John Cain isn't sure if his hobby is a diversion or an obsession, but he knows that anyone who gets involved with restoring Corvettes is walking a fine line between the two. He also realizes how rapidly a little project can become a major undertaking when an old Corvette is involved.

"It all started several years ago when I acquired what is considered a real classic, a 1966 model," Cain says. "With this car, a mild restoration quickly turned into a massive renovation." Financial difficulties related to an illness in the family forced Cain to sell his first Corvette, but the seed for an obsession had been planted.

"Several years later, I stumbled onto another one, a 1974," Cain says. "Once you have one, you become part of a community that shares information, offering tips on restoration and passing along leads on other cars. Before I knew it, I had bought a 1981 as well--the price was reasonable, and I just couldn't resist."

Cain now has two "massive renovations" under way. "I was going to just have a little fun puttering around with the cars," he says, "but one thing led to another. I started out to dismantle the first car, and the next thing I knew I had parts in bags all over the garage. Then, I got the frame out from under the car and decided that since I had gone this far, I might as well make it look new. That meant hand-grinding the metal, restoring the welds and painting. And, of course, one coat is not enough. I ended up applying eight coats of a special paint."

Cain also decided that standard parts weren't good enough, so he began purchasing modern replacements made of special steel. Then it was time to put the car back together. "That's when you get into adding modern stuff like rubber bushings and making sure that all the nuts are turned in the same direction. In short, you're doing all the things you said you'd never do."

The 1981 Corvette came from an owner who had grown physically too large for the car. Although it was drivable, the paint had been destroyed and the former owner had painted it once. In stripping the paint, Cain discovered the original color and decided to restore it. Once again, he found himself in the "one-thing-leads-to-another" mode.

He has quickly learned that the availability of "after-market" parts is tremendous--"as long as you can afford to keep buying," he says. There is also a very wide range of lengths to which people will go in this hobby, which can often seem more like a vocation than an avocation.

"Corvette people seem to find each other," Cain says, "and an automatic kinship develops. At the same time, though, some people are so critical and take the whole thing so seriously, that you start to avoid them because it's not fun any more. At parades and shows, the cars are scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb--people are actually looking for flaws."

In some ways, Cain prefers to pursue his hobby in solitude. "I learned pretty quickly that I don't have the personality to stand having people criticize me or tell me what to do," he says. "I'm better off just sticking to doing it by myself." He also acknowledges that even if this borders on being an obsession, it is one he can put aside. "I tend to work in spurts," he says, "and mostly focus on it in the winter, when I enjoy being in the heated garage." When the weather is nice, he prefers to be out riding his motorcycle.

Cain's advice for anyone thinking about getting into restoring or renovating old Corvettes: "Don't do it for the money; do it for the love of the vehicle. Don't get trapped in a club and follow anyone else's obsession about perfection. Enjoy the car for what it is."

Does enjoying the car for what it is include driving it? Cain hedges. "When you get a car to the point where it's nicely restored, you get very possessive and paranoid. You start thinking 'Is it going to rain? What happens if it gets hit?' But, at the same time, you're aware that you have this machine with a significant amount of horsepower under the hood, and you don't want to just leave it in the garage to look pretty."

Even though he advises against doing it for the money, Cain concedes this can be a lucrative hobby for a lucky few. "While it's possible to invest $50,000 in a car that cost only $2,000 off the assembly line, you also hear stories about these cars carrying huge price tags when they're sold. As far as I know, the record is a 1967 that had only eight original miles on it and had been kept in a climate-controlled garage. It sold for $1.2 million."

Cain's son, John, AS 2004, hopes that his
father's hobby will turn into a graduation gift for him. The UD figure skater isn't interested in helping his father putter around among oily parts and sanded components in the garage, but he certainly wouldn't mind driving one of his father's restored creations.