C2 Wide Body Corvette Build

[abadsvt]

This project is very special to me. My father passed away about 4yrs ago from cancer. This car was his baby. From what i can remember the car just sat on the side of our house when I was a kid. Apparently the motor blew up around the time I was just born. My father was a talented engine builder and every motor he built for the vette someone found out about it and offered him way more than he had into the motor so he would sell it. Well eventually life got really busy and the car just sat. I remember hearing stories of my mom and dad cruising the car around every where and how cool my mom felt in it. So i thought I would build the vette to the best of my abilities to honor my dad. First thing I did was googled Pro-Touring C2 vette and Brian Hobaugh's vette popped right up in the images section. I instantly fell in love with his car. I thought it was the coolest vette I have ever seen (still do!). Since the car is priceless to me I figured I would build it to drive and drive hard! Here is my plans for the car.

Custom built chassis by me with c5 suspension components.
Chassis is designed to sit 4" off the ground.
325-30-19 tires for the rear and 305-30-19 tires for the front.
19x12 Rear wheels and 19x11 Front
Flares for the front and rear. They flare the fender approx 3-3.5" front and back which allows me to increase the track width approx 6 1/2 front and back
Dutchman IRS with tru trac 3:50 gears
C6 ZO6 6 piston front brakes and 4 piston rears
C6 ZO6 14" rotors front and 13.4" rotors rear
Ls3 crate motor 480hp
t56 magnum trans
dewitts radiator
Possibly going with JRI adjustable height coilovers
front and rear splined sway bars
custom flaming river rack and pinion

I am thinking about painting the car white with matte black wheels, bumpers, handles, trim pieces. Not sure on the color of the inside of the car yet but I plan on keeping the inside more or less stock with a few upgrades.

Here are some pics to show where I am currently at. I am not done with the chassis yet. Still have a fair amount of work on it but its getting closer. Need the motor and trans to figure out where the trans crossmember is going to go and ect.

[abadsvt]

Here is currently where I am at building the chassis

[Zoomin]

I'm definitely going along for the ride on this one.

[abadsvt]

More pics. The fenders in these pics are just mocked up. Not the final fitment. I just wanted to see how it looked.

[ScotI]

Nice chassis. I remember your previous C10 project. I'll watch this one as well.
As a tribute, I would keep the car as close to GM spec appearance wise (except the flairs/rolling stock) so you're not 'dating' he classic Vette appearance. That's what makes them so cool still. The wolf in sheep's disguise....

[abadsvt]

Nice chassis. I remember your previous C10 project. I'll watch this one as well.
As a tribute, I would keep the car as close to GM spec appearance wise (except the flairs/rolling stock) so you're not 'dating' he classic Vette appearance. That's what makes them so cool still. The wolf in sheep's disguise....

Thanks Scoti. I still have a good amount to do on the chassis. Im excited i finally get to finish a project. I ended up having to sell my c10 project because that was around the time my father passed and we couldn't afford the shop we had. I didn't have anywhere I could put my truck and all its parts. Kind of wonder if the guy I sold it to ended up finishing the truck. Anyways have a good day!

Josh

[grendel]

Along for the ride.

[FLYNAVY53]

excited to watch this one come together!

[214Chevy]

Yeah, I used to follow your truck build on 67-72chevytrucks.com. It was a sweet build. Therefore, I know this Vette is going to be sick. Keep us updated with lots of pics please.

[grendel]

Yeah, I used to follow your truck build on 67-72chevytrucks.com. It was a sweet build. Therefore, I know this Vette is going to be sick. Keep us updated with lots of pics please.

There are quite a few of us from there... too bad about that forum.

This Vette will be awesome. How will you keep your Father's flare in it? I had a tough time doing it with my C15... bumperettes and the steering wheel he chose stayed.

[andreb]

That is a great looking chassis. This a going to be a great C2 build.

[abadsvt]

There are quite a few of us from there... too bad about that forum.

This Vette will be awesome. How will you keep your Father's flare in it? I had a tough time doing it with my C15... bumperettes and the steering wheel he chose stayed.

What happen to that forum? I used to be on there all the time. There was a bunch of good people there.

Not sure on how to keep my fathers flare in the car. He painted the car white so that is why I am thinking keeping it white and keeping the interior closer to original. Its tough!

Thanks!

[abadsvt]

Thanks everyone!

Worked on it yesterday and got the rear tie rods all dialed in. Virtually no bumpsteer! Was pretty excited about that. I forgot to take some pics so ill get those up shortly.

[abadsvt]

What do you guys think about these wheels for the vette? I'm thinking pearl white paint job with matte bronze centers and gloss black lip or maybe matte black lip wheels.

[abadsvt]

Or these?

[grendel]

What color is the car going to be? What size rims?

[abadsvt]

What color is the car going to be? What size rims?

Im thinking a white pearl paint with matte black rims or possible a matte bronze with black lip. Not sure why but I keep looking at pictures with matte bronze wheels. There is so many tough decisions already! LOL.

Josh

[89 RS]

Cool build, looking forward to it! Those 5-spoke matte bronze wheels are killer in my opinion.

[73CPCAMARO]

This is going to be one killer Mid Year Corvette! Keep us updated and good luck!

Brian

[ScotI]

I like the bronze idea. Not feeling the black rim unless it ties in w/something else from the build.

[waynieZ]

I like the first set, the concave wheels best.

[Neil B]

I like the bronze idea, especially on a white or black car. I also like the concave wheel design, but the car will need to be really slammed to look right. I think concave wheels look funny with any wheel gap at all.

[Al Moreno]

I like the bronze idea, especially on a white or black car. I also like the concave wheel design, but the car will need to be really slammed to look right. I think concave wheels look funny with any wheel gap at all.


I agree with Neil. The concave wheels with the center lock will definitely give the car more of a "supercar" feel and look to it.

[Sheck44]

What Wayne said

Cheers
Steve

[Streetking]

Very cool build, please no more black wheels! First set ftw!

[abadsvt]

Thanks everyone!! I forgot how hard this is to decide the wheel choice. I feel the wheels will make or break the final look plus I'm extremely picky. I think I'm going to wait to get the body on the chassis and on the ground at ride height and take some pics to see if I can photoshop the wheels on it. The designed the car to have the fender swallow about 1/2 of the top the rim and all of the tire above it. I like that look alot.

[abadsvt]

This is going to be one killer Mid Year Corvette! Keep us updated and good luck!

Brian

Thanks Brian! Your car was my inspiration to cut up a perfectly good vette! Lol. Every time someone asks me why I'm doing this to a vette I bust out a picture of your car. They instantly stop giving me crap. Lol

Josh

[OutrunNAScaR14]

Awesome fab work. By the way, who makes those fender flares you have mocked up?

[abadsvt]

Awesome fab work. By the way, who makes those fender flares you have mocked up?

A guy named Jim Freeman. I got his number off the corvette forum from someone else who used him. He is out of Sacromento, CA. If you need his number I can pm it to you. Thanks for the kind words on my work!

Josh

[Centerforce]

Impressive work on the chassis! Those bronze wheels would look amazing on white. Sometimes your wheel preferences can change drastically during the time the car is being built, so if you cant decide now, you could always wait until later on?

[abadsvt]

Got a little more done today. I added some more tubing to the front lower section, cut and welded up the lower front control arm mounts, added a horizontal plate to the top of the rear control arms and mocked up some diagonal supports for the rear section. I just tacked the diagonals on because I want to make sure they don't interfere with the drive shaft. Also my outer rear axle stubs came in as well as the 3rd member. Hoping to get the third member in next week. It's slowly getting somewhere! Next week I am hoping to order my JRI coilovers, motor and trans!

[abadsvt]

So i was playing around with photoshop and sort of came up with this "rendering". I found the white 67 vette that Roadster shop built and it sits pretty close to how mine will sit so I photo chopped in forgeline cf3c wheels and made all the chrome on the car a matte black. I am thinking about going with a black, white, and grey theme . Grey upholstery with black designs in the doors panels , seats ect. Was thinking about going with a black upholstery but it gets hot here so that is probably not the best idea. This is why i am thinking a light grey upholstery. Thinking about powder coating the rotors and calipers the same color light grey. That way it ties it all together.

What do you guys think?

[preston]

It looks great that's what I think. Maybe just a hint too modern ? But I don't think its the right project for going for a vintage look. I don't know that powdercoating the calipers would improve things, the red looks really nice in small doses contrasted with the white.

[Chevette]

Oops! In your photoshop rendering, the front brake calipers on the C6 Z06 should be at the rear of the rotor, not the front. Other than that, I think it's really cool.

[Centerforce]

What do you guys think?

It looks like a good mix of oldschool and new. Appropriate for a pro-touring build, we think.

the red looks really nice in small doses contrasted with the white.

Agreed! Just our .02c, but the different color calipers provide a nice contrast, and keep it from looking too monochromatic.

[abadsvt]

Thanks guys! Yeah I have been thinking about mixing in some red. Was thinking about changing the upholstery color to that BMW burgandy red that they use for there seats and then powder coating the calipers and the chassis a that same color burgandy red. Don't want a bright red. Was thinking a rich red would look classy and have always wanted a chassis color that was different than black. I know I am weird!

A little update on my car. I have gotten more done on the frame. I got the motor mounts made, and the rack and pinion mounts installed. The new t56 magnum trans, flaming river rack and pinion came in so just waiting for the ls3 motor to show up. Probably be another week or so before it arrives. Once the motor comes in and I get it in the chassis Ill snap some pics. I did buy one of those foam ls engine blocks to mock up the motor location in the car. I moved it back a couple inches to allow room for me to do a cantilever front suspension. I am going with those JRI height adjustable coilovers so if i use a cantilever suspension i can increase the 2" height adjustment to 3" which is my goal. 1" down and 2" up. I am planning on doing the same for the rear suspension.

The car is going to a friends hot rod shop next week to get all the fiberglass fender flares on and then do some body work. Hes hoping about a month or so I will get the car back so my goal is to try and have the chassis finished by the time the body gets back! Things are getting exciting around here!!!!!!!!

Josh

[Al Moreno]

Looking good Josh. Empty out your PM box, its full.