Corvette Maintenance - Weekend Projects 2008

Well, spring is in the air and here we are again with another bevy of weekend projects for you and your Corvette. I, for one, have had cabin fever here in New Jersey, and I am raring to get started on some projects that I've been planning during the winter months, so why don't you join me? Nothing listed here is rocket science, and you don't need an extensive tool collection, either. The main elements are care, patience, and a sincere interest in doing the job right. In addition to making some worthwhile improvements and doing some preventative and appearance maintenance, you get to spend some quality one-on-one time with your Corvette.

Regardless of which of these projects you do on your Corvette, there are a few items that will serve you well. I recommend that you have these on hand: disposable nitrile gloves to keep your paws clean; WD-40 for penetrating rusted fasteners, cleaning paint off your hands, and a plethora of other uses; some aerosol carb and choke cleaner for dissolving and removing grease and engine muck; a razor blade scraper and a utility knife; a workbench; and a stool or bench to sit on. For the projects where you'll need to elevate your Corvette, a good hydraulic trolley jack, a pair of sturdy jackstands, and a creeper or mat for your back are also items you'll need.

As far as tools go, you'll need a basic complement that includes screwdrivers and nutdrivers, wrenches, sockets, and ratchets; ASA standard if you're working on C1, C2, or C3 Corvettes and metric standard for C4s, C5s, and C6s.

This is a ratchet/socket adjusting...        read full caption This is a ratchet/socket adjusting a rocker arm on a big-block.

Having the appropriate manuals...        read full caption Having the appropriate manuals with all the relevant specs and capacities for reference is a must for working on your Corvette.

I also highly recommend you have a service manual available for your particular year/model Corvette, as it contains a lot of valuable information such as fluid capacities, electrical measurements, torque specifications, and so on. The best ones are the actual factory service manuals produced by GM and used by Chevrolet service technicians; however, Chilton, Motorbooks, and other publishers also publish excellent service manuals.

Speaking of torque, if you're doing any projects that are torque-sensitive (e.g., replacing the intake manifold bolts) be sure to look up the specific torque specs for your Corvette in the service manual and use a good torque wrench to tighten the bolts to these specs.

You may also want to consider having a radio, CD player, or iPod to provide some "working" music and bottled water or other non-alcoholic beverages to wet your whistle (definitely lay off the beers until the work is done). I think that pretty well covers all the preliminary stuff, so let's get started.