1965 corvette fi hemmings muscle machines part 2 march 2011 p2

7/23/2019 1965 Corvette FI Hemmings Muscle Machines Part 2 March 2011 P2

1/4


2/4

Above, 65 Cor vette flamb, mor e or less as Joe Verrillo found it. B elow,

the car, after a decade-long restoration and an NCRS Top Flight award.

RESTORATION PROFILE

1965 Chevrolet Corvette roadsterPART 2

By Mike McNessor

Photography by Terry McGean Restoration photography courtesy of Prestige Motor Car Studio photography by Dino Petrocelli

this wasnt an overnight rebuildinitially, Joe used it as a sideproject to keep his crew occupied during downtime. Its progressebbed and flowed, finally coming together in a flurry of finishand assembly work last year.

When we left off, the body of the Corvette had been re-paneled and re-skinned from taillamp to headlamp using a mixof NOS and original parts. The chassis, meanwhile, was left

If you caught last months issue,

you already know how upstate New York Corvet te dealer,

restorer, expert and all-around enthusiast Joe Verrillo bought this1965 Corvette extra-crispy and proceeded to transform it intoa well-done rolling example of what his shop, Prestige MotorCar Co. in Clifton Park, New York, can cook upgiven enoughtime, money and a stockroom full of rare NOS parts.

To bring new subscribers and latecomers up to speed: Joetracked down this fuel-injected roadster back in 2001, just 20minutes from his showroom, moldering behind an independentbody shop. The Corvette had been in a garage fire and wasthen left outside to fester for more than a decade. What made itenticing, however, was that the seller had the Corvettes originalblock and headsthough the parts of the once-mighty 375hp327 looked like something that had been used to keep a crabfishing boat anchored off the coast of Alaska. Further sweeten-ing the cars siren s ong: It was equipped with a 4.11:1 rear withPositraction and F40 suspension.

With some detective work and a little cajoling, Joe later man-aged to track down the Corvettes prior ownerthe man whohad owned the car at the time of the fireand purchased a fewkey pieces that hed squirreled away. The story of the cars de-

mise and the history of the lifelong Corvette affliction that madeJoe see show-winning greatness in the charred ruins is detailedin HMM#89, February 2011. Suffice it to say, however, that

Its amazing what a few hundred man hours and a stash of NOS and original body panels can do for a fire-ravaged mid-year Corvette th

had been left for dead. Here, the car is fresh from the paint booth covered in DuPont urethane. However, the chassis is untouched at th

More rusty parts: A water pump pulley, some mounts and bracing, head-

lamp surrounds and a load of other stuff had to be blasted and refinished.

Heres another reason that Joe considered tackling this projectthe

frame was solid. Note the rust-free kickups, a traditional problem area.

The inbox began to pile high with new-looking parts, now

and lined up for reinstallation on the fire-ravaged car.

It looks bad, but under that patina of rust lie F40 front su

components. Those original shocks and springs are keep

54 Hemmings MUSCLE MACHINES | March 2011 | hemmings.com54 hemmings.com | March 2011 | Hemmings M


3/4

RESTORATION PROFILE

The rear leaf and a gaggle of hardware are lined up on a table in the

shop, ready for installation. Organization kept the job moving ahead.

Any pits were spot-re paired with body filler befo re the frame

was primed, sealed and painted in the cor rect satin finish.

Here are the original coil springs parked on a shelf in the shop after

being media-blasted and treated to a coat of paint.

Parts were laboriously hung around the shop and sprayed with correct

finishes after being stripped, cleaned and rebuilt where appropriate.

untouched to provide a rolling platformfor the body. After sitting in primer from2006 until 2008, the body was shot withDuPont urethane basecoat/clearcoatpaint, then removed from the chassis. ThePrestige crew then turned its attention tothe chassis and running gear.

We disassembled the frame on thefloor, then sent the frame, all the brackets,the crossmembers and rear spring out tobe blasted and sprayed with epoxy primerso they wouldnt rust, Joe said.

The rear axle and trailing arms weresent out to be reconditioned and re-storedthe shop that performed thework also provided a DVD of the processshowing the correct numbers on the hous-ing and on the gears. The driveshaft andrear half-shafts were sent out for machin-ing and polishing, and the four-speedtransmission was rebuilt and refinished.

Cast parts like the rearend housing and

the front spindles were left unpainted,but coated with a spray-on lubricant toprevent rust.

The frame was treated to some cos-metic spot-repair with body filler, thenprimed, sealed and finally finished withDuPont paint, dulled with a flatteningagent. Because the Corvette had beenequipped with F40 suspension, it wasimperative to preserve the original springsand shocks, so they, too, were refinishedand replaced.

The engine mounts and body mountsare new and 95 percent of the originalbolts were refurbished and reused. All ofthe bolts are correct; most are original,Joe said. We cleaned them up and sentthem all to the plater, though some cameback unusable.

Before Joe bought the car, the enginecastings were Magnaflux-tested and prov-en to be crack-free, but all of the original

pieces and accessories required rebuildingand refinishing. The 327 was completelyrebuilt to stock specs11:1 compression,solid-lifter camthen painted in the bodyshop with a Chevy orange blend mixedin-house. An NOS six-quart oil pan wentin, as did like-new original rocker covers.The original water pump, fuel pump anddistributor were also rebuilt, refinishedand reused.

The fire-damaged Rochester fuel-injection unit was sent to noted Rochester

fuel-injection specialist John DeGregoryto be rebuilt. Sadly, the housing hadbeen damaged in the fire, so it had to bereplaced.

Joe opted to outfit t he car with optionalKelsey-Hayes knock-off wheels, thoughthe car was equipped with steel wheelsand full wheel covers when new.

On the inside, the original shifter andinstruments were all rebuilt and refin-

1965CHEVROLET CORVETTE ROAD

A panel that blocks off t he compartment behind the s eats i

place for installation. This is where the jack and lug wrenc

The original housing hosts a 4.11:1 gearjust 4,294 1965 Corvettes

were so equipped. The half shaf ts were rebuilt and polished.

A shot of the Corv ettes Z-shaped hinge pillar brace shows

important trim tag and the serial number tag on the lower r

The refurbished steering box is bolted to the frame. Manual steering

was the norm on these cars, o nly 3,236 1965 Vet tes had power assist.

The circa-65 Muncie shifting lever was disassembled, stri

and looking factory fresh here before getting bolted to the

The cars original shocks got their shafts taped off and a fresh coat of

the factory-correct gray before being reassembled with new bushings.



4/4

Its almost a shame to cover up this chassis.

Fortunately, Joe rolled it into Dino Petrocellis

studio for its close-up before proceeding.

Disc brakes at all four corners were new for 1965. Rare F40 package

used a bigger front anti-roll bar than standard, among other things.

The original fuel-injection case was badly damaged so a replacement

stands in. 1965 was the last year for injection on a Vette until 82.

Bellhousing overspray pattern and stripes around the circumference of the

driveshaft were all faithfully reproduced on the Corvettes chassis.

You can still see some rust on the sho ck shaft, a small reminder o f this

cars history. The big washers on top are unique to the F40 dampers.

RESTORATION PROFILE

ished; the original seat beltswere refurbished, too. TheCorvette had been ordered withthe optional Teakwood steeringwheel and, thus, Joe replacedit with an OEM wheel. The up-holstery, door panels and carpetwere replaced with aftermarketunits. All of the cars rubber,glass and top also had to bereplaced thanks to damage fromthe fire, of course.

After a nearly decade-long,on-again/off-again restoration,the Corvette was finished inApril of 2010. At its first outing,an NCRS regional in Gettysburg,Pennsylvania, the car scored aTop Flight award: A gratifyingend to a buildup that began witha Corvette most would have castoff as a lost cause.

OWNERS VIEW

Joe and Sunday

Verrillo of Prestige

Motor Car in

Clifton Park, New

York, have been

in the Corvette

restoration and

sales business for

three decades. So,

what would Joe

tell a customer

who brought in

a project like

this to restore? I would tell the

couldrestore this car. But does

sentimental value? If it doesnt

mind that whatever you put in t

youll never get back. To me th

worthy. It was something spec

wanted to do it.

Here the body drop is about to begin. At this point the interior was still

out of the car and the convertible top was yet to be installed.

The completed interior looks too good to sit in. Note teak wheel, radio

delete and restored to new condition seat belts clipped on the console.

The owner fired up the 327 and drove the car the short dist

photo location. The cackle of this solid-lifter engine is unf

The new top, rear window still covered by protective wrap,

closure to this car, which was left open to the elements for

1965CHEVROLET CORVETTE ROAD

Kelsey-Hayes knock-off wheels werent original to this car but the owner opted to install a set.

After what its been t hrough, this Corve tte deserves so me extra jewelry a nyway.


1965 corvette fi hemmings muscle machines part 2 march 2011 p2

Documents