Actually a C2 with the suspension and steering in top shape and with modern radials can turn in some impressive G forces on a skid pad according to several tests I've read about. And apparently it can handle a gymkhana course pretty well too if you have the upper body strength to whip the manual steering back and forth on it. But from my experience, it won't necessarily feel good doing it.

 

If you're buying a C2 for "...all the power and handling I want," then you're buying it for the wrong reasons...there are better autocross cars out there for 10% of the price of a C2, but a C2 will give you a driving experience that nothing else can match...tough choice. In todays market, you can probably find a C2 at the right price and have enough left over to buy a good autocross car too. Good luck...

 

Yea, the best auto cross cars at our events back in the early 70s was a Morris Minor.

 

Not in my opinion - all I put on mine was radial tires and it handles better than my new truck, an Equinox with wider rubber and rack&pinion. I have inexpensive radial whitewalls and standard gas pressure shocks. I imagine better tires and shocks would produce better handling, but as it is, the newer Corvettes don't leave me behind when the local club gets on twisty back roads to have fun.

 

I bought a Corvette kit car, It was in boxes and blankets. I had a clean canvas to work from. I added polyurethane graphite bushings to get rid of the sloppy rubber bushings. I replaced the steering box with Tom's Corvette box,[ from 22 to 12.7]. I also added power steering along with this up grade. Bilstein shocks all the was around with Michelin radial tires, a 330 # rear fiberglass Spring and new springs all the way around. I think the car rides and handles just fine in the mtn's or anywhere. I have not driven a coil over car or one that has been upgraded to C-4 suspension, but for what I spent and did I wonder if spending additional sums what get you that much more. Just today's tires and shocks what out perform any car of that period.

Dennis

 

Not quite that extreme, but a newer C4 will stomp a C2 in handling easily. That alone should give the OP an idea.

The C2 is a decent handling car, but you are limited by tires, roll center, suspension geometry, and more.



(1) Any C5 will kick a '63's butt all over the place. I had a '66 race car. It was completely done, just like the old Chevy Power Manual instructed, and with all the right suspension stuff from the era. And yet with all the good stuff and real horsepower (600 hp 427 and a 450 hp 302), it was fast but in handling, a C4 stock was nearly equal. On a tight autocross, which I ran a couple with it to sort things out, a C4 and many cars would flat blow it away. On a road course, it could basically hold its own but it wasn't going to set any records. This was all pre-C5 and they would probably have blown it away right from the dealer's floor. A C6 would have shattered my ego completely.



(2) If you autocross strictly with the fun factor as the goal, you won't be disappointed. Any SCCA autocross will have you run nearly last place. But your smile will be ear to ear, and you will have the eyes of the whole crowd on you.

If you run with the Corvette clubs with NCCC, you'll find so many classes that you won't do that bad at all.

 

For qute a few years at the Forum Cruise in, there was a nice dead stock '69(?) running Uniroyal Tiger Paws that regularly spanked C-5's and C-6's...even modded ones in the low speed auto-x. It was pure driving skill and a heck of a lot of fun to watch. He proved that a C-3 chassis COULD hang with the new stuff...just that the new stuff allowed a lot less experienced drivers to do decent. Of course when he was stuck in the new cars he beat the real owners best times too!

JIM

 

for the street stay with stock springs, but maybe cut one coil on the fronts, and run the large sway bars front and rear 1.25 and 7/8, or 1 1/8 and 3/4.... but it will oversteer a lot compared to modern stuff - takes some getting used to...

 

When I autocrossed back in the day, hardly anything stock could stay with a Lotus (or Caterham) 7, on a tight course weight is just about everything. If karts are allowed, one of them will win.

And a perennial podium finisher was a light, stripped-out '67 base Camaro with full-race suspension and gumball slicks on wide rims. It had a mid-fives rear axle ratio for punch, a stock 307/Powerglide combo and two-barrel carb set up not to starve at high lateral Gs. The driver made like a Chaparral with one foot on each pedal!

 

I routinely autox my 67 about 25 times a year. It has 245/45/17 Nitto NT01 tires, Bilstein HD shocks and F41 springs, otherwise virtually stock. I run better times than many C5s and C6s....it's all about tires and skill. I autoxed my 2007 coupe once, but it was faster but nowhere near as much fun as the 67. Ya gotta go with what puts the biggest smile on your face!

 

Louie, In reading your last comment you write your using 245-45-17. Front and rear and no rubbing, for track and street use.
Thanks

Dennis

 

Dennis,
Yes, 245/45/17 on 7-inch-wide wheels with 4.75-inch backspacing. The parking brake brackets have been moved from the sides to the tops of the trailing arms (a $100 job at the local alignment place; the parking brake works exactly the same as before). You can go up to 5.0" inches of backspace on a midyear, which a friend has on his midyear, but the wheel I bought can accommodate up to 4.75" and no more (PSEngineering TransAm wheel). I originally had the wheels made with 4.5" backspacing, but I wasn't comfortable with how close the tires were to the original rear fender lips, so sent them back for an extra 1/4" backspacing. See pics below. I'm told an 8" wheel will work with 5-inch backspacing, but I've seen that and the tire is just too close to stock rear fender lips to make me comfortable.

My tires rub on the front frame rails at full steering lock, but that never happens in autocrossing. Nothing rubs at the rear. The Nitto tires in my photos are the best midyear tires ever on the street (as long as you don't hit any water!) -- the 67 feels planted like never before. Just recently I upped the ante to 245/45/17 Kumho 710 DOT-legal competition tires, which are vastly stickier than even the Nittos, because my racing competition is getting ever-faster. The Kumhos on the street don't feel as good as the Nittos, even though their rubber hardness is DOT 40 compared to DOT 100 for the Nittos. I have to drivev 1.5 hours to get to the autox circuit, and hope to goodness I NEVER hit any water with the Kumhos, which have no tread at all.

Most of the time on the street I run Dunlop 215/65/15 V-rated radials.

I hope this helps.

Lou

 

The real question I want to know is how does a C2 handle compared to other cars of its day. Shelby GT350, Porsche 911,Ferrari GT 250, XKE Jaugar. Did the C2 take a beating against such cars or did it hold its own stock or modified on the track?

 

Midyears routinely won SCCA A- (427) and B- (327) Production championships back in the day, so they were more than competitive.

 

Stock the C2 outhandled all of the above. On the track, the Porsches eat them up in the turns.

The Ferrari was the most refined and is probably the most pleasant to drive. The XKE was nice. But I didn't consider it close to the C2. I consider the GT350 to be the most over rated POS of the bunch. The Shebly doesn't even stand in the same company of the above choices. IMHO

 

OK, I will respectfully take issue with (disagree) the last three posters above! If you were not there or don't know, then you can Google it up! 327 Corvettes were fastest A production cars up until 1962. Then this guy... Carroll Shelby manufactured the new champion.....the small block (260 and 289) Cobra. On the West Coast, Merl Brennen raced an E-Type Jaguar and regularly beat Corvettes. Also..... Lew Spencer raced his "Baby Doll" series of Morgan "Plus Four+" cars and also occasionally did (and still does) beat Corvettes. A Lotus Elan variant called the 26R did (and does) beat the Corvettes, as did (does) the Porsche 904 (4 and 6). Get over it!
A new era dawned with the introduction of the 427 Cobras and Corvettes. Basically they were classified A-Production and Cobras dominated that class until the Owen's Corning Fiberglas cars of Tony Delorenzo in 1968/69 (they won everything).

A FUNNY thing happened on the way to the checkered flag in B-Production!!!! Lets see.................Cobras and GT-350s shared exactly the same engine....(except the Cobras could run (homologated) Weber carbs, and the GT-350 couldn't). The Cobra was homologated at 2000 lbs and the GT-350 at 2750lbs. Oh, and the GT-350 had a solid rear axle and drum rear brakes, and the Cobra had independent rear and (solid) discs.

AND YET, the GT-350 did (and still does) continue to dominate the midyear Corvettes (AND Small block Cobras) in B-Production???
It is your problem to contemplate, BUT that old adage about "Cubic Money" seems to be appropriate here, because the FORD Motor Corporation wanted the MUSTANG to WIN...and sell on Monday

 

The Falcon/Mustang is a winner. And fun too.



Javelins, B-210s etc.. won too. But I wouldn't compare them to C2s and Ferraris. The op was asking about more than absolute winners. I took that he was more concerned with overall feel on and off road. IMHO all Mustangs feel like crap on the street expecially the Shelby Mustangs. Refinement was not in their vocabulary. That seems to be an issue even on todays Mustangs.

 

I agree. My high school through college car was a built up Mercury Comet, couldn't afford a Corvette. It was the exact same platform as the Mustang and Falcon. During late college I finally managed to get a 63 Corvette. What a difference! No contest whatsoever.

 

IMO - These cars are designed to drive in a straight ahead fashion with stock components.
As far as cornering at speed - FORGEDDBOUTIT - Mods will be required for sure. The faster you go in these cars the more dangerous it gets, especially on the factory bias ply tires! Be Aware.

 

Here's another one. This '69 is prepped to NCCC Group 2 specs, and runs right with C4s, C5s and C6s prepped to NCCC group 2 (one driven by a former SCCA National Champion). This car had the most FTDs in the very competitve local NCCC club in 2008. And it ain't power ... he runs in the low 14s in the 1/4.

A '63 will be limited by tire size, and the stock (non-F41) suspension is too soft to be competitive, but the fundamental chassis design can still get the job done.