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Love it... really cool. When you're done with it I want to buy it
Much like the previously suggested SRIII chasis, the selling price of this car gets quite expensive after you factor in the divorce! I'm quite lucky that my wife tolerates my automotive indulgences, but at this point, I've got my perfect vintage cruiser in the Suburban and my dream vintage sports car in the Vette, I'm not going to push my luck. (Although, I'd love to build a bare bones Volvo Amazon coupe with a transplanted Subaru WRX drivetrain ) Ok, I should stop....really.
The new steering wheel just arrived. I purchased a factory wheel out of a 1968 off the C3 forum. I wanted to retain the large diameter, but the C3 wheel has 1 inch less dish, affording some extra leg/knee space. I sent it out and had 1/8 inch of padding added all the way around, then it was wrapped in black BMW leather and stitched up. The added thickness with the slight cushion hits the perfect middle ground (for me) between the wheel in my wife's 4-series and the original style wheel. I also think it strikes a nice balance between the old Momo steering wheels in the air cooled 911s, and a period Corvette piece.
I also got the rest of the steering buttoned up. Wheel and rack are perfectly centered (after much adjustment)....just under 1.5 turns either direction with no binding in the U-joints. I know many will bemoan the ugly pinkish-red torque stripes on all of the bolts in my steering and suspension set up, but they serve a purpose. In the second pic, you can see the steering arms attached to the spindles (although not torqued). You can also see the stack of shims on the under side of the outboard bearing, moving the rod as high as possible. The steering rods are supposed to be as close to parallel with the lower A-arms as possible in order to minimize bump steer.. I will probably need to adjust the shim a bit once the car is one the ground and under load...but for right now, the full stack on the bottom has the arms as close to parallel as possible.
Lastly, the wheels and tires finally arrived! The 15x6 just barely clear the Wilwood D8 calipers, and the 215/70/15s are probably a touch on the conservative size, but I figured Id rather be safe than sorry, and if it looks like I have room, I can always go one size wider the next time I need tires. The tire stickers also arrived....I got one wheel done today just to see how they look. It is exactly the look I was going for. Once the glue dries, and you wipe away all the excess with a billow pad and some brake cleaner, they look like vintage raised white letter bias ply tires...you'd really have to be an expert to figure out they're actually stickers. It will be interesting to see how they hold up over time.
Lastly, the seats are out getting the center sections reupholstered and I have a local metal shop fabricating some mounting brackets for me. If those done work out, I have a plan B for fabricating my own brackets with the help of a buddy and his welder, but for the quoted price of $122 for both brackets based on my schematic, I figured I'd roll the dice with the professional metal fab shop first. She's getting close!
I really like the classic look of the wheels and tires setup. They will look great on your car.
Last edited by provette67; 05-03-2019 at 06:37 AM.
Your project in your vision is really starting to come together. The seats will look great and compliment the exterior and the rest of the interior perfectly. Dare I say the "outlaw" Porsche guys would be proud of your interior selection.
Your project in your vision is really starting to come together. The seats will look great and compliment the exterior and the rest of the interior perfectly. Dare I say the "outlaw" Porsche guys would be proud of your interior selection.
Ahhhh, thank you! Yes, despite not being a huge 911 fan, I've always liked the variety and style of the self titled "outlaw" segment of that crowd. On some level, this is my interpretation of what that would look like in American format.
Very tasteful modifications...well done!! May I ask, who did your steering wheel for you?
Chuck Pelton....he's a forum member. CWPelton@comcast.net. I bought the wheel on the C3 for sale forum and sent it to him. He added the 1/8" padding and the black leather. Tom Austin suggested him and I couldn't be happier. I believe it was $220 including the shipping back to me.
Ahhhh, thank you! Yes, despite not being a huge 911 fan, I've always liked the variety and style of the self titled "outlaw" segment of that crowd. On some level, this is my interpretation of what that would look like in American format.
I think you’ve nailed it! It really does have that tasteful outlaw look to it. Great build.
You have hand picked the old school best with the updated .
What a great job I like builds like this better than extreme resto mods .Cool
Me too. I admire and appreciate what goes into the extreme builds but they are way beyond my finances.
So this build is much more to something I would like to have in my garage. Greg is doing a great job following his vision.
On a side note Greg you know I love your seats but keeping them clean may not be easy.
You might have to watch out when wearing blue jeans especially if they're not washed out.
Thanks guys, and I agree with you completely...while I appreciate the full blown Pro Touring builds, I feel like the majority of them never get used to the potential they were built to. My goal with this build has always been to maintain a balanced approach where the chasis, brakes, suspension, and drivetrain are capable of supporting the maximum performance each component can provide. Fast cars are fun, I really enjoyed my heads and cam Z06, but I've very much gained an appreciating for driving slow/old cars at a spirited pace.
As for the seats, the white vinyl actually cleans quite easily using:
Its by far the best interior cleaning spray for plastic/vinyl/leather I've ever found. It even takes the blue transfer from jeans out of the cream colored leather in my wife's BMW. I scotch guarded all of the tartan fabric surfaces. I also purchased double the fabric I needed so that if it wears excessively over the years, I can always re-do the fabric inserts. That being said, the fabric I chose was automotive upholster/furniture grade, so it is designed for this kind of abuse. Its actually quite thick, and much stiffer than any fabric I've dealt with before. Hopefully it will hold up well.
Got the other 3 tires knocked out before being employed to driver the wife and her friends down to "Wine Fest" in downtown Norfolk. Why you would drive away from the beach on a day like today is beyond me but I guess that leaves me and the dog to enjoy a quiet afternoon to ourselves!
05-02-2019, 01:12 PM
) Ok, I should stop....really.
Me too. I admire and appreciate what goes into the extreme builds but they are way beyond my finances.
