Pulling the Motor

January 25th we pulled the engine and transmission from the Gar Wood car.

As you can see, all of the engine accessories were removed from the block before pulling it. Dan and Bob remarked how the fluids that drained from many of the components looked fresh--a good sign.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/ef7244_b148d6ec2f844985bab0588ec1774b93/720p/mp4/file.mp4

The motor will be disassembled and the parts (pistons, valves, etc.) will be sent off to be checked and cleaned up and then Dan will rebuild the engine here at the shop.

Here's another picture of the matching numbers on the engine block. T (Tonawanda) 06 (June) 08 (day) CZU corresponds to the big block 454 ci engine with a 4-speed. 70S415192 matches the VIN number. The "0" is for '70, "S" is for the St. Louis plant, and the "415192" is the production number of the car. All production numbers started at 400000, so this was the 15,192 corvette made that year, out of 17,316. This car is a late production car.

The transmission is the stock M20 and has a similar VIN and date mark.

P (Muncie plant) 0 (1970) H (June) 26 (day) A (M20) and underneath is the matching car's VIN again.

Even the original Delco Pliacell shocks are date coded. 168 (Julian day) of 1970, corresponding to June 17, 1970.

The shocks even have the correct white paper sticker still on them. (VS).

On the assembly line, the body shims were held in place with masking tape while the body was put on. The tape is still there.

Last but not least is a pic of Dan Martin, the owner of Hill Country Vettes. His expertise and love for restoring these classic cars make all of this possible.

Now that the engine is out of the car, Dan's detailer will climb in and begin to clean up the engine bay. The rubber hoses for the vacuum system are still soft and pliable so they will remain, along with the factory electrical tape that was used to bundle the hoses. From the engine, the restoration will move aft, both inside and outside the car. Again, I'm hoping the interior is so well preserved that very little aside from cleaning will be required.

I expect to get the first monthly bill for the work and I will post that so people can see what this kind of work costs. I think it will benefit those in the community who are considering restoration work. I only ask that everyone remember these restorations can be a money pit. I don't expect to recoup all of what goes into this restoration, but I'm not doing it to flip the car so I'm okay with it.

Stay tuned!