65 correct - driveline & halfshafts

[Michael W.]

HI

Currently I am working on the resto of my 65 conv. When checking the various corvette books I have I see that at a 65 pics i see that the driveline is sometimes natural steel finish or grey painted. Half shafts are also somethimes natural steel finish or black painted.

I checked the judging manual and they only speak of natural steel finish.

I know we are the NCRS, but I just want to be sure that there are no exceptions to the rule I should consider.

Thanks in advance for any possible clarification!

Michael

[Joe R.]

Re: 65 correct - driveline & halfshafts

Michael,

First the half shafts and driveshaft had no gray paint at all ever! Probably the pics you have seen are someone trying to simulate natural steel with that gray stuff in a spray can. Terrible stuff. Terrible.

The half shafts and driveshaft were natural steel until a man with an asphalt, tar, pitch or black paint if that's what you want to call it in a spray gun had his way with the Corvette chassis.

His job was to spray everything that was a natural finish (bare metal). I guess this was GM's way to preserve and keep these parts from rusting before they reached the showroom floor.

Well you can imagine that this guy either did his job well or about half did his job. Usually it resulted in about half of these components getting black out and the other half (on the bottom side) remaining natural steel.
This would account for the runs found during many restorations on the drive shaft and half shafts.

I hope you can visualize this process and there are many pictures of this process and I'm sure someone will provide you with some.

I would describe this process as a general mess to the upper half of the chassis before the body drop.

JR

[Michael W.]

Re: 65 correct - driveline & halfshafts

JR

Thanks for the info, I will keep them the original bare metal.

Indeed I think a black spray gun was used because I checked other parts and the bottom of the body and you can see spray marks.

Thx

Michael