Just wanted to thank each and every one of you who voiced your opinions and posted photos of your cool Vettes. It was refreshing to read all of them and not one was rude about different opinions. You guys are great. Thanks, Glenn

 

I believe in originality.
I think you should just follow your dream.

 

Noelga ----- nice chassis!

Subfixer ---- Thanks for the complement on the 66. The 66 is a nice driver with potential for "Top Flight"....one day!

Seeside63 --- Thanks for the complement on the 55. Too answer your question "If there was a NCRS for Classic Trucks would I have conformed to restoring the 55 to their rules". No, I would still have built my 55 the same way.

Glenn"Mr.Blue"Smith --- Thanks for the photographs of the modified early Ford Pickup. Tell your neighbor "Nice Job"

 

my numbermatching 65 was the wrong color and the front clip had been replaced at some time. i pulled the tired old originial 327/300 and muncie. the originial wheels and sway bar etc. replaced them with new motor i built , 5 speed tranny and period style mags. just counldn't go with the originail color (white) and it is being painted steel gray. i have replaced all the interior panels (turns out they werent originial anyhow) and recovered the seats in leather instead of vinyl just because. i have a set off custom sidepipes look pretty m uch like hookers. so i went with period modifications but nothing that isn't reversable. just cause it was numbers matching.

 

Confucious say " he who pays da bills, chooses da builds "

Stepinwolf

 

I like the originial look. No Body modifications. I have a 63 with a 69 350 in it. I am going to do some interior stuff and will try to go with the original parts.If I ever have to replace the engine, I may go with something that is period correct. Whatever you have, it's yours. Drive it, enjoy it. Life is far too short. There is nothing like cruising in a C-2. Whether it's original or not. Enjoy the ride.

Ren

 

Modified for me, I hope to have my 64 GS painted next month.

 

RIGHT ON!!! If my car didnt have a repaired frame, an Ecklers nose and tail, a color change inside and out, and a 383 stroker whose #s didnt match, I probably wouldnt have as much fun as I do.

 

Either type of car is nice to look at. As to what to do now? I know there are a few yo-yo's out there that like to chop up mint cars and turn them into modded out contraptions. It's a free country and they can do that. It's also a free country and I can make fun of them for that. If you want a pro street car, fine. There are more than plenty of non- original cars out there to do that to. There are fewer REAL original cars out there every year. Don't add to that problem just because your ego and ***** needs the boost of spending the money to buy a real nice car just to turn it into a basturd. A true car lover looks at the overall IMO.

When I wrecked my '63 I was presented with this dilema. It was already customized when I bought it, but since it needed rebuilt entirely I could go in either direction. The insurance co. wanted to total the car. I wouldn't let that happen. Looking at the numbers and such it turns out it was originally a fuelie. Hmm. It has a '64 motor and a '62 tranny. Left side of frame needs replaced as does most of the fiberglass. Perfect candidate for a hot rod. Had I gone the all original route, it would have cost me way more than the car would have ever been worth. And I'd have a car that I couldn't sell to get what I wanted. I didn't get rid of anything that was original (except part of the frame ) I wasn't looking to flip the car either (bad choice of words ) If my decendants don't like the car they can deal with it.

 

DONE! Thanks from Jerry via Glenn!

 

My decision was made easier when I bought the car with a crate engine in it, BUT ......

I respect & envy the guys who have the skill / patience (don't know that I would have that kind of patience) to get their cars back to NCRS-ness and try to get their flight awards. Personally, I can't see myself stenciling on the frame number, but I bet if I was trying to get the judges to give me a score that would achieve something special, I would consider it a labor of love.

Having said that, I try to have a mix of mods and correctness. I want the interior perfectly correct as it can be, but under the hood I want a flashy, yet classy engine with headers and same tasteful chrome.

I want the wheels and tires to work and look well. And I'm going to do whatever I want to get the sound I want of the exhaust system.

But I want everything un-doable and will save all my old parts and try to keep as much of the car as correct as I can, I feel that's respectable.

 

Man, I'm impressed! I saw your post of a purple frame on my thread about customs/stock and went to check your personals. There I saw you had a 66 and the moving photos of the work on it (how did you do that by the way). I read you have one of Jim's motor of ungodly inches plus the fuel hat etc. Way cool. Wish I could have gone that far, but money and health stopped me at carbs and 468 inches. (It always comes down to inches with us guys, doesn't it!) Just don't know what else to say right now. Speechless. Drop me a line some time. Would love to exchange photos etc. SPOdie@cfl.rr.com Glenn
PS. Tried to send you an e-mail as you had it listed in public profile, but kept getting fatal error message.

 

I debated on this topic long and hard while "shopping" for a mid-year. Ultimately, I chose a non-matching car and have never looked back. It was originally a 327/350, now a rare ZZ430 crate motor outfitted with MSD ignition/distributor etc. Sidepipes are original, but color has changed, added power steering and Vintage Air, plus the obvious BB hood. Oh yeah, and the soft top is also tan, like the interior.

I love the red/tan combo and the fact that I do not hesitate to drive it all over the place. If it were #'s matching I would have a lot more trepidations.

 

1960 Corvette... ex-drag racer was putting it back on the street when I purchased her in 1983...

Hood was cut out but I've had it re-glassed in.... Rear wheel wells have lip removed and slighly enlarged...

Mods are :

- 12 bolt rearend with 4:11 gears
- Muncie 4 speed
- 327 with Edelbrock #1406 carb (600cfm) and Edelbrock manifold
- ECI disc brake conversion on front
- American Racing Torque Thrust IIs and BFG TAs
- non stock interior (but soon to be upgraded)

 

Man I love them old vettes! What a lovely car there. Glad you fixed the hood and wheel wells, but kept updated underpinnings. Keep it going and drive.

 

Sweet hauler....

 

I maybe one of the few that likes a hard top look. Although I think I'd tint the "dome of silence" My fathers 60 has a hard top but almost never see's use. I have no holes in my body for the top. It's just too dam hot some days to put it down, but usuallly if it's nice I love the vert. Mines pretty quiet and it's like a different car with the top down.

I wonder about putting the disc conversion on. I worry about stressing the old front suspension. I'd like a modern steering/braking system.

John what's your discription of cobbled??????? My body/interior are original only NOM/trans,muncie, and wheels on my car.

 

I love seeing and reading about custom vettes.I would like to more pics if you guys could post some.

 

I wanted an all out custom and modern Vette, but fell in love with the looks of the '58 to '60 when I was a kid, after getting a ride in my cousin's '59. I searched out a basket case to avoid "hacking" up a clean car. I'm using all C5 running gear in a SRIII Motorsports frame. The body and interior will look just about stock, but it has 18" wheels in back, 17" in front, and LS1, and 6-speed transaxle. I've also corrected the natural lifting problem the body has at speeds over 120. I figure it'll take another year or two to complete. I would never want to see an all original car modernized, but there are plenty of builder cars out there to work with. There's a company building ones like the one I'm working on. They're charging around $225,000.

 

Hack the front frame, add some tubeing and go for the late model rack, suspension. You will LOVE the ride and handing so much better. It's not all that expensive to do and since it's already non-matching car, it will actually increase the value IF you ever want to go to another vette and have to part with this one. And you've never really worried what others had to think anyway, blood!
Notice I didn't say sell for profit!