1978 Pace Car

[Kevin F.]

Has anyone done a frame off resto on a 78 pace car? I have a 78 pace car and ready to start my resto. Thank you

[Michael G.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

Has anyone done a frame off resto on a 78 pace car? I have a 78 pace car and ready to start my resto. Thank you

Most likely many '78 Pace Car's have been restored. Is there a specific thing your looking to discover Kevin?

[Stuart F.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

A significant number of them were preserved for some number of years as collector cars, and only required a good detailing and freshening up to make them Top Flight material. My son has had about five or six of them over the past few years and had two or three judged before he sold them on to other collectors here or overseas. Most all of them needed help rehabing their A/C systems, Radios and Power Antennas. All needed another set of tires and rims for driving, specially if the original tires were still on the car and were worth keeping for the judging purposes. He has had both 4-speeds and automatics, L-48's and L-82's, leather and cloth interiors, and a variety of radios including ones with the CB radio function as well as the 8 Track tape players. He is probably one of the foremost experts on the 78 Pacecars, including all of their chassis markings, etc.

I would think one of your major considerations will have to be what you want to restore it to. If you do it too good like with a clear coat paint job you will not do well in judging because none of them were painted very well. The lowest mieage one I've seen had many seam cracks showing, specially on the fenders.

If you want to contact my son about them, his name is Brian Fox and you can prbably find his PM address in the member listing.

Good Luck.

Stu Fox

[Mike E.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

If you do it too good like with a clear coat paint job you will not do well in judging because none of them were painted very well. The lowest mieage one I've seen had many seam cracks showing, specially on the fenders.

That is for sure! I took delivery of a ’78 Silver Anniversary that was produced about a month after the Pace car production was finished. With mine I had the dealer practically repaint the whole car it was so bad. At that time the dealer still had their Pace Car on the showroom floor when I took mine in for service. The paint on it was horrible, orange peel visible body seams you could even see the break in the silver bottom and black top met under the red tape strip.

Unfortunately my car was stolen in 1980 and never recovered, the night it was taken the power antenna broke. I considered replacing it with a Pace Car but the prices were still too high for me to put a deal togther for one. So I settled on a used '79, it's paint was quite poor too but I just lived with it. Since then and learning about retaining orignal paint I've resisted the urge to color sand and remove the orange peel on the paint of my C5 Z06.

Mike

[Joel T.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

Has anyone done a frame off resto on a 78 pace car? I have a 78 pace car and ready to start my resto. Thank you

Over this past winter I did a major re-make of one, including a completely new interior (went from silver to black). Obviously the car is not for "show", but rather "go"... with a ZZ383 under the hood. I found it actually pretty easy to work on.. front to back. If you have any specific questions, fire away.. In doing what I did I covered pretty much every square in of the car...

[Tom R.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

Kevin

After having judged the 78-82, I've seen many Pace Cars from low-mileage to high-mileage and from being great looking externally to the underneath in great need of attention...as described above. In fact, I've got a Pace Car is in need of resto but keep putting it off.

Interesting enough and this is typical of what sellers will do to these late model C3s, I think it was a 6k mile Pace Car (L82 4 spd) was up for judging at the NCRS regional in Bowling Green this weekend. Very nice but someone "touched" up the frame with paint and destroyed the legibility of the frame stencil. I'm sure it top flighted with minor point deductions.

[Kevin F.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

Most likely many '78 Pace Car's have been restored. Is there a specific thing your looking to discover Kevin?

Is there a checklist/guide of removal/disconnecs for the frame/body removal? I know, Nolan made a C2 body dollie, and many people have used his plans, but their had to be modifications for a C3 body, does anyone have the c3 body dollie dimensions or where i can purchase a body dollie? Thank you

[Kevin F.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

A significant number of them were preserved for some number of years as collector cars, and only required a good detailing and freshening up to make them Top Flight material. My son has had about five or six of them over the past few years and had two or three judged before he sold them on to other collectors here or overseas. Most all of them needed help rehabing their A/C systems, Radios and Power Antennas. All needed another set of tires and rims for driving, specially if the original tires were still on the car and were worth keeping for the judging purposes. He has had both 4-speeds and automatics, L-48's and L-82's, leather and cloth interiors, and a variety of radios including ones with the CB radio function as well as the 8 Track tape players. He is probably one of the foremost experts on the 78 Pacecars, including all of their chassis markings, etc.

I would think one of your major considerations will have to be what you want to restore it to. If you do it too good like with a clear coat paint job you will not do well in judging because none of them were painted very well. The lowest mieage one I've seen had many seam cracks showing, specially on the fenders.

If you want to contact my son about them, his name is Brian Fox and you can prbably find his PM address in the member listing.

Good Luck.

Stu Fox

Thank you Stu, I will def PM your son. I hope he won't mind if I pick his brain.

[Michael G.]

Re: 1978 Pace Car

Is there a checklist/guide of removal/disconnecs for the frame/body removal? I know, Nolan made a C2 body dollie, and many people have used his plans, but their had to be modifications for a C3 body, does anyone have the c3 body dollie dimensions or where i can purchase a body dollie? Thank you

The C2 body dolly will work fine with a small addition on front of dollie. The radiator support area (which is where I place the front support) of a C3 is slightly extended over that of a C2. My dollie had a removable extention for that purpose.