Resin Redo

“It was hard to locate headers that were legal in California,” Davies says. “I found a set of ‘91 LT1 Corvette headers that were ported and ceramic coated, which resolved the header situation. In order to improve the flow, I used 2.5-inch exhausts.”

Phase 1: Mechanical
The scope of the project required that it be accomplished in several stages, the first mechanical. After the old lump was removed, the engine compartment was detailed, and the radiator replaced with an aluminum one. In addition, the suspension was upgraded with new A-arms, brake rotors, Bilstein shocks, trailing arms, and neoprene bushings.

Phase 2: Stripping
The second stage was to strip the original paint job, which revealed hidden stress cracks after a special spray was applied, along with body seams that required additional labor. Not only that, the original urethane bumpers (which look wavy even when new) needed replacement with aftermarket fiberglass pieces. It’s not possible to restore the thin, soft urethane, so fiberglass components are a better choice. (J&D’s retail price for the front cap is about $285, and depending on the model year, the rear units go for about $315 to $349.)

Noe Garcia, J&D Corvette’s shop manager, shared a few pointers on how he corrects this problem area, first emphasizing that this job is not an easy do-it-yourself, driveway deal. “It takes some time to fit them on properly,” he says. “Somebody doing it in his backyard might get scared.”


For instance, the factory retainers won’t hold the new pieces very well, so J&D uses 3/8-inch bolts. Also, Garcia says he removes some of the cushion absorber material underneath (but not the impact bar) for a better fit. Even so, he finds that some bumper openings vary in size, which might require a bit of body filler at the edges. Typically he starts in the middle and works toward the outside edges to ensure the body pieces line up.