Hey everyone, just cruising the internet as usual and happened across this section. Seems the vintage muscle section needs a little more love so I decided to throw up the build of a family car. Been working on it for almost 10 years now with my dad and brother and it's almost done. We're an odd family, do everything from woodworking, metalworking, motorcycles, cars, you name it! Personally i'm a big motorcycle guy but cars are a very close 2nd.

let me tell you this thing flys! Blew the old clutch (long story, previous damage to it, it was weak) at the drag strip and it still ran a mid 13 slipping the whole way and that was with the original muncy 4!. With the new trans/clutch/a decent driver i'm pretty confident it's low 11s if not 10s IF it can get traction. Traction is the key here, easy to light it up in just about any gear.

Specs:

Custom engine by Sallee Chevrolet approximately 8 years ago. Chevy 383 stroker, edelbrock heads, Accel DFI, 452HP 458 Tq. Tremec 5speed.

Kinesis wheels

Hooker Super Ccomp headers with modified '69 sidepipes

Full BBP Suspension with Bilstein shocks

SSBC Calipers currently but likely to get a Baer kit.

Interior: Custom shrunk trans tunnel. Custom aluminum dash/tunnel wrapped in leather with carbon fiber accents, Dakota Digital Gauges/AC controller. Ron Frances switches. Vintage air unit. Recaro seats, full 5 pt harnesses.

Paint is a custom mix based off of the Kawasaki motorcycle blue. Meant to look like a pearl without all the hassle and cost.

Other random stuff: H4 headlight conversion, full vac system strip with mechanized lights. Custom fuel pump/filter rail. Fob security/start system. LED tail/marker lights of course. Tons of other little odds and ends. Currently no stereo but has front speakers when we get around to it.

It's got the original removable hardtop painted to match as well. Sorry not many pics with the top off yet, middle of winter here.

We did all the work ourselves minus building the engine, the paint and the wrapping of the interior (though we built the aluminum shell).





Fresh out of paint:











Yeah I know the engine's filthy, she gets driven! You can spy the new race master cylinders for the clutch and brakes, as well as the large aluminum radiator with electric fan. No, no nitrous at all, though the fuel injection system can take it the car would be undriveable without slicks with much more power.



I can't find any good pictures of the interior...i'll try to get some more soon these ones don't do it justice at all, bit dusty and bad angle.



Contemplating painting the inner door handle black, not sure yet. Thoughts?



Other projects: '71 Jag XKE V12, 1934 International Harvester Hearse hotrod, and a 1973 volvo 1800ES custom.

Well, I think that's a long enough first post, don't you?

Honestly, I want to know what people think of the car. Hope to get it in some shows someday for kicks. Tell me what you DON'T like as well as what you do please. It's a pretty dramatic modernization of a classic, but It's still corvette through and through.

 

I like the paint job. The color definitely looks pretty. How much more does pearl color cost more?

The Kinesis wheels look a bit off. Is it right sized?

Interior - Instead of digital gauges, I think analog ones would look better. Also, the door panel needs to have more contour like a real door pull. More Stitching and less weird shaped CF trims.

 

Pearl on that car? Honestly it's almost impossible to get it to a good pearl paint job with those sorts of curves. We considered it but our paint guy (really knows his stuff) shut that idea down pretty quickly. Pearl paints are HARD to do on a car like this. Looking at the very least 30grand for a pearl paint job probably more. The materials alone would be close to 10 grand for the stuff we wanted. Not to mention if you scratch a peal job you gotta redo the entire section, there's no such thing as good touch up. This paint job has a bit more flake in it than the pictures show, it gets nice and bright because of it in the sun and a nice mellow darker shade in the shadows.

The wheels are ..ah..an acquired taste. I know it's silly to say but they're a lot better in person. I've had that comment a lot with pictures but never had a single person say the didn't like the wheels in person. That said, they are odd for the car, i'll admit it.

As for gauges, I'd prefer analog but my pop just loves those digital ones :-P I agree with you there. They might get switched out someday, the dash comes out very easily.

Door cards I've never been completely in love with. They had to be a lot less curvy to fit the seats. That being said, I'll get some better pictures and see if you change your mind a bit. In the picture there the carbon fiber looks just slapped on there, I promise that's not the case :-P

Thanks for the comments!

 

Looking good and welcome to the TEAM!

 

Looks awesome! I really like what you did with it. The interior looks awesome but I'd paint those door pulls black instead of blue.
Welcome to the Team!