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I bought this 81 Corvette in 2011. It was cream color with all the original components. It was clean with 59,000 miles. It was a one owner car. After being hit, I decided to modify it.

Face it. If you drive an old car on a semi-regular basis, you are bound to catch a few chips and dings here and there. Along with the paint job, the body moldings are very fragile pieces of the exterior that can often take the brunt of time on the open road. Most were made of thin aluminum or pot metal and don’t exactly stand up well to tiny rocks or dirt clods being hurled at them at 70+ mph. In fact, just about every original car we have seen has some sort of trim damage from the road (not to mention all the years under the scorching sun). Although minor in comparison to some, it’s the attention to finishing details like this that can really set a car apart from the rest of the pack.

In this relatively brief “You Can Do It”, we’re going to cover how to inspect your car’s differential housing and gears, not a total rebuild. You won’t need a lot of tools for this job, just a standard socket set, flat-blade screwdriver and a hammer or mallet. Your “tinware” will include new gear oil, clean rags, a container to collect the old oil, and a new differential cover gasket.

Time: approximately 30 minutes (for one part: eg. door, trunk, etc.)

Some examples may not pertain to a Tri-5 Chevy, this is a general article on weatherstripping.

Tools: putty knife, utility knife

Cost: price varies depending on seals or number of seals

Tinware: new weatherstripping, weatherstripping adhesive, weatherstrip remover (aerosol can).

Tip: If you happen to break or lose a plastic retainer during installation, try using 3M weatherstrip adhesive in its place. The glue is super tacky and forms a lasting, watertight seal.

Performance gains: a quiet, weatherproof interior and trunk

My love affair with classic cars began in the early ’60s when I was in high school. My first restoration project was a long-time family-owned 1962 Impala Super Sport. This car was featured in the June 2011 issue of Chevy Classics magazine.

After having shown this car for several years and receiving several awards including a Platinum Certificate at the Flagstaff national show, I had a deep desire to restore another car.

Time: 1-2 hours

Tools: standard socket set, standard wrenches, torque wrench

Applicable years: all

Cost: $200-300 (average for non-specialized units). Prices on ultra-high performance torque converters can run into the thousands of dollars, depending on application.

Tinware: torque converter, transmission fluid

Tip: Consult with torque converter manufacturers before selecting a new converter.

Performance gains: well-balanced driveline, smoother shifts, maximize your engine’s power band

I have owned “DALE” since 1974. I was at the Chevy Classics Club’s first convention, and so was this ’57, but at that time it was “just” a Two-Ten– showing in the modified category.

I started following NASCAR during the late ’70s, and it wasn’t too long after that I figured Dale Earnhardt was “my guy”. I wanted to do a tribute car to him, but never got around to it. After Dale passed away in that wreck back in 2001, it gave me that much more push, so to speak.