| Ramble on |
Subject: Ramble on by corvetteronw on 2010/1/21 3:26:22 It has been butt-arsed cold here in Michigan. I got the 91 steel blue coupe home from North Carolina the weekend of Dec 12/13. That was the last good weather we had. The only thing I have done to the car so far is to install the Champagne-color 2003 Anniversary wheels that I bought from someone on the big forum. I got new 17" front and 18" rear tires from an Ebay vendor too. Oh yeah, bought a new trickle charger and put that on her. I have had some frustrating problems trying to get the wheel centers painted to match the wheels. I did not receive the centers with the wheels so I bought a set of used chrome ones from Vette2Vette. I used a heat gun and Goof Off to remove the existing C5 decals and bought a set of C4 wheel center decals from another Ebay vendor to put on after paint. I could only find a paint pen from the local GM dealers. I wanted a spray can but that was impossible to get from them. I could not find the correct color from any of the big Corvette vendors so I went on line and bought a quart of VERY EXPENSIVE paint from a jobber in California ($80 with shipping to Michigan). The only color the jobber could find that was even close for a 2003 Corvette wheel was a light metallic gold. I bought a small aerosol kit that has a glass bottle attached to it so you can spray paint from a can. You guessed it - WRONG FREAKING COLOR! It was too dark. Looks funny. Can't have that  .I was out and about yesterday and saw a hobby shop. Went in there and tried the "eyeball" test and found a small can of light gold spray paint (under $6 thank goodness). Took that home, turned on the electric heater and heat lamp out in the 18 degree garage and painted the center caps along with the plastic lug nut covers a beautiful shade of (wait for it)........light gold........still too damn dark. So much for the old eyeballs. Left for work early tonight and stopped at a local Finish Master paint jobber. Showed him my print out from the 50th Anniversary Corvette Forum (yes Martha, there is such a critter out there) that showed the paint code and the Dupont name of "Warm Nickel". They mixed it up while I waited and now I have enough of the (I freakin hope) correct color. I have it in my mail box here in the clinic so it does not freeze in the truck while I am working. TOMORROW I PAINT! Will post pics when I get it done right and after I get the decals on. My next project is to swap the driver and passenger seat and take the driver's bolster from the former driver's seat to the local upholstery shop to see if they can match the blue leather with some sturdy vinyl or pleather. Then it is on to buffing the paint back to its former luster. I met an 86 owner at Carlisle who is from New York state. He is FedExing me his Porter Cable DA buffer so I can use some Adams swirl remover to do that job. Hope the stuff works in the cold as the warmest I can get the pole barn on a sunny day is to about 40 degrees. That will probably work for the major parts of the body but the nose and tail will have to be sanded down and repainted. Looks like the "down south" sun got to these areas and make them look like light blue primer. Oh well, that's why they call it a hobby, right? I am hoping to get the car presentable by the NCM's C4/ZR1 Gathering in mid May. Anyone see my article in last month's issue of Corvette Enthusiast magazine? It is in the "I'm a Corvette Enthusiast" section in the back and covers a couple I met at Bloomington Gold and their sweet 81 Corvette. I will have another article in the next issue too about a beautiful black 86 (same guy who is loaning me the buffer). Then I have another article about an 85 that has been cloned to look like a Corvette Challenge car but am not sure when that will come out. Enough rambling - gotta punch out and get home.  |
