Just a little update

Has it really been since the end of January since we worked on Bette? My how life passes you by when you're living it! Let's see, what's happened since then:

Oh yeah, I'm pregnant. 20 weeks and change to be exact. When I last blogged, I knew that I was my own +1, but we weren't telling anyone. In fact, we told my mom the news that weekend (and I was afraid I was going to have to scoop her off the floor with a spatula or 911 paramedics, while Ray tinkered away!).

So where does that leave us with Bette? My immediate reaction when the little blue test read 'Pregnant' was that there was NO WAY we were stopping restoration and giving Bette up. It's an ultimate test to the powers of irony that I indeed got pregnant only after we started working on the old gal, after all, mom and dad acquired her after she was being sold by a woman who was 7 months pregnant.

And for all of those who have asked... No, there's not necessarily room for a car seat. BUT, mom and dad let me ride in the little luggage compartment behind the seats on our frequent trips to Cleveland until I could no longer fit back there. I don't see any reason why little Junior couldn't do the same? (Yes, I deserve the 'Mother of the Year' award already)

Bette indeed is still in the Costea-Johnson family, and while things aren't necessarily full steam ahead right now, we still plan to get her back to her fighting shape; it just may take a bit more time. After all, every little boy needs a muscle car!

Just this past weekend, Dave and I took our girl out for a spin around mom's neighborhood. Sure enough, she fired right up and started to purr. There's something thrilling about tooling around in a growling Corvette that has no tags (hee hee). She seems to have a little transmission slipping and a clunk in her rear end (boy, do I know THAT feeling recently...). Just two more items to put on the list to be addressed once we get her to Ray's.

Today was certainly a milestone our journey. Mom and I went down to the tag office and made it official. Bette is now mine, and the title reads to prove it. Thank you mom, for agreeing to transfer her title over to me. I know dad is laughing somewhere, knowing that my prophecy nearly 31 years ago has come true.... the Corvette (at least now on paper) is mine.

What next? I had hoped that a good part of our tax return was going to go towards a new front and rear end (the old gal's gotta have a good caboose to shake), but with Junior on the way, that money is now earmarked to make our house more of a 3 seater than the 2 seater it's been for the past 6 years.

However, Dave promised me that any money that's in the change can will be used for Bette accessories. Sounds like a pretty good compromise to me, since the thing is nearly 3/4 full. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get myself to the local Coinstar machine. Until next time....

New Socks and Shoes

Ray came up today, with the mission of changing out the brakes, spark plugs and tires. He and Dave met around 8:30 and by the time I was able to join the fun around 2pm, most of the work had been nearly complete (I have impeccable timing!).

Ray said that putting on the new calipers and pads was easier than getting the old stuff off. Not shocking, as the old stuff had been on there nearly 38 years. While changing the spark plugs, Ray found that one of the old ones was fouled, which was most certainly contributing to Bette running a little rough. Dave got the seat pretty much repaired, and we are no longer sitting on blankets and towels behind the wheel. He's not 100% pleased with the fix, and a brand new seat or seat frame may just end up happening after all.

Bette's brand new battery spent a lot of time on the charger today. A couple of weeks ago, I had gone over to mom's to start the car and let her fun for a few minutes, per Ray's advice, and found the battery to be dead, dead, dead. Right now, we're not sure what's going on- is there something pulling a phantom charge or was the hood or a door left open on accident after the last work day? Fingers are crossed that it's not an electrical system malfunction.

As Dave and Ray were attaching the new tires to Bette, all I kept hearing in my head was Robert Duval's character from Days of Thunder: Tires is what wins the race, Cole.... All the lug nuts were tightened down and Bette was just about to roll out for her first test drive with new socks and shoes. Oh snap, the brake lines were still mushy. Some more brake work ensued until the brakes seemed nice and tight. Dave and I hopped in for the first drive. Slowly accelerating down the driveway, then STOP! Slowly accelerating, then STOP! Yes, indeed the brakes work.

We turned out of mom's driveway and heard this God-awful grind. Uhhh, what's that? Dave got out to take a look and it seems that the front tires are too big for the wheel wells. Back into the garage she went and a call to our man Pat at Tires Plus confirmed we needed to get smaller tires. Anyone have any idea how tires are named/sized? We first had size 225/70R15's for the front tires, but we actually needed 235/60R15's. HUH? I swear, I wanted to yell BINGO each time he said the size of the tires. Off Dave went to swap them out.

In the meantime, Ray pulled our battery out of his car (he had it charging for a couple of hours) and put it back in Bette. He closed up the car and realized that there was no arc coming out of the terminal, which wouldn't indicate a faulty wire or a phantom charge. Fingers crossed that we just had left a door or the hood cracked. For now, we'll leave the battery unhooked whenever we leave her to sit for a period of time, just to be on the safe side.

Dave got back with the tires, the boys hooked them up and off we went. Dave wanted to drive first, just in case there was a problem with the brakes. As we headed to the first stop sign, Dave depressed the brake pedal and boy did she pull to the left! But the ride around the neighborhood was smooth as butta' otherwise. Between the nice new tires and the spark plugs, she purred and glided right along.

Ray got in to take her for a spin, and *vroom vroom*, he and Dave went up the street. By the time they got back and it was *my* turn to drive, the brakes were doing a lot better, as the air was getting out and they weren't pulling quite as badly. Dave and I couldn't be sure, but the transmission might have slipped a couple of times? Bette is leaking some tranny fluid, but hopefully with some new hoses and a little tune up, that's the end of the transmission work for Bette (anyone else hearing those dollar sign noises ringing? Yikes!). She's running a little rich, so we'll have to lean her fuel mixture down.

Dave and 'The Doctor' after their joy ride

I pulled her into the garage and put her to bed- it was a very productive day. Bette looks all sassy in her new shoes! We may perhaps get her titled and tagged in my name on Monday (the *ultimate* in birthday gifts). Once that's done, Ray has given us strict instructions to drive her at least 30-40 miles a week. I feel kinda awkward driving her around w/o bumpers, but gotta follow doctor's orders, I guess.

Ahhh, I really should shower, since I can still smell the exhaust in my hair. But it's a good kind of 'stink' and it makes me happy to know that Bette is ever so much closer to her grand return to the open road.

Wee-wee-weeeeeeee!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Dave called today to sing me the 'birthday song'.... when I reminded him that the big day was still 6 days away, he said he might have picked up my birthday gift today.

Oh, right! He was traveling to the east coast! And part of his journey took him to the Eckler's showroom in Titusville. I'm very happy to report that for my birthday, I got 4 new brake calipers, 4 brake pads, spark plugs and a seat repair kit. All just what I had asked for!

And the best part of the purchase? The salesman at Eckler's gave Dave 20% off (we're already on their list of priority customers!), and that helped tremendously. After these get worked on and installed, the last part of the process will be new bumpers and some interior work (which can slowly get worked on as we have the time. And the title... yes, don't forget the title. We have to get Bette tilted and plated in my name. DUH!

Ray looks to be chomping at the bit to get back up and work on Bette, so hopefully this will be a productive weekend for the boys.

More to come this weekend, hopefully!

Get your motor runnin'

Today was THE day!

Ray came up on Tuesday, December 21st with the goal of getting Bette running. First task of the morning was to rebuild the carburetor with the rebuild kit we got from Eckler's. Piece of cake and installed. I've started to call Ray 'Bette's Doctor', as he's working to bring her back to life.

Next was to install the new battery we got, since the old one had held a charge for just a few hours and then returned to the grave. Check. Ray took apart the driver's seat and realized that the frame is bent, and we'll have to get a rebuild kit. This makes me think that Chevy had issues with the seats if they make a rebuild kit? Urgh! For now, the seat is in pieces in the garage.

Next, the new fuel sending unit was installed into the fuel tank and Ray started to flush the fuel line. There was actually still about a liter of gas in the gas tank, and with a squeeze bulb and line out of the gas tank, Ray was able to get it out. Ray flushed the old gas from the tank, through the carburetor and out into a bucket. Lastly, he flushed a little bit of fresh gas through the line and carb to finish flushing the line.

Ok, it was go time. Dave was directed to turn the key.....

About this time, I had arrived to mom's to check on the progress before going into work for the afternoon. I had no sooner parked the Jeep at the end of the driveway when I heard a car starting. MY CORVETTE WAS TURNING OVER!!!! I hopped out of the car, and screaming, ran into the garage. Bette didn't start up on the first crank, Ray adjusted something, and Dave

turned the key over, and she roared to life.

I can't tell you what a sweet sound it was to hear the Corvette running again- a sound I've not heard for over 6 years. We let Bette idle for a while. She was leaking a bit of fuel from the attachment of the fuel line to the carb, which Ray could tell that dad probably had some problems with in the past. That'll have to be fixed in time, I'm sure.

Boy, did she sure smoke up the neighborhood! I was waiting for mom's next door neighbor to call the fire department. But there was almost 6 years of grime, oil, fluid, etc to burn off and out of the lines, engine and exhaust manifold. As Ray watched the engine whirr, he said it looked good. Certainly, there's a lot to tweak, and there is some hesitation in the timing, but the engine appears to be running clean. *grin*

I reluctantly left for work and the boys did a little more tweaking and tuning. Dave went out to get some lunch and by the time he got back, Ray had Bette off the jacks and ramps and into the light of day- something she's not seen in almost 6 years. WOOO! Dave sent me a picture of her sitting in the driveway, and I was amazed:

Dave even got to take her out for a drive! He took mom with him for a little spin around the block. And when I got to mom's after work, I was treated with an early Christmas gift- I GOT TO DRIVE HER! Yep, me and Bette went for a little jog around the neighborhood. Now mind you, there's no bumpers, there's no license plate, and there's no... driver's seat. Yes, I drove my Bette while sitting on top of blankets (LOL).

There is only one front brake working, which is the front right brake. That means the car pulls to the left pretty strongly when you hit the brakes. Dave wouldn't let me get over about 20 mph, and the tires are oblong from being flat for so long. It made for a little bit of a lumpy, bumpy ride, but that didn't matter. Me and Bette were on the road again!

We now have a big list of items to get: 4 brake calipers, seat frame repair kit, tag and title, 4 new tires, spark plugs and oh, let's not forget, the front and back bumpers. I'm hoping Eckler's makes us their #1 customer in 2011 ;-)

Mid-week work

After the initial excitement of Ray's visit over the weekend, Dave was hot to get cracking on some 'extra credit' work that Ray said he could do between visits. Two days after our initial work, Dave went to mom's house to get this work done.

First task was to replace the valve cover gaskets. Check, easy work. Next was to install the seat bumpers to the driver's side seat. Uh, not so check. Dave realized that something more than just the seat bumpers is wrong and we'll have to figure that out at another time. *sigh*

The last task of the evening was to remove what was left of the front bumper and grill. Dave sat down to master this last bit of bumper, and although it seemed to be a bit easier than the back bumper (learning curve or just truly easier), he wasn't able to remove all of the adhesive that had been put on by the factory back in 1973. We'll have to use some Goo-Gone to get rid of it. In Dave's quest to get the bumper and front grill off, he accidentally broke the bracket for the front left parking light. Oopsie- that'll be an $80 fix down the road.

Ok, Bette. We now have to schedule another day for Ray to visit, and hopefully we'll get you running!

Day One

After sending Ray pictures and talking over the phone, it was decided that December 5th would be the day. Ray would drive up to Orlando from his home in Stuart and meet us at mom's house to get a look in person. As Ray arrived and started to look her over, I was so nervous. My main concern was what he thought of the frame- was it rusted out? Was it a lost cause? Would it be too far gone and need more money than we had to put into it?

Ray said 'Looks good' and I was relieved! So that meant all systems were go. The first order of business was to get the tires inflated and get her up on the ramps and jack stands to get a look underneath. Up and up and up she went! Dave took the dead battery out and we got it hooked up to the battery charger. Ray wasn't sure we could get it to hold a charge, but it was worth a try.

In removing the battery, we figured out that the driver's seat is broken. Dad had it propped up from the back with 2 small pieces of wood and a towel. I hadn't remembered that there was a problem, so I always figured that the wood was being used as a lumbar support or something like that. Ray determined that the seat is missing some crucial bump stops, and as a result, it leans/lays back farther than it normally would. The seat came out and we found $.30! The carpet is quite dirty, but we'll fix that with a call to Stanley Steamer.

Ray still maintained that the car frame looked good as he continued to look around underneath her. Seems that she's leaking some radiator or transmission fluid and brake fluid, but he didn't seem ultra concerned. Dave started to drain the oil (or should I say sludge- it was totally gross), and the boys removed the spare tire so they could get to the gas tank.

Knocking on the gas tank, Ray felt that there wasn't any gas in the tank, so he opened it up. Imagine the surprise when gas started guzzling out of the tank! I'd say there was possibly a gallon or two left in the tank. Dave got new oil and a filter and got the oil changed (his first ever DIY oil change!), and we added some brake fluid to see if the brake lines were still OK or if they were going to need a lot of work.

I had thought we'd be getting the car running today, but there was enough other stuff to be done first. We moved on to removing what was left of the bumpers. Sure, most of the exterior bumpers had either fallen off or been broken off, but we still needed to unbolt where the bumper attached to the car. This certainly wasn't Dave's favorite job of the day, but once he got the ratchet wrench, work went a little smoother.

The last task of the day was hooking up the battery to check our electrical system. It had been bubbling for a few hours to clean off the plates and now it was time to see what we had. Contacts hooked up, key in the ignition, and..... voila! Lights on in the car! Both window motors run! And best of all? The headlights work!! Since the engine wasn't running, we couldn't use the vacuum system to pop the lamps up, but Ray was able to push them up and the lights are running. I was so happy that I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

We cleaned up the garage and called it a day. Looking at Bette sitting there, it's amazing how much we got done in one day. There's a lot more to be done before we're finished, but I know my dad is happy. I'm so grateful to Dave for agreeing to take this project on and to Ray, who's knowledge is endless. I'm also grateful to the many people who I know we're going to get help from as we move forward. I'm not sure when Ray will be back up, but I'm certainly looking forward to project day #2! We have our shopping list and I'm sure Eckler's Corvette will be very happy to have us as a new customer.

2010 Turkey Rod Run

As the years have moved on, I've contemplated what to do with Bette. She has been slowly falling apart and I lack the knowledge, money and time needed to get her back to fighting shape. I had thought about selling her to someone that could bring her back to life as she deserved. This thought pained me, as my dad loved this car and having her made me feel like he was still present in my life. But being a realist, I thought that there was never going to be a way to get her running again. I had tried starting her around the time that dad passed but she wouldn't turn over.

Our good friends always go to the Turkey Rod Run at the Daytona Speedway on Thanksgiving weekend. We hung out with them and enjoyed the car show last year. I told them about the Vette and joked that this would be a great project car for them.... *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

A few months ago Dave said that I had a choice: I could either get my Jeep lifted or go forward with restoring the Corvette. Knowing that a Jeep lift would be a fraction of the cost of getting Bette going again, I figured we'd go with the Jeep project, even though deep down in my heart I wanted to do the Corvette project.

We went back to the Rod Run again this year, and this time we met our friend Bill and his dad Ray. Ray has had over 100 cars in his lifetime, and most importantly, he's had (and restored) Corvettes. Yup, he gets the obsession that I have with Corvettes. We toured the grounds of the Speedway for 2 days, and I told him all about my car. He told me he could get her running again. Really, I said? Even though her front and back bumpers have crumbled and fallen off? Yes. Even though she hasn't started in 5+ years? Yes. Really? Yes.

Ray's optimism was contagious. We parted ways that weekend with a promise that he was going to go home and get his tools in order and would be calling soon to schedule a time to come up and take a look. He told Dave it'd be his Christmas gift. SOME GIFT! : )