving them, showing them and yes, eventually selling them is a source of pleasure.

As the saying goes: "It's not the destination, it's the journey!" Enjoy your search for a Corvette as it is almost as much fun as owning one.

Where to look?

You are best off if you can limit your search to locally available Corvettes. The logic here is simple: investigating and purchasing is much easier if access to the car and the seller can be easily done in person. But that can limit you if

1. You live in a sparsely populated area

2. You are looking for a "special" Corvette, i.e. one that is not commonly available

If your circumstances are such that you cannot find what you want nearby, then a wider search is necessary. There are also the many online auction sites, starting with the industry leader, ebay.

Do not buy a Classic Corvette unless you have inspected it personally.

Avoid the temptation, no matter how busy you are or how good the deal looks. To start with there is the constant possibility of fraud. There have been cases of sellers "fixing" body damage by way of modifying the images on Photoshop (yes, we are serious!). There is always the possibility that while the seller is mostly truthful, they still leave out some negative information. This, in our experience, is what happens most of the time.

Weeding out the Turkeys

While it is not possible or practical to tour the world looking at every available Corvette, you can still do a lot to check out a car even if all you have is a web page and an email contact. Here is what we recommend:

At your first contact, tell the seller you will be visiting the car in person before you actually purchase it. If the seller balks at this idea, drop the car from consideration immediately.
Ask the seller to forward to you copies of any documentation they have. If this is a problem, find another car.
Beware of massive amounts of sales talk, such as "The car is in perfect shape" "You won't be disappointed" and so on. A good car doesn't need that.
Sellers that profess to not know much about cars in general are a bad sign. Often they know a lot about cars, including the fact that what they are selling has problems.
Deals that are too good to be true almost always are. Avoid the temptation to go for a "bargain" including "barn finds" and "secret, special deals". While it is true that they have been known to happen, such stories are rare and usually without merit. Other signs of trouble: if the seller is pushing you to act quickly or demands a deposit before you've decided to buy the car.
Stay away from people who will find you a car for a fee. While there are competent and reputable classic car brokers out there, and they often are an excellent source of cars, they should only be collecting fees from sellers, not buyers.

It is impossible to list all the steps you need to protect yourself from fraud as the bad guys are constantly refining their techniques. Your best bet: stay in touch with the Web message boards or the various club email lists to learn about the latest scams.

Always get a PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection)

This is good advice for any used car purchase, including a classic Corvette. Have a mechanic look over a purchase candidate and make sure they are familiar with Corvettes; since they are a common enough car finding a qualified inspector should not be hard to do. There also are professional auto appraisers qualified to assess older Corvettes.

If you are paying top dollar for a particularly rare or special Corvette, then doing a PPI is even more crucial. If it turns out that the car is, shall we say, "not quite" what it was represented as, then the value will drop dramatically. Let us put it another way. Even when an expert is considering the purchase of a classic Corvette, they will often have another expert look over the car and it's history to prevent them from missing something.

Check the documentation.

Ideally the seller will be able to offer complete documentation for their car. This would include original sales receipts, receipts for all maintenance and repairs and information on previous owners, etc. Photographs backing up the car's history should be available. Documentation of a car is very important and you'll see this reflected in selling prices.

It is possible that a good purchase candidate will only have minimal documentation; this can happen if previous owners were not aware of the value of good documentation or for any number of other reasons. But it is more likely that the lack of documentation is purposely done to hide problems.

Do Your Research

Find out as much as possible about the type of Corvette you are interested in. Do more than just read the message boards and various Corvette email lists; post your questions to them. Find out the weaknesses and various "things to look for" regarding the Corvettes you are considering .

Join your local Corvette club

If you're not the club joining type, change your ways, sign up and be active. A Corvette club can be your best resource. You can learn a lot with first hand and in person contacts, including Corvettes available for purchase, recommendations for vendors and repair shops and so on.

Be Realistic with your Expectations

With the possible exception of Corvettes that have been recently restored by a qualified entity, almost all available classic Corvettes will, to some extent, have issues. If you won't consider anything with a tiny amount of dirt on it yet you are not willing to pay the top dollar that the best Corvettes can bring then your search may not come to a conclusion.

How Correct?

The market has a definite opinion here as only those Corvettes that can pass the "Is it correct?" test get the high dollars. Correct means that what is on the car is what was on it when it left the factory.

The term can be controversial as it is sometimes not clear what is "correct". There is also the "period correct" concept which refers to equipment on the car that was not produced by the factory but which was often added by owners at the time the car was new.

There are areas where the "is it correct?" debate gets thorny. If something is changed on a car for the sake of improvement, is it still a negative? For example: the installation of an alternator and a 12 volt electrical system on a 1954 Corvette which was originally a six volt system equipped with a generator. All will agree that the 12 volt alternator system is technically superior. Owners can preserve the value of the car by performing only "bolt on" modifications. In the case of the electrical system update, all the original six volt parts and the generator are retained. When the car is put on the marketplace, the seller can offer to return it to the original system and also include the extra parts in the deal. The best of both worlds perhaps?

Many early Corvettes had uneven panels with a fair amount of waviness especially in flat areas. That was the nature of fiberglass technology of the time. The question for the owner of a Corvette about to be painted is "Do the wavy panels stay or do they go?". Some may feel that the car looks better without the waves. But it would not to be correct.

About "Numbers Matching"

If you have done even a minimal amount of shopping for a classic Corvette, you have come across the term "Matching Numbers". What this means, in the strictest sense, is that the major components that were on the car the day it left the factory are still on the car. All Corvettes had at least some parts numbered, and these include the body (VIN), engine, bellhousing, transmission, differential, alternator or generator, water pump, radiator, distributor, window glass, carburetor, early fuel injection and cylinder heads. Not all these items are relevant to all years.

A Corvette that is "numbers matching" will have the correct numbers on all applicable components as listed on the build sheet.

Since many classic Corvettes are 40 or more years old, there is a problem. Most of these parts required servicing over the years and they were usually replaced rather than rebuilt as that would be fastest and cheapest. Remember that "matching numbers" is only a recent concept; back when a mid-years Corvette was first owned and maintained the ideology wasn't a priority and most owners were not aware of it. Also keep in mind that "matching numbers" Corvettes command higher prices than those that do not have matching numbers.

So how is it that these days there are so many "matching numbers" Corvettes? It is because of a magic process called "renumbering". The tools to accomplish this are easy to come by.

This brings up some interesting questions. Consider the following scenario:
1. An engine block on a given Corvette is replaced with a new or remanufactured block.
2. The engine block removed from the Corvette (commonly known as a "core") is rebuilt, sold and installed in another car.
3. Years later, a subsequent owner of the Corvette "renumbers" the new engine block so that their car is "numbers matching".

Does this mean that it is possible that there are two cars out there with engine blocks that have the same number? The answer is yes.

You can see where the controversy is. This is also why many seasoned Corvette fans are a bit wary of the "numbers matching" claim. Despite all this, the marketplace does put an emphasis on the concept.

Our advice is to keep these realities in mind when your are shopping for a classic Corvette. And don't let a few digits on a water pump, be they correct or not, prevent you from enjoying the ride."

[adapted from : www.web-cars.com/corvette]

Information - The Protector Of A Busted Wallet

2007-05-06T18:36:00.000+08:00

While photos may be doctored, or taken at angles that do not represent the actual state and condition of the car, there is no other better way in making an informed assessment (of course other than flying there directly and carrying out a physical visual inspection) other than asking for them and getting as much information on the car’s mechanicals and bodywork as you can. Ask as much as you want. It is your right to know all that is needed to know before you procceed with your buy. Do not for a minute feel like a lame-arse even if the seller says you’re asking stupid questions. Better a lame-arse now, than a screwed-arse later.

Get photos of the following:

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) (*) – which will normally be on a stamped piece rivetted at the bottom of the upper dash pad (visible from the windscreen), or along one of the A-pillars
The engine number (*)
The undercarriage, where possible
The engine bay (from different angles - front, left, and right) - look out for heavy oil stains
All body panels – doors, fenders, bumpers, boot, and roof
All panel gaps
Wheels - to assess the suspension set-up by how well and evenly the car sits
Interior – seats, dashboard, gauges, internal panels

(note * : you will need to match the VIN number with the ownership title and the engine number for importation purposes - so get visual evidence first)

If the car shows only signs of surface rust, depending on what you are paying for it, it should still be ok to proceed with your buy. Nothing that a little sanding and sand-blasting cannot fix. However, if there are visible signs of rust rot, especially on the undercarriage, chassis, and the bottom of the door panels, I would suggest looking for another for obvious reasons.

Be wary of cars from the Northern, Eastern and some Southern parts of the United States (particularly Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Massachussets, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio & Pennsylvania) as roads are winter-prepped with salts, and these salts promote metal corrosion and rust. There may be cars which spend most of their lives in the ‘Rust Belt’ states, but shipped over to the Central or West Coast States over the years because of various circumstances. Know the history of the car, and where possible, ask for copies of the Original Title as it will tell you about the car’s history. My baby was rolled out of a GM plant in Colorado and hadn’t moved out of Denver for the past 32 years. So that was all good.

United at last! At long last!

2007-04-27T16:41:00.000+08:00

So I there I am, already late for my 2nd year anniversary dinner with my ex-girlfriend (because she's now my fiance and soon-to-be wife), and I’m setting up an ebay account for the sole purpose of landing me my baby. I rush through the details and manage to set one up, and the next thing I know, I’m already making blind bids for really nice looking ones. I start with those listings which have low running bids, and at one time, have a bid on about 5 cars where I am in the lead. My logic is telling me to just wait and sit them out, but my zealousness keeps me shopping for more. Just like a baby first discovering the sensations from learning how to pick his nose, you can’t stop yourself from checking out post after post, and the draw from the possibility of buying yourself an American classic for US$2,000 is overwhelming. Days pass, weeks pass, and I find myself sucked into the entire ebay process. I'm convinced that I had at one point, morphed into an ebay junkie – checking my emails for bid notifications and for new C3 postings almost every other hour.

After about 4 weeks, I manage to find a yellow 1973 matching numbers small block in Colorado with a bid running at about US$4,500. Jackpot.

There were only 30,464 units produced then (half of which has probably ended up in scrap heaven) and from the pictures, it didn’t look half as bad as some others that I threw my reckless bids on. So I decide to click the “Buy Now” button at US$6,000 just to kill other bids. Did I pay too much for it? Who cares..

I get a notification from the seller, Colin, who’s a Kiwi married to an Australian on a permit in the States, and of course, a confirmation from ebay. We make contact. And Colin gives me more information on the car. I check out his trade history, and notice that he’s already sold a light blue 1968 Mustang to a buyer who’s satisfied and validated the trade with a positive comment. There were also other trades on other stuff which gained him quite favorable feedback. Colin also didn’t hard sell, but reminded me that I was buying an unrestored relatively beat-up barn car which needed work. I felt comforted with his honesty, and it was a real confidence booster when it came down to me putting down a 50% deposit via my PayPal account to Colin’s, and so I did fully aware of the risks of what could go wrong.

When my funds were transferred out of my credit card to PayPal, I knew I had just bought myself a big endorphin rush and many many sleepless nights to come in the form of a 1973 small-block 350cui yellow (and at the time, mellow) Corvette Stingray.

(note: Throughout the 15 years that the C3 was in production (i.e. 1968-1982), there were a total of 542,741 units that ran off the GM production floor. And the thing with the C3s now is that the older they are, the pricier they get. For example, an early stock standard 1970 LT1 would cost about 50% more than that of a similarly stock 1982 L83. For a numbers matching unit (i.e. the engine block number matches the chassis number), a slight premium is normally attached with it.)

Finding Nemo

2007-04-27T12:19:00.000+08:00

As Malaysia is half-assed when it comes to the types of cars it wants to have on its roads, you will never find a worthy American Muscle (or any other type of muscle) project available in the daily classifieds. You will hence need to scout around a bit over yonder in lands afar, either in the United States, Australia, or Europe. Where specifically? Well, that totally depends on the ride of your choice. Different markets would yield different pricing, given the unique and dynamic landscapes dictated by logistics, taxes and foreign exchange. You've got to do your own math.

Generally, the markets you want to look at would be;

1. The United States - for (duh!) the 3 classes of American Classics & Muscle (i.e. Ford, Chevrolet, and Mopar (which are made up of makes such as Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Oldsmobile, AMC, & Jeep));

2. Europe - for classic Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, Fiats, Aston Martins, Rolls Royces, etc. ;

3. Australia - for Holdens, and right-hand drive conversions of American & European rides.

If it doesn't make sense getting the services of a broker in these markets, you can just carry out your own searches over the internet. I did. And it worked for me. The sources that helped me with my search were:

1. ebay (motoring sections) - for the United States (www.ebay.com), United Kingdom (www.ebay.co.uk), and Australian (www.ebay.com.au) markets;

2. unique cars - in the Australian market

(http://uniquecars.carpoint.ninemsn.com.au);

and a host of other websites that you would need to invest some time researching for you to understand the pricing of your project make. Trust me, research is invaluable, and will save you a shit load of time and from costly errors later down the purchasing and even shipping stages.

Buying over ebay

If you have, like me, identified your car via ebay (after having done some serious research, I hope), you would then need to ensure that you are equipped with the necessary resources and information to carry out the trade.

First of all, make sure you've paid off your credit card bills and are ready to roll with at least a RM30,000 (~US$8,000) credit balance. This however really depends on the base price that you would be willing to pay for your car, after considering its condition and general market pricing. For my C3 Corvette, prices ranged between US$3,000 (for bad shaped ones) to US$20,000 (for nicely done up ones, especially for the earlier non-collision front bumper versions circa 1968-1972). The Australian market priced the C3 between AU$18,000 (for a running but not in great shape unit) to about AU$50,000 (for a show unit).

Obviously, you would need to:-

1. compute what your costs are in local currency;
2. consider what the transportation costs are for shipping the car from that specific location;
3. consider the amount of local taxes that Customs would charge you - this varies depending on year of make and condition; and
4. measure the risk that you are willing to take if the trade goes bust - no point having sleepless nights over something fun like this.

On the issue of risk, you would need to establish the legitimacy of the seller and his/her offer. ebay (and payment gateways such as PayPal) provides some validation tools (like the feedback system) which are not perfect, but enough to provide you with an adequate enough level of assurance. Make sure you understand how they work, and take the necessary precautions.

The world is full of degenerate cons who have no qualms scamming even their own grandmothers. There WILL be scum who will somehow obtain your correspondonce details and email address from ebay (or from other sources) and will send you details of their non-existent so-called rides. My experience included solicitations from Russia and Eastern Block countries such as Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Pictures, history and specs of the car, whatever you want, they are ready with it and will provide it to you in a split second. They will also normally try to sell below market price, and fake sympathy and lie that they are forced to because of some tragic circumstance. When you do bite, they will then ask for a deposit. If you do proceed with the deal, that is when you walk down the yellow carpet for your initiation into the League of Extraordinary Suckers-Born-Every-Minute. Like everything else in life, if it appears too good to be true, have the common sense (and strength) to walk away from it. Chances are, its a scam.

So be wary and do not be fooled!

The C3 Corvette Stingray

2007-04-26T13:22:00.000+08:00

For me, it has always been about the C3 Corvette Stingray. Ever since I was pubeless and had this remote controlled rally 'Cougar' Corvette that had its body smashed against every pot in the house, I had always wanted to be in one. Not because I wanted to crash into a pot (but smoking one? well that's another story), but beacuse of its muscular lines and the ferocity of its 350cui V8 heart. The itch has always been there, and it was about time I did myself justice by scratching it.

The Corvette Stingray was born in 1963 as the C2 through the talents of the legendary Ed Cole, Zora Arkus-Duntov and Bill Mitchell. It was hailed as “America’s only true sports car” and had been lauded as among the finest performance machines in the world. In 1968, the 3rd generation Corvette was born. The Stingray underwent a change in engineering and shape (stylized by Larry Shinoda) which resembled a “mako-shark”, and marked the beginning of the C3 marque and of Corvette’s legacy of muscle till today. The mako-shark Stingray continued production up to 1977, and production of the Corvette continued in this basic style until the production of the C4 post 1982.

Today the Corvette continues to be one of the world’s best sports cars having taken the class of honours many times in the annual 24-hour classic endurance Le Mans events. Le Mans is the Holy Grail of sports car racing and there is nothing like it in the world next to Formula 1. Every year there are more than 2,000 journalists covering the event, nearly 300,000 spectators at the track, and millions watching the worldwide television coverage. Four times in the last five years, Corvettes have finished first and second in the GT1 class beating the likes of other sporting marques in the GT1 class such as Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari, Panoz, Roush, and Saleen to name a few.

Aesthetics? Muscle? Heritage?

All of the above.