Looking at the car, it's obvious that the original paint color was Silver, and this Corvette came with Smoke Grey leather interior. But somewhere along the line, someone replaced the original leather seats with the optional Smoke Grey cloth seats. They're in good condition, and I'll probably keep them as part of the history of the car.
Because this restoration is not going to be completely original, I decided to change the car's exterior color. If this was a truly collectible and valuable Corvette, that would be an insane decision. But this will be a "driving restoration" so I have the luxury of changing the color. I have always wanted a bright yellow car, and that color fits the in-your-face lines of a C3 Stingray, so that's what it will be.
Right now, I'm talking with the professors who teach auto body paint and repair at the local community colleges to see if they're willing to take on this car as a project. If that works out, we'll document the whole process of stripping, sanding, and painting that they do.