Journal

SR Performance replace left-hand side front hub with new part sourced from USA

A selection of detail images from the June 2024 photo shoot at Callan Park in the Sydney suburb of Lilyfield. Photos by Steve Orr from Shoot My Car.

A selection of interior images from the June 2024 photo shoot at Callan Park in the Sydney suburb of Lilyfield. Photos by Steve Orr from Shoot My Car.

In June 2024 I engaged Steve Orr from Shoot My Car to photograph the Red Rocket.

Sorting out the heat shields on the Red Rocket's L79 327

While the rear end was apart I took the opportunity to restore the spare wheel tub.

The final step of the driveline rebuild was to replace the complete exhaust system with a factory-correct 2½ inch Magnaflow system from Corvette Central.

Renewing all the worn suspension bushes throughout the car was also a good opportunity to get rid of the urethane that has crept in over the years.

Believe it or not, C2 Corvette diff housings have a fill plug but no drain plug. The rebuild of the rear end was a good opportunity to remedy this.

A noisy throw-out bearing necessitated the removal of the gearbox, so I decided to fit a new clutch and rebuild the shifter.

The replacement of a leaking pinion seal quickly escalated in to a full rebuild of the Red Rocket's rear end

This Rally Red 1965 Corvette Sting Ray coupe was sold at the Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee, Florida on July 6th 2023

Replacing the radio antenna cable necessitated the removal of the blower motor. With the motor out I decided to clean it up and repaint the blower housing and fan.

The rear blower motor is one of the 65 Sting Rays hidden secrets. Time to take a look.

A selection of images of the Red Rocket taken by Chris McInnes

The diff ratio in the Red Rocket has been a bit of a mystery until now.

There were 3 different Delco Moraine caliper designs used on Corvettes from 65-82, each having different casting numbers. All 3 caliper designs are interchangeable, so many early cars may now have later calipers fitted.

We put the Red Rocket on the dyno at S R Performance in March 2022

What do you do when your Corvette's pop-up headlights don't want to show themselves?

Upgrading the PerTronix ignition from the original Ignitor to the latest Ignitor 3

Who would guess that such a simple thing could make such a huge difference to the driveability of the Corvette.

There's only one way to permanently solve the problem of leaking brake callipers on a C2 Corvette — replace them! If you want a bolt-on solution there's really only one choice, the Wilwood D8-4 kit.

Awards that the Red Rocket has received over the years and judging results.

The Red Rocket is fitted with Kelsey-Hayes alloy wheels with knock-offs in the correct style for '65.

The 3 images in this photo gallery were part of the history folder that came with the car. They're inkjet prints, so the quality is not great, and they show the car being delivered to an unidentified owner.

The Red Rocket is equipped with the rare F40 heavy-duty suspension option.

It's getting hard to find quality tyres for older cars, and COVID has just made it worse.

Pictures of the Corvette from its time with first Australian owner Paul Nelson.

Correspondence with Paul Nelson, the first owner of the Red Rocket in Australia. Paul imported the car from the USA and owned it for around 7 years.

Pictures of the Corvette from Mike DiCola.

A collection of restoration photos from owner Galen Dae (1991 to 1997).

In Australian conditions the Heat Riser Valve isn't really necessary, so I took the opportunity to remove it when the engine was reinstalled.

After 9 months off the road, the engine rebuild saga comes to a close.

A classic case of 'while I'm in here', what started as a few touch-ups in the engine bay turned in to a complete restoration of everything under the hood.

A long-overdue repair to the steering box in the Red Rocket made easier by the removal of the engine.

With the engine removed, it was obvious that the engine loom looked pretty sad. Let's replace that too.

With the machining completed, it's time to start building the engine.

With the engine in pieces it was a great opportunity to clean up the intake manifold.

This is a big one — the start of the issues that lead to the rebuild of the Red Rocket's L79 327.

Restoring a set of original 7-finned aluminium Corvette valve covers as well as a pair of 'GM quality' replacement covers from Zip Corvette

The 50-plus year old radio in the Corvette had stopped working. Was it dead, or could it be saved?

Replacing the mechanical fuel pump on a 65 Corvette Sting Ray 327/350hp.

Rebuilding and restoring the old Delco Remy 10DN alternator on my 65 Corvette Sting Ray

After a failed attempt to repaint the Corvette’s original cast iron exhaust manifolds it was time to get the job done properly.

The Corvette’s original cast iron exhaust manifolds were looking terrible — a restoration was in order.

The white walls on the Corvette’s front tyres were badly discoloured. This journal entry details my efforts to bring back the white to the white walls.

Some of the zinc-plated sheet metal parts on the Corvette are showing their age. I don’t mind a bit of patina, but when parts are corroded or filthy with 50 years of grease something needs to be done.

The bands on the center caps of the Red Rocket's Kelsey-Hayes-style wheels were very faded and chipped, so a restoration was in order.

Upgrading the instrument cluster lighting to use LED bulbs delivered a big improvement.

Replacing the Power Antenna in a C2 Corvette proved to be harder than it looked. It sounded so simple, remove one bolt, unscrew a bezel and, voila, you're done.

More rubber stuff to replace. I’m gradually hunting down all the boots and grommets that are hiding deep inside the car and replacing them. This time it’s the Clutch Rod Boot.

The paint on the Red Rocket was long overdue for some TLC. The ultra-professional team at Complete Car Protection were happy to oblige.

Replacing the mysterious blob that was serving as a grommet for the speedo and tacho cables with the right part.

In a C2 Corvette, the only thing between you and the hot, noisy underside of the car is a thin layer of rubber — the shifter boot. The boot in The Red Rocket was badly torn, allowing hot air to blow in to the cabin.

Part 4 of my correspondence with Corvette historian Bill Gould from Auto Ancestry.

Part 2 of my correspondence with Corvette historian Bill Gould from Auto Ancestry. I asked Bill to research the history of the Red Rocket, the result was well worth the effort.

Part 4 of a series of emails I received from Galen Dae, one of the Red Rocket's previous owners. Galen's detailed recollections of his time with the Corvette add a lot of colour to the car's history

Part 3 of a series of emails I received from Galen Dae, one of the Red Rocket's previous owners. Galen's detailed recollections of his time with the Corvette add a lot of colour to the car's history

Part 2 of a series of emails I received from Galen Dae, one of the Red Rocket's previous owners. Galen's detailed recollections of his time with the Corvette add a lot of colour to the car's history

Part 1 of a series of emails I received from Galen Dae, one of the Red Rocket's previous owners. Galen's detailed recollections of his time with the Corvette add a lot of colour to the car's history

Part 3 of my correspondence with Corvette historian Bill Gould from Auto Ancestry. I asked Bill to research the history of the Red Rocket, the result was well worth the effort. In this email Bill discusses the Corvette's trim tags.

Correspondence with Corvette historian Bill Gould from Auto Ancestry. I asked Bill to research the history of the Red Rocket, the result was well worth the effort. In this email Bill discusses the Corvette's trim tags.

Pictures of the Corvette from Rob Hackett.

Before I purchased the Red Rocket, Chris Hilton at allthingscars.com.au to carry out a pre-purchase inspection.

Paul Nelson, the Corvette's first owner in Australia, replaced all the carpet in the car in 2014

Previous owners have made a some modifications, mostly to improve safety and reliability. One of those changes was the installation of power brakes and a dual-circuit master cylinder.

When Mike DiCola was looking to sell the Corvette in 2000 he corresponded with several interested buyers. The following text is part 4 of a series of emails sent to Gary Batson, the person who ultimately purchased the car from Mike.

When Mike DiCola was looking to sell the Corvette in 2000 he corresponded with several interested buyers. The following text is part 3 of a series of emails sent to Gary Batson, the person who ultimately purchased the car from Mike.

When Mike DiCola was looking to sell the Corvette in 2000 he corresponded with several interested buyers. The following text is part 2 of a series of emails sent to Gary Batson, the person who ultimately purchased the car from Mike.

When Mike DiCola was looking to sell the Corvette in 2000 he corresponded with several interested buyers. The following letters were sent to Gary Batson, the person who ultimately purchased the car from Mike.

When Mike DiCola was looking to sell the Corvette in 2000 he corresponded with several interested buyers. The following letter was sent to one of those potential buyers.

An excerpt from the appraisal of the car completed by Steve Cram at Automobile Appraisal Service of San Francisco in December 1997.