A few of us were talking last night at a local lower dining pub. One of the guys has built a few Cobra kit cars and we were talking about mods to my C3. Started with the typical f.i. to C4 suspension you all know the drill. Then the question was posed at what point does it become more of a kit car than a Stingray and what makes it a Stingray. As the brown ones flowed more the discussion got more heated - and I don't drink so I could actually remember many of the excellent points made on both sides. There are so many aftermkt. parts available that can really modernize our old gals. It was a lot of fun as we started with 4 of us getting together after work and by about 7 pm there were close to 15 guys all standing around. It really got interesting when one guy, who as it turns out races talked about his 1/4 times when he dropped a 6 cyl Buick engine and you all know which one into a 76 he had. It was one of those nights that you wish could happen on a more regular basis as it was just so much fun. A few of them decided that they should come over to my house and poke around my 72 - at that point I knew the boss would have my hide made my excuses and headed home.
So keeping away from the whole NCRS arguments at what point do you feel our Stingrays become more of a kit car and why?? It's been quite awhile since I seen any discussions regarding this.

 

OK...I'll start.
In my book, I say as long as you retain the original car's serial number, it is still a Corvette Stingray, maybe highly modified but still a Stingray.

 

it will always be a stingray .but now it has been updated.

 

I like that definition. After I finish my transmission and hydraulic clutch upgrades, the only original parts on my '80 will be the frame, gas tank, body panels (except the bumper covers), and gauges. The VIN is the same from the factory.

 

to me a kit car comes in a box and you put it together. i think what we do is customizing.

 

 

I hope you're still referring to beer.

Since you are in Canada, I'm curious as to how the kit cars got registered. I was under the impression that this was not possible here.

 

I would think it is more of a custom car than a kit car. Even the thought of a restorod for me is still a highly evolved form of customizing. When I think of a kit car, it is more of a boxed assembly package from a distributor where you would finish the assembly process.

For the Corvettes I am working on, it is more restoration work, or customizing, but I dont think of it as crossing over into a kit car.

kdf

 

I own a Cobra kit (Factory Five):


and a 73 Stingray:


I say they're all kit cars, just depends on who builds them....me or GM

Russ

 

Every province varies,but out here it looks fairly straight forward,and I have seen more than a few zany homebuilts on these islands.

http://www.icbc.com/registration-lic...ehicles/u-bilt

I was curious about the "brown ones" as well...

 

And if anyone asks which one you like best, is the diplomatic answer "The Cobra for sunny days and the track, the 'Vette for all-weather highway driving"?

 

Lots of terms are used to discribe what an owner thinks his car is,@ restored, rebuilt, all original, and plenty others. But what I think makes the difference from "kit" to a chevy or any other car is the paper work, a real vin number and a pink is the difference I belive.

 

I was reading this:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/t...4-menu-685.htm

which makes it very difficult or impossible to import one. Scratch built in your own driveway, strangely enough, seems to be OK.

 

You are very correct!!!!! The weather needs to be absolutely perfect for the Cobra. The Corvette will be my almost everyday driver. (No snow, ice or extreme rain).

Also depends on the mood I'm in.... which car I take.

Russ

 

Back on topic, I'd have to agree that as long as it retains a VIN from a manufacturer of production cars or is reassigned a VIN because of state laws, then it may be a Bubbafied, tacky barely-recognizable modified former Corvette, but it's still not a kit car.

I was going to say original frame, but there's a lot of restomods that use a tube frame chassis. There would have to be some semblence of the original VIN plate attached to the body, or a state-issued replacement to me.

For example, a funny car with a race car chassis and a fake Corvette body is not a real Corvette. However, a C1 thats had a tube frame replacement and highly modified body, engine and interior may no longer carry the spirit of an original Corvette, but it's still not a kit car which is nothing but a collection of aftermarket hobby pieces.

 

Hi,

This is interesting topic and discussed many times.
Over here in the UK we have a point scoring system which determines if you can keep your original registration for your vehicle.

If you do not hit the minimum points your vehicle will have to be reregistered as ‘Radically altered vehicle’ and will be given a new registration document.

The minimum points required to retain the registration is magic 8
I think this is a good guide to determine weather a vehicle is original or kit

Paul

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...le/DG_10014199

 

Leaving the VIN issue totally out of it I'm curious how rebuilding a car to someone's personal taste makes the car a "kit car"? I know I'm old but at one time upgrading the performance used to be called "hot rodding". Modifying the appearance was
called "customizing". Now it's a "kit car"?

 

This is a Corvette kit car:

http://www.usbody.com/__Photo-Galler...e/64-001-c.htm

 

I beg to differ on the original frame issue. A C3 with tubular frame, C4 or C5 suspension, LSx engine and a Kiesler 5 speed running Vintage air, a DeWitt's rad, Wilwood brakes, TT2s and Fiero seats surrounded with an Ididit column and Autometer gauges; freshened inside with Corvette America parts and sporting an Eckler's replacement hood and Greenwood widebody kit cannot in any fashion still be referred to as a Stingray simply because the VIN tag says that's how it was born. It is now so outside the realm of "original" that the term "kit car" seems an apt description.

 

Completely agree. If it starts as a factory assembled car, over time you upgrade/customize by adding and exchanging parts, then it is not a kit car. Something that needs to be completely assembled from scratch is a kit. (and I would love a Cobra kit car. my corvette, cobra kit, and a personally built t-bucket are my 3 dream cars)