As the morning sunlight breaks through the openings in the forest, reflecting off the windshield in erratic flashes, you squint your eyes to make out the next corner.  The staccato sound of side-pipes echoes off the trees lining the narrow country road, as you hurtle past them leaving a swirling trail of already fallen leaves in your wake.  Watching the tach needle climb as you blip the throttle and deftly slip the shifter back to third, brake , slide into the curve and then power out, pushing the revs up.  You redline it and then slide the shifter into fourth, admiring the way that Fuel-injected mid-years and 4:11 rear gears were just made for back roads. Ahh, Zora must be smiling.............you're driving your Corvette.
For some, it's the memories instilled by the Route 66 TV show, Zora's legacy of mechanical innovation, Larry Shinoda's beautifully sculpted lines or just the fun of owning an icon that causes them to be a Corvette owner.  Some are well heeled collectors, others just impassioned by the need to detail and caress their own bit of automotive history, and let us not forget the restoration believers coupled with the motor heads. All these, and others make up the roster of older Corvette ownership. The one factor that connects all the afficionados, besides their undying love for their cars is that they, all but a select few, drive the cars.

Which brings us to the next point.

Older Corvettes, we're referring to ‘82 and down,  must be maintained if you are going to benefit from the true pleasure of ownership......driving your Vette. There are as many views as to how one should maintain, rebuild, restore their car.  Should you rebuild it all mechanically and cosmetically at one time, do it bit by bit as time and money allow?  This is a question that can only be honestly answered by the vette owner themselves.  One fact is glaringly true, and that is that there is no greater pride of ownership other than being able to say........"I did it myself !"  Whether that statement refers to a full body-off restoration, a modification, small maintenance work or a wax job, it's all the same. 
We have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to own a number of Corvettes over the years.  In doing so we have learned many things about the care and feeding of these cars that we all love so much. Since sharing is such a large part of what keeps this hobby alive and well, we thought that we would try and help other owners by sharing some of our experiences.