My C7 Update – Part 3
Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Mike Woodings
Things have been going well in our corner of the Corvette world since my earlier reported issues with the Grand Sport. Caravans and trips around the area in both the C1 and the C7 have been great. My long-anticipated weekend at the Solid Axle Corvette Club National Convention in Ventura was on the calendar. The ’62 was looking good, ready to join its cousins coming in from all over the country. A final local test run was done and all was A-Okay until I pulled into the garage and the right front tire went flat. It was just a cracked valve stem, so it was an easy fix.
An early drive down SR 126 was delightful and we were happy to join the assembly of gorgeous C1s already in the hotel lot. Then some overheating reared its ugly head, leading to a AAA transport back home until the water pump could be addressed.
Fortunately a well-shined Grand Sport with a full tank of gas was standing by and I quickly returned to enjoy the weekend that was ahead in Ventura. We actually felt fortunate to have air-conditioning as the heat wave arrived.
So, why the C7 Update you ask. Well, Monday came and with the Grand Sport all packed-up we headed out for our return home. Then, we heard a scraping noise. You remember that scraping noise I told you about, don’t you? Well, I remember it well. We drove home and it wasn’t our imagination. It was the same dang noise that led to replacement of the torque tube.
The call went in to Santa Paula Chevrolet and they kindly picked up the Grand Sport and I rode along to the dealership to discuss the situation with the service department. I expressed my concern about the torque tube and after an initial triage, the diagnosis came back as a problem with the belt tensioner. I wasn’t convinced but went home to await what I was told would be a quick fix.
The following day, I received the call I hoped would be to come get my Corvette and live happily ever after. The belt tensioner was replaced, but mechanics heard a scraping sound. You remember that scraping noise I told you about, don’t you? New diagnosis…replace torque tube.
Corvette Forum and our own Tommy Couples have lots of info on the situation with these moving parts and we are learning more and more about these complicated C7s as we go. Thankfully, the ’62 just required a $50 part held on with 4 bolts and it should be good for another 50 years!
