PERSONAL
82CE WEBPAGES
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My Story
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My wife shares my love of
Corvettes. While this is a good thing, it is solely responsible for
our second addition to the family. I have always dreamed of owning a
'68 and soon after we were married in 1997 my wife decided she also wanted a
Corvette. I wanted something different from the C4, she wanted
something she could drive every day. Since a '68 is not a daily
driver and at the time we couldn't easily afford a new C5, we had to
compromise. After months of searching, numerous hours of internet
surfing and endless newspaper reading, we happened upon a '82 Collector
Edition. It really is hard to find a good body and paint shop for a Corvette. Many paint jobs that I've seen tend to settle after just 2 - 3 years, and show all of the sanding marks in the fiberglass. If the job is not completed correctly, you will be throwing your time and effort away. It may take quite a bit of time to get the job completed correctly, but well worth it if you plan on owning your Corvette for years to come. After scouring many body and paint shops for experience with Corvettes, we found a shop that said all the right words.... "If it is not done right, you will know in 2 - 3 years!" "To prevent this... " Sure enough, we found the right place! Gameplan: Take extreme care in the preparation of the body by applying multiple layers of primer and paint, while allowing each layer to settle in the hot Georgia sun for a month or so in between paint applications. Follow our timelines to see the stages of completion.
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When we purchased the Collector Edition, it had experienced both and rear fender damage. While not severe enough for a replacement, it was worth cutting out the bad fiberglass and replacing it. While these photos do not do the damage justice, the cracked fenders were going to take more than the primer the previous owner applied. While living in California, our project Corvette did not get much more attention than my replacement and reshaping of the fiberglass. |
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After arriving in Georgia, we didn't have
much time for Corvette activities or projects, getting settled in new jobs and
going to grad school. This really put a damper on our Corvette hobby!
With a few minor drives from time to time, the 82 Collector Edition spent most
of the year nice and dry in the garage next to the 91. Not having a
finished Corvette did not sit well with Beth, so while I was "vacationing" in
Saudi Arabia for a few months, she decided to press on with the restoration
previously stalled. She found a body and paint shop that was experienced
in Corvette restorations and knew what I was after. Everything the I had
read about the correct way to paint a Corvette, they said. Beth initially
started a web page to keep me posted as to the status of the 82's progress while
I was abroad. The below chronological list of events and photos are
presented as Beth initially posted them: |
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While we love our 82 CE, we also have careers that take us throughout the country as well as outside the country. That said, we've had our 82 CE in storage since 2004. We are not parting with it, rather keeping it for when we settle down in one location. |
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Last updated Wednesday, September 15, 2004
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