It’s hard to believe, but it’s already been 3 years since the massive sinkhole opened up inside the Skydome of the National Corvette Museum.
To commemorate that 3rd anniversary the NCM will begin restoration of the Tuxedo Black 1962 Corvette which was pulled to safety after the earth swallowed it up. Of the 8 cars that went into the sinkhole, the C2 is the last of only 3 cars that will be restored. The Corvette was donated to the Museum in 2011 by David Donoho. He owned the Corvette for over 50 years after purchasing it in high school.
The sinkhole itself has been repaired for over a year now and all 8 of the sinkhole Corvettes have been on display since then as well. The 2009 Blue Devil ZR1 and the 1992 1 Millionth Corvette have previously been restored and now it’s the black 1962’s turn. The other 5 sinkhole Corvettes will continue to be displayed in their as-found condition and will not be restored.
Last Thursday, February 9th the car was removed from its display in the Skydome still wearing all of the dirt and dust from its subterranean adventure. It was transferred to a NCM garage bay where it will be restored to factory fresh condition. Given that the work will be performed in the Museum, visitors will be able to watch the car’s progress as it’s actually happening.
“The car has been on display ‘as-is’ for nearly three years, so we thought to commemorate the third anniversary of the sinkhole, we would start the restoration work on the last Corvette to be repaired,” said Katie Frassinelli, Marketing and Communications Manager. “Almost all the work will be performed in-house by Daniel Decker, our Vehicle Maintenance and Preservation Coordinator. It’s exciting that guests will be able to see the car come back to life.”
GM has donated $25,000 to cover the restoration. Estimates are that $15,000 in parts alone will be needed. Big ticket items to be replaced include a complete front end assembly, hood, and windshield. Decker says that the 1962’s restoration will require about a year to complete. “We want to do it right. The fiberglass will need to set and cure so it doesn’t shrink later. We want the car to look immaculate.” He said.
Interested enthusiasts can also follow the restoration progress on Facebook and YouTube as well as the NCM plans to share videos providing status updates on the black 1962 Corvette’s restoration.
Source:
National Corvette Museum
Related:
[VIDEO] Time Lapse Restoration of the 1 Millionth Corvette
[PICS] GM Reveals Restored 2009 Corvette ZR1 Blue Devil from NCM Sinkhole at SEMA
[VIDEO] 1962 Corvette Roadster Pulled from the Corvette Museum Sinkhole
These are the Eight Corvettes that Fell into the Corvette Museum’s Sinkhole
-
