A model of a 1976 Corvette resembles the 1977 restored Vette that Perry Lanoue has been restoring for about 10 years. - Photo courtesy Perry Lanoue
Decade-long restoration job on 1977 Corvette nearing a happy end.
By Claudio D'Andrea
Before he retired from his job selling parts at an auto recycling yard in Ottawa in 2015, Perry Lanoue asked his wife Tara Wood if she wanted him to restore her prized 1977 Corvette or use the money toward purchasing a new car.
Wood opted for the new car. She ended up getting both.
"She deserves it!" he says.
Lanoue went ahead with restoring the Vette and took advantage of his position at the time to order parts at wholesale costs. He had experience rebuilding cars over the years through working at the auto salvage yard so he was looking forward to restoring the Corvette.
"I replaced a lot of parts that still functioned properly but in my mind I was going to make sure the car would be reliable and most importantly stop when you hit the brakes," he says. "Every thing was original right down to the rotors that were factory riveted to the hubs… 47 years of wear and tear. I was not going to skimp!"
It's still a work in progress but he's hoping to finish it off next summer.
"The seats are in excellent condition. I have to replace the dash pad and the door panels, also the T Top headliners. I’m pretty fussy so unless it’s perfect I’m not satisfied," says Lanoue, who lives on Charleston Lake near Gananoque.
Lanoue had to repair the floors because of water leakage. "What other car manufacturers make functional floor drains?" he says, adding he will replace the floor pans with new ones at some point.
"I am installing an up-to-date radio with a pop-out monitor with back up camera," he says. "I obviously sourced parts in the States as well, but you really have to compare prices and exchange rate."
Taking advantage of wintering in Texas, he was able to order parts in the U.S. which allowed for free shipping to any destination in the country. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to order those U.S. parts because he would be paying "insane shipping costs to cross the border and sometimes the customs fee."
Wood bought the 1977 Corvette while attending college in the early 1980s. The car was a model L48 with solid chrome wheels and had "never seen snow or foul weather but after so many years (it) was starting to look pretty shabby," Lanoue says.
Before retiring, he started restoring the car between renovations on the couple's cottage on Charleston Lake and a cousin's place near Sharbot Lake. He was also working on their house in Trenton and a second home that belonged to Woods's elderly mother. The couple also wintered in Texas to take a break from everything.
"I replaced every single brake-related part on the car," Lanoue says, adding the only original brake component is the booster.
Everything under the hood of the car is brand new — even the rad support which he says was the only rusted part that he replaced with a new OEM. He installed a new GM performance 350HO turnkey crate engine with dual electric fans — one running once the car started and the other connected to a temperature sensor which comes on as needed.
"I have replaced all of the rad support air dams to force every bit of air through the rad. I installed flow tech ceramic headers and to aid in under-hood temperature control I wrapped the headers. The exhaust is flow tech stainless steel three-inch header back exhaust. I installed a B&N stall converter, the wheels are 17” Boss (and) tires are Bridgestone Pontenza."
The frame had very light rust on it and Lanoue only needed a wire brush to clean it and some rubber seals before it was repainted.
The couple found a 1977 Vette at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky that was in the original colour of Woods' car with newer style wheels and painted mirrors. Lanoue knew the painter who had originally painted her car and he asked if he would repaint it but he declined.
The car is close to completion but not quite there yet. Lanoue compares it to a model of a 1976 Vette in which he filled in the vents behind the back glass and shaved the round emblem from the front bumper to resemble the 1977 Vette which he had painted to closely match the original. "The only thing missing is the rear spoiler," he says. "I found one but it has to be made narrower to fit the body correctly."
Restoration progress photos courtesy Perry Lanoue:
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