C1 body - C4/C5 running gear?
 

help me out here....

a few years back I saw an article in either Corvette Fever or Vette about a guy who had bought a 57 as a driver and got frustrated with a 40+ year old car and it's lack of modern features and ended up buying a donor C4, having a tube steel frame made, transfering ALL the gear including ABS/ASR to the frankenstein, and moding the body to look close to the original but widend to cover the tires etc, and the whole front skin made into a dog house...

anyone know who owns this one, or where I can find the issue particulars, copy there of or at least the text?

Dave

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

You can take a look @ the modern version at: http://www.aatcars.com
THAT should be the 50th Anniversary Corvette! :smash:
Cruz

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

I agree- it's a great looking car but the price! :eek: :eek:

http://www.aatcars.com/Image1.gif
Finally- a C5 with a nice looking rear-end and I don't mean differential!
http://www.aatcars.com/Image2.gif

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (Mac)
 

If you check Hot Rod magazine about six months ago, a guy built a C1 (57) with C5 running gear, engine, the whole 9 yards. He bought a resto project gone sour for the body and built a frame to fit both the body and the C5 running gear so he had an original body but the new technology power.

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (Mac)
 

excuse me but that car is fugly!

the article I was refering to was a C1 57 that was dismembered and built up on a custom tubular steel frame with C4 (LT1) running gear. the body was widend at the rear to accomodate ZR1 wheels and tires...

looking from 20 feet one would have been hard put to tell it wasn't an original 57 unless another was parked next to it to see the different length/width.....

Mac, anyone have a link to this article?

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

Try their web site: http://www.hotrod@6gear.com
Sign up for their e-mail newsletter :D
Cruz

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

Dave,

I believe that Chevy Rumble magazine did a feature a few months ago on Ken Hanna's 57 which had a custom frame and an LT5 engine. Ken is the owner of Lectric Limited. You might want to get that back issue. Here is a link to their web site: http://www.randomunity.com/buckaroo/chevy/chevy.html

Other sources for these conversions are Car Creations http://www.carcreationsinc.com/ and RetroVette http://www.retrovette.com/RetroFlash.html Just be sitting down when you check some of the prices at the RetroVette site. I believe that the current issue of Corvette Fever has a feature on a 62 conversion as well.

Rich Lagasse

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (richscorvettes)
 

I was at a show at Pomona Calif. a year or two ago. A guy had a 61 or 62 that was done over onto a C-4 chassis. It was absolutly stunning. He told me that he and his son had done the car up and I simply cannot describe in words what craftsmanship was evident on that car. From a distance the only non C-1 clue was the big wheels and a slightly lower road stance.

Up close the body was perfect, the interior looked original other than Dakota Digital guages and the 6 Speed stick. I think the car was a one of a kind car. I know he told me it was built from a totally gutted shell he bought someplace in Calif for about $500. It was bright red with a saddle leather interrior. I do remember talking about a Paul Newman conversion kit but I think this guy did it all himself. he said he was thinking of doing more cars for resale. The car was featured on some Vette magazine in the last year or so but I don't have any more data than that. Sorry

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (richscorvettes)
 

Rich, you had the chance to promote your own and didn't do it, why? I just hope my 62 looks half as good as yours!!

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (Robert)
 

Robert,

Oh, I don't know, just bashful I guess. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the compliment. I'd be happy to help anyone interested in this type of conversion.

Rich Lagasse

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (richscorvettes)
 

OUCH!

Rich,

the 57 conversion I saw years ago in Corvette Fever was in the area of about $100K, and had a bit more to offer than the RetroVette's as the entire frame was tubular steel, with coil over's for great handling suspension, and the entire front body was a dog house for easy access to everything....

I'll keep looking and if any of you have back issues of Corvette Fever, thumb through 'em as Corvette Fever can't seem to locate the issue with the 57/C4?

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

https://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/verskel//60-rod-1.jpg :p:

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

Dave,

The article in Corvette Fever must have been a while back. The one in Chevy Rumble was much more recent and I'm pretty sure that is the car you are describing - or at least close to what you are looking for. I know it has a tube chassis and coil overs. If I remember correctly it was the December, 2001 issue. Hope that helps to pin it down.

Rich Lagasse

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

I remember seeing that, It had to be in Corvette Fever since it's the only car mag. I subscribe to. The guy owns a vineyard in northern Cali. but can't remember the name. I'll go threw them and get the year/month.

I'm still in ahhh over Rich's 62. When I regain my strength and get to the point where I feel like I have bones again, I'll get up and check. :D

I've looked till I was blind, can't seem to locate it. Think I remember seeing that feature before I was aware of Paul Newmans work in 1999. Missing June 97 issue :mad might be the one.


[Modified by GT's58, 12:51 AM 4/10/2002]

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (GT's58)
 

GT's58,

thanks, I knew that that retro vette couldn't have escaped everyone's eyes here on the forum, if you find the month/year email me at sojourn5@earthlink.net, and I think that Paul Newman's shop had something to do with the body or frame? it was/is sweet, coil overs and every piece of running gear from a 92 LT1 was included down to the ABS/ASR and adjustable bilstein's etc!

I think the builder/owner was a surfer dude who wanted something special to head to the coast each morning?

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

I found this ad in the corvette trader. All tubular and significantly cheaper then the others. I hope to go this route in a few years...
http://sriiimotorsports.com/

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (sojourn)
 

sojourn,

Check out our June issue. We are in the process of building a late-model suspended '61 in that issue. It should be on newsstands soon.

Hope this helps.

Andy Bolig
Corvette Fever

Re: C1 body - C4/C5 running gear? (C5rider)
 

Andy,

thanks for chiming in here, I have been after the back issue Corvette Fever did with the highly modified 57 with C4/92 everything, it would be 3-5 years back, tubular steel frame, northen california was where it was done...

any help?

Dave

The car belongs to my uncle ken hanna , I know this is an old thread buti just read it ,i saw it a few years back and remember seeing it at the shows when he used to oen mid-america promotions it was intriguing even when I was a child