Below is the engine and compartment when Ist got my Vette. Dusty, grimmy, wires and hoses all over the place! Mods were done externally, no engine rebuild at this point in time. I had to replace items by priority. Why AC was added was beyond me, so much needed to be addressed way before AC !
Below: Engine mods in different stages. I set out to make the car safe & dependable to drive and look good all at the same time.
Transmission rebuild
With the aid of my buddy Mike Nostro's lift, at the time, we were able to get the tranny out, rebuilt and back in. Also notice that the clutch linkage was at the far end of the adjustment, another blunder by the previous owner, couldn't adjust the clutch properly. Linkage was for a small block as I came to figure out down the road. Notice the under car exhaust at the time, soon to change. The engine had a rear main seal leak and the Muncie tranny leaked from the front also as well as the rear seal. There was oil everywhere and burnt or caked on the exhaust pipes and frame.
1965 was the 1st year for side pipes on a Corvette. I've always loved the look and the sound. Soooo, even though my car did not come from factory with side pipes, it has an original set of GM pipes & covers that were added in Sept 2011.
I started cutting the tabs that held the original side rocker molding in place. I realized that there was no need to cut them because the pipes never really did touch the tabs.