Driving an Off-Road Corvette Kart on the Road

Bodyless C5 Corvette gets lights, plates, a bumper and a wing before the first drive.

The video above comes to us from the B is for Build YouTube channel and it walks us through the final preparations ahead of its maiden voyage on public roads. The car is technically drivable when the video begins, but by adding some simple safety features, headlights, taillights and license plates, the bodyless C5 known as “Dr. Jenkins” is ready to hit the road.

Dr. Jenkins

If you are unfamiliar with this particular C5 Corvette-turned-off-road car, host Chris Freeland and the B is for Build team have been transforming this mangled Chevy sports car into a wicked toy for playing in the dirt. Starting with a wrecked C5 Corvette, Freeland and his team have added a safety cage, big off-road tires and a set of exhaust pipes that exit upwards, just behind the seats. They call it a cart, but in the long run, this is just a Chevy without the body – resulting in a dune buggy-style performance car.

At that point, the car could be driven “safely” in the right situation, but he wants to be able to drive it on the street, so in this video, he is adding some essential items for road use while also adding some features that will make the car much easier to enjoy.

Safety Upgrades

The first items added in this video are some extra zip ties to secure the fuel filler neck in place, a quick-disconnect key for the electrical system and a hold-down for the battery.

While the hold-down and the filler neck are common sense items, the team found that without doors, the car always thinks that the doors are open. As a result, the interior lights stay on and run down the battery, but with the new quick-disconnect, that is no longer an issue.

Dressing Up the Rear

Next, the team cuts away the original stock rear bumper brace, replacing it with a trio of steel bars. On that new bumper, they add LED strips for the brake lights, parking lights and turn signals. They also reinforce the safety cage structure, adding a location for the gigantic carbon fiber spoiler.

Freeland initially wanted to use a big log for the rear bumper, but they couldn’t find a log that worked around the shop, so they looked into cutting down the perfect tree from which they could harvest a bumper. However, when the all-natural plan fell through, they went with a metal bumper and in the long run – that is probably the better idea.

Finishing the Front

Once the back end was street legal in Oregon, the team moved to the front of the car. After fabricating a spot for the coolant reservoir, they turned their attention to the need for headlights.

Using a quartet of Rough Country LED fog lights and some generic amber turn signals, Freeland lit up the front end by mounting the lights right to the original front bumper brace. It looks a little rugged, but that is the idea.

Finally, they bolted up the license plates and at that point, their C5 Corvette-based dune buggy was ready to hit the road.

The First Drive

As Freeland and team member Eric head out onto the road, they plot their course for the local Red Robin. On the way, they find that the bodyless Corvette cart turns more heads than anything they’ve ever been in and of course it does – it is a dune buggy built out of a C5. It is unusual and it is loud, attracting all sorts of attention on their trip to the burger joint.

At this point, Dr. Jenkins is just about ready to hit the trails, so crank up your speakers and enjoy the final stages of preparation and the first drive.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com