Corvette Picture Page.

Santa's Real Sleigh Ride - who needs reindeer !

Ken Cook
American Dream Corvette Club - GA

This Corvette convertible was sold by Christianville Chevrolet in Highland, Indiana. It was built in St. Louis with Rally Red paint, black hood stripe and black interior and white top. Its had a Muncie 4-Speed Transmission, 370 Ratio Prostration Rear Axle, Standard Exhaust, Headrests, AM/FM Radio, Soft Ray Tinted Glass, and a 427 cubic Inch, 390 H.P Engine.

When my son and I began restoration in 1988, the Vette had 48,000 original miles on the clock. It had been garaged for years with a blown engine. It was in very average condition but had good lines.

For restoration, I wanted the car turn out just like the Red 1967 Vette I purchased new when returning from the Army in 1967 (and traded for a family in 1970). My son and I fully dissembled the car and Crown Corvette in Atlanta restored the fiberglass and painted it the original Rally Red.

Interestingly, when the three coats of paint were stripped down to the fiberglass (by hand) we discovered all original fiberglass panels and no major damage. Cracks to the bottom front and right rear had, however, been repaired with woven fiberglass (a messy, improper repair) and we replaced those panels. The car was then painted with several coats of polyutherane paint.

After painting, I reassembled the parts, restoring each as I went along. A complete new interior was installed including new dash pads, door panels, seats and carpet. Other interior work included restoring the instrument panel and the installation of new gauges (the radio and tachometer were in good working order and were left untouched). Along with interior work, the
seats were discovered to have the mounting hardware for headrests, so new headrests were installed. Crowning off the new interior was a new convertible top.

Interestingly, a previous owner has swapped the original 4-speed transmission for a correct two-speed powerglide automatic transmission and shifter, quite a job considering the engine had to be removed to do this. After an extensive search for a correct Muncie 4-Speed, pedal, shifter and linkage, the transmission system was restored to its original condition.

Along with the transmission swap, the 427 engine had been lost in the late 70s and a tired 350 cui. engine installed. Since I knew I would be using my Vette for cruising, I abandoned the difficult task of searching for a correct big block and installed High Output "ZZZ" engine, purchased new from Chevrolet, a decision I have never regretted. Crowning off the engine is a
new 750 c.f.m. Holley "double-pumper" carburetor and HEI ignition. The ZZZ has 350 cubic inches and is rated at 355 H.P (over 400 H.P. by 1967 ratings) with 380 lbs. of torque. Along with the new engine, a new cooling system and side mounted exhaust were installed.

Mechanical updating also included several other important improvements. New stainless steel brake calipers and master cylinder were installed. New gas KYB gas shocks were mounted, the front suspension was overhauled and the rear suspension was rebuilt with new u-joints and a 350 lb. rear fiberglass monospring. Finally, the wheels were updated with correct reproduction
aluminum bolt-ons and redline tires. Finally, after 5 years of hard work, I was ready for cruising and the car show circuit.

As it sits, this beautiful 1967 Corvette will turn more than 100 MPH, in the 13s, on the quarter-mile drag strip. Among its 25+ trophies, it has received the coveted NCRS Sportsman Award. Current value for the Vette is approx. $40,000. As often occurs, the cash investment for restoration escalated beyond my original plans, but it is worth every penny. Regardless
of the investment, I drive this beauty regularly on weekends and often on long trips.

Of course, during the Christmas season, the Vette nicely serves as Santa's sleigh, the funnest job it has all year.

click here to send an e-mail to "Santa"

If would like your Corvette to appear on the photo page,
we accept either JPG (JPEG) or GIF images only.
Send via an ATTACHMENT to your E-Mail.
(We cannot accept MIME files.)

Click Here to Send Photo