Stuart & Ruth's Corvettes
Our Corvette story started off as a desire of mine to get a Holden one tonner with 308 for a work hack, and also so I could get my Aussie male V8 fix! Then young Geoff Heaven came along and planted the seed in my head, "You get more bang for your buck" he said "getting a Corvette." He reminded me that "you get a bigger V8, plus chicks love 'em. "
Anyway I pointed out the benefits to Ruthie - the bit about a bigger V8 and she said "Go for it Sweetie". Like most of us, as a younger lad, I had always loved Vettes but considered them out of my financial range. As time goes on and realising they can be quite affordable, I started looking around. Geoff knew of this '78 Vette that had been sitting at a crash repair business in a sad state and was for sale. The business owner had it bought into Australia as a wreck and had started the rebuild. He had it converted here by SA Car Conversions and then his luck changed. He died! I was able to purchase it for $11,000 from his grieving wife and dragged it home to my grieving wife!
Anyway I pointed out the benefits to Ruthie - the bit about a bigger V8 and she said "Go for it Sweetie". Like most of us, as a younger lad, I had always loved Vettes but considered them out of my financial range. As time goes on and realising they can be quite affordable, I started looking around. Geoff knew of this '78 Vette that had been sitting at a crash repair business in a sad state and was for sale. The business owner had it bought into Australia as a wreck and had started the rebuild. He had it converted here by SA Car Conversions and then his luck changed. He died! I was able to purchase it for $11,000 from his grieving wife and dragged it home to my grieving wife!
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This car hadn't been started for three or more years, had sat out in the weather without a bonnet, windscreen and everything that could have been taken off, loosened or put on backwards had been. Geoff and I set about putting things back together and by the second day hooked up a battery, poured in some fuel and it fired up. There is no stopping a good ol' Chevy V8.
Over the period of the rebuild, every time we placed an order to the States for more parts the Aussie dollar hit a new low. The most expensive purchase was for all new molded carpets and leather seat covers and other bits and pieces for the interior. This was the exact time that the dollar bottomed out at its lowest point. Ruth made me sell a kidney to help finance this brainwave of Geoff's ("buy a Vette, they don't cost much!!"). I was expecting it to take me three years or so to have it back together, painted and through Regency Park, but two years and one week later it passed on it's second attempt and our Corvette was done (sort of), just in time for the 2002 Adelaide Convention. |
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This car certainly is nothing special in the horse power stakes or rarity, but it's just a neat tidy cruiser. It was originally a two tone Silver Anniversary model with Oyster interior. Paine Crash up at Clare repainted it Dark Green Mica which works well with the lighter interior. The 350 is fairly well stock and we just had a Turbo 700 trans fitted.
Ruth and I love the car but by far and away the best thing about it is the involvement with the Corvette Club of SA which it has led to. So many good people that we have met and now are great friends. Maybe I'm not that fussy. but I even like Kevin Jarrett. The fun we have on the runs, the club meetings and dinners, our time on the committees (Club & Convention) - it's all been great. There is no doubt that there is something about the Corvette that attracts the nicest of people - from our friends here and from the interstate clubs and internationally. The contact that we have had with Corvette people in the States such as from our sister club Corvettes West or the members who Ruth and I met from Christchurch Corvettes while in New Zealand. Meet them once and you have friends for life. I believe the Vette is a classless car which is a good thing as apparently I have little class. Happy Vetting.
Ruth and I love the car but by far and away the best thing about it is the involvement with the Corvette Club of SA which it has led to. So many good people that we have met and now are great friends. Maybe I'm not that fussy. but I even like Kevin Jarrett. The fun we have on the runs, the club meetings and dinners, our time on the committees (Club & Convention) - it's all been great. There is no doubt that there is something about the Corvette that attracts the nicest of people - from our friends here and from the interstate clubs and internationally. The contact that we have had with Corvette people in the States such as from our sister club Corvettes West or the members who Ruth and I met from Christchurch Corvettes while in New Zealand. Meet them once and you have friends for life. I believe the Vette is a classless car which is a good thing as apparently I have little class. Happy Vetting.