RonC5
02-14-2012, 1:01pm
As of late we have had a few "Corvette" threads regarding what we have/had and what got us interested in the Corvette world. SeaSix's current thread about engine numbers got me thinking about something that happened to me, and curious about other oddball, wierd, against all odds Corvette stories. Here is mine.
I bought a 73 Vert, L82 auto, full option car, NOM, but all of the heads and other parts were correct and original. Me, being me, bought all correct ignition parts and wires to replace the existing "high-performance" wires laying all over the valve covers. I dug all of the ignition shielding out of the boxes of parts that came with the car and set out to make the engine compartment the way it should be. Upon pulling the started to run the wires thru the shielding behind said starter, the outer bolt broke off in the ear. Someone had uses a bolt too long and shimmed it with 3 or 4 washers, but still had it buried in the block. The bolt broke at the end of the threads, about 1/2 inch into the block. I messed with it for a few days, then ended up getting the car over to a shop where the owner was rumored to be able to get any bolt out of any hole. The idiot ended up drilling out the bolt and all of the way thru the ear, attaching the starter with threaded rod and double nuts on each in. I was sick, as this motor was a fesh rebuild with less than 10K miles on it. It lasted a couple months before the block started cracking from the bolt hole, allowing the starter to flex away from the flywheel. I started looking for a new block to rebuild the motor. I started at the shop that had done the work for the previous owner. I went there only to see if I could find out what happened to the original block. The guy said that they put the same motor back in that came out of it. They tagged it to the car, etc. explaining their method of keeping everything with the correct car. I asked him if he had any block he would sell. He told me that he had another 4 bolt main block taken out of a 73 Corvette, so I told him to let me see it as at least it would be correct, even if not original. He pulled the block out of a shed and showed it to me. I looked at the pad and was thrilled when I saw that the VIN stamped was indeed the original block to my car. He wanted $300 for the block, but didn't know it matched my car. With this guy's reputation, the price would have at least tripled if he knew that was my original motor. I offered him $250, but ended up paying him the $300 and getting the out of there with the motor.
I bought a 73 Vert, L82 auto, full option car, NOM, but all of the heads and other parts were correct and original. Me, being me, bought all correct ignition parts and wires to replace the existing "high-performance" wires laying all over the valve covers. I dug all of the ignition shielding out of the boxes of parts that came with the car and set out to make the engine compartment the way it should be. Upon pulling the started to run the wires thru the shielding behind said starter, the outer bolt broke off in the ear. Someone had uses a bolt too long and shimmed it with 3 or 4 washers, but still had it buried in the block. The bolt broke at the end of the threads, about 1/2 inch into the block. I messed with it for a few days, then ended up getting the car over to a shop where the owner was rumored to be able to get any bolt out of any hole. The idiot ended up drilling out the bolt and all of the way thru the ear, attaching the starter with threaded rod and double nuts on each in. I was sick, as this motor was a fesh rebuild with less than 10K miles on it. It lasted a couple months before the block started cracking from the bolt hole, allowing the starter to flex away from the flywheel. I started looking for a new block to rebuild the motor. I started at the shop that had done the work for the previous owner. I went there only to see if I could find out what happened to the original block. The guy said that they put the same motor back in that came out of it. They tagged it to the car, etc. explaining their method of keeping everything with the correct car. I asked him if he had any block he would sell. He told me that he had another 4 bolt main block taken out of a 73 Corvette, so I told him to let me see it as at least it would be correct, even if not original. He pulled the block out of a shed and showed it to me. I looked at the pad and was thrilled when I saw that the VIN stamped was indeed the original block to my car. He wanted $300 for the block, but didn't know it matched my car. With this guy's reputation, the price would have at least tripled if he knew that was my original motor. I offered him $250, but ended up paying him the $300 and getting the out of there with the motor.