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I've been searching for nice and unique bodykits available for C3 corvettes and i found this picture of an old concept.
http://imgur.com/a/eJqCN
its called either mako shark or manta ray I'm not really sure
Im not intrested in the whole thing really,just the front Clip/frame (correct me if i am wrong because im new to the corvette world ).
I have seen some old threads here about it but most of them were as old as 10 or 11 years since last time discussed.
So i hope someone here knows or perhaps even owns one and is kind enough to guide a newbie
thanks in advance
-prince
Last edited by V8forlife; Jul 25, 2017 at 06:11 PM.
Oh and by the way does anyone know how the headlights operate on this clip?
they seem to be pop out like the stock car but more like the C2 corvettes on the edge of the hood
I received your private email and will reply to you here in case this will be of interest to others.
The picture you posted is the real deal, GMs Mako 2 show car.
There was never what I would call a "replica" kit of it made, its too complex but rather a version of it that to me is more of a cartoonish,
Shortly after the new 68 corvette was released a talented car customizer disappointed that it didn't look more like the Mao show car set out to make a kit,
That was John Silva, or "X-Avlis"
He would buy mostly wrecked c3's and add the kits or just sell the kits for others to install,
He teamed with Motion Performance giving them the nod to pull a set of molds off their parts and motion with their flare for advertising made the maco as they renamed it a famous re body.
From my understanding motion only made 2 turn key makos which are restored and with their documentation high dollar cars, but motion made several cars with mixed and matched custom parts from the maco kit with names like the Motion "Mo-ray" it too sold for big money,
By the mid to late 80's interest in the mako re body had waned since it was a very radical custom,
Corvettes with full or part mako kits pop up ranging from basket cases to trailer queens some with realistic prices and others with day dreaming seller prices.
I personally saw a mako about 35 years ago and at the time knew I had to have one,
I made that happen once in the 90's buying my parts directly from Mr Rosen sadly, health and life forced me to sell,
Then I started hunting again about 15 years ago and found another unloved motion kit, yes, there are little ways to tell who likely built the kit, but lots of fiberglass people popped molds from parts, some parts are nice some dog ****,
I bought the kit before even finding the donor car but in my case I wanted a convertible, my plan was to add the tell tale rear sugar scoop with louvers to the removable hard top,
a few years ago a talented in fiberglass man and long time buddy decided to pull molds from my mako parts, I wasn't then nor ever have or will be in the "fiberglass business" I was trying to help a friend survive,
Several kits and pieces were sold for the price of 2500.00 for full kit,
This was not crap glass, it was 3 layers 1.5 oz mat,
Sadly my friend was more about bsing and not coming through or keeping his word on anything than being a good guy, I pulled my car out of his shop after I got tired of him not working on it but rather just damaging it,
I severed all contact with him but heard through reliable sources that he sold the Mako molds that he never compensated me for, so its anyones opinion if they were his to sell,
I see a few kits being sold out there, one from the New York, jersey area are made from the molds off my parts, but they are asking 4500 not 2500,
Since molds were not made of my front clips inner structure I have to wonder is that clip just raw on the inside, there needs to be inner structure,
Another kit offered out there has the multi piece rear but their front is NOT a Mao clip its the custom 68-72 Ecklers flip clip,
There is also bonannon but they get like 5K for a kit and last I heard require full payment up front, very scary for a buyer, I never cared for the changes they did to silvas parts,
Others mako parts pop up from time to time,
I also have my motion front clip listed on here and on craigslist, and I would take less than I listed it for but that talk is for private emails from serious buyers,
You asked about headlights, the show car had aircraft type lights behind some eyelid type opening covers,
The redesigned mamta had just clear covers,
The mako kits had fixed in the grill cibie style driving lamps, not true headlights, most mako kits I see have some version of a fixed 2 x 6 actual headlight, a few have lights cut into the nose,
As far as I know the only mako re body taken to a high level of build is the one over seas, its a breath taking stunning build with many of the gm mako show cars features, the rest are just basic re bodies, and pale compared to that car,
I have seen a few in the works higher end builds but do not know how they ended up,
There is a mako kit web site I spent a lot of time there many years ago trying to get it to go off, but sadly its pretty stagnant these days,
Here are some pictures for Google,
Last edited by The13Bats; Jul 25, 2017 at 11:07 PM.
I received your private email and will reply to you here in case this will be of interest to others.
The picture you posted is the real deal, GMs Mako 2 show car.
There was never what I would call a "replica" kit of it made, its too complex but rather a version of it that to me is more of a cartoonish,
Shortly after the new 68 corvette was released a talented car customizer disappointed that it didn't look more like the Mao show car set out to make a kit,
That was John Silva, or "X-Avlis"
He would buy mostly wrecked c3's and add the kits or just sell the kits for others to install,
He teamed with Motion Performance giving them the nod to pull a set of molds off their parts and motion with their flare for advertising made the maco as they renamed it a famous re body.
From my understanding motion only made 2 turn key makos which are restored and with their documentation high dollar cars, but motion made several cars with mixed and matched custom parts from the maco kit with names like the Motion "Mo-ray" it too sold for big money,
By the mid to late 80's interest in the mako re body had waned since it was a very radical custom,
Corvettes with full or part mako kits pop up ranging from basket cases to trailer queens some with realistic prices and others with day dreaming seller prices.
I personally saw a mako about 35 years ago and at the time knew I had to have one,
I made that happen once in the 90's buying my parts directly from Mr Rosen sadly, health and life forced me to sell,
Then I started hunting again about 15 years ago and found another unloved motion kit, yes, there are little ways to tell who likely built the kit, but lots of fiberglass people popped molds from parts, some parts are nice some dog ****,
I bought the kit before even finding the donor car but in my case I wanted a convertible, my plan was to add the tell tale rear sugar scoop with louvers to the removable hard top,
a few years ago a talented in fiberglass man and long time buddy decided to pull molds from my mako parts, I wasn't then nor ever have or will be in the "fiberglass business" I was trying to help a friend survive,
Several kits and pieces were sold for the price of 2500.00 for full kit,
This was not crap glass, it was 3 layers 1.5 oz mat,
Sadly my friend was more about bsing and not coming through or keeping his word on anything than being a good guy, I pulled my car out of his shop after I got tired of him not working on it but rather just damaging it,
I severed all contact with him but heard through reliable sources that he sold the Mako molds that he never compensated me for, so its anyones opinion if they were his to sell,
I see a few kits being sold out there, one from the New York, jersey area are made from the molds off my parts, but they are asking 4500 not 2500,
Since molds were not made of my front clips inner structure I have to wonder is that clip just raw on the inside, there needs to be inner structure,
Another kit offered out there has the multi piece rear but their front is NOT a Mao clip its the custom 68-72 Ecklers flip clip,
There is also bonannon but they get like 5K for a kit and last I heard require full payment up front, very scary for a buyer, I never cared for the changes they did to silvas parts,
Others mako parts pop up from time to time,
I also have my motion front clip listed on here and on craigslist, and I would take less than I listed it for but that talk is for private emails from serious buyers,
You asked about headlights, the show car had aircraft type lights behind some eyelid type opening covers,
The redesigned mamta had just clear covers,
The mako kits had fixed in the grill cibie style driving lamps, not true headlights, most mako kits I see have some version of a fixed 2 x 6 actual headlight, a few have lights cut into the nose,
As far as I know the only mako re body taken to a high level of build is the one over seas, its a breath taking stunning build with many of the gm mako show cars features, the rest are just basic re bodies, and pale compared to that car,
I have seen a few in the works higher end builds but do not know how they ended up,
There is a mako kit web site I spent a lot of time there many years ago trying to get it to go off, but sadly its pretty stagnant these days,
Here are some pictures for Google,
Hello bats
thanks for educating me on this matter
its really a shock that actually no one has even tried to make a proper manta ray kit or at least its front clip(which is pretty much the only part of the kit that i like).but since i have no other choice,i might as well settle for a mako kit(which isn't any less beautiful than the manta ray kit).
i did some research last night and your pictures enlightened my even more on whats available and whats what
the silva/motion kit is nicely crafted but i don't like the grill part where you can see the headlights,it makes it look more like a testarossa.but from all the pictures,this one that you posted is the most i like.i saw one somewhere before,the headlights are actually located behind the grill and i thing its really exotic
Some guys know stock ncrs type stuff my thing is customs,
Years back a fellow was spending a pile to get the manta ray look, it was super close but, i really didnt like it, the rear didnt work for me, but i dont really like the slant cut 74 to 79 rears,
i dont like when guys remove the louvers from the mako rear for just flat glass either,
I doubt any two mako re bodies are 100% the same, people like to personalize, i have seen single and dual headlights both round and rectangle, behind grills and beside the center grill,
I have a picture somewhere of a mako with ecklers recessed headlights in the nose, it looked good, others cut the nose and ruin the mako look for me,
The thing with custom is no boundaries, the builder builds to please themselves,
The mako you posted was basically how i saw my car turning out, like the silver convertible i posted, but my desires changed and i want a bit more of a road race look,
If my mako clip doesnt sell before the time i will install it on my car, i have the 69 clip i can fall back on if i decide later on to sell the mako, i flip and flop,
Cheers,
Bats
Last edited by The13Bats; Jul 26, 2017 at 07:09 AM.
Some guys know stock ncrs type stuff my thing is customs,
Years back a fellow was spending a pile to get the manta ray look, it was super close but, i really didnt like it, the rear didnt work for me, but i dont really like the slant cut 74 to 79 rears,
i dont like when guys remove the louvers from the mako rear for just flat glass either,
I doubt any two mako re bodies are 100% the same, people like to personalize, i have seen single and dual headlights both round and rectangle, behind grills and beside the center grill,
I have a picture somewhere of a mako with ecklers recessed headlights in the nose, it looked good, others cut the nose and ruin the mako look for me,
The thing with custom is no boundaries, the builder builds to please themselves,
The mako you posted was basically how i saw my car turning out, like the silver convertible i posted, but my desires changed and i want a bit more of a road race look,
If my mako clip doesnt sell before the time i will install it on my car, i have the 69 clip i can fall back on if i decide later on to sell the mako, i flip and flop,
Cheers,
Bats
oh man customs
I'm not sure if you remember but we spoke a few days ago on my first thread on the black 69 with the long nose.the reason I'm looking for a mako kit is because its as close as you can get to that look and to be honest,this is going to be my third car and i have never done any cosmetic customization on my cars.i know a friend who had a custom bodykit made for his dodge Challenger and it looked like the work of an inexperienced potter.you couldn't find one inch of smooth surface it was all bumps and bubbles and he has spent lots of time and money on labor.
that bitter experience is why I'm looking for alternatives instead of just making what i really want my car to look like.im just afraid that the guys at the bodyshop might mess up my clip and quite frankly i can't afford to buy new clips in case anything goes wrong.
but thats just what i think and I don't know anything about customization(I did watch monster garage show few years ago )
So based on the pics i posted on my last thread from the black 1969 corvette(i can post them again if you want).
if i want to do the same things to a stock 1969(flared fenders in the front and the back+making the nose a bit longer and pointier).is it possible for a bodyshop to make it happen with just a few pictures and the stock bodyparts or a new front clip must be made from scratch?
because I've looked closely and if you pay attention to the side reflector,its the same as the one on the stock clip and the reflector's distance from the fender gap is unchanged
so i assume(apart from the flares)they just added a bit of length to the clips front end and made it pointier.
Fender flares are very popular here in middle east and the bodyshops here are usually working on 458 ferraris and GT-Rs so im not concerned with the quality of work here.what really concerns me is that i might not be able to tranfer my idea to the professional and the result might not come out as i want.
So what do you suggest me to do and what are the correct steps that I'm required to take.i would really appreciate it if you make it as detailed as you can.
sorry for the long and poorly written post and thank you in advance
-Prince
Last edited by V8forlife; Jul 26, 2017 at 08:32 AM.
A good fiberglass man can go from the pictures and make it happen on a car,
It wont be cheap, lots of time and work involved but not some huge hard thing for a talented tech,
I would say for the most part you are correct the black car you like just had the nose extended and peaked to a sharper point, you can also play with the grill opening if you so desire,
The flares might have been bought from a parts house like ecklers but the angle where it goes from flare lip to car body is greatly extended giving that look they are not just tacked on to the body, but flowing with the fender and quarters, on the other side of the coin could be the flares were one off built right onthe car but would have to see the inside to know for sure,
Again, a good bodyman can do any of that too,
The vents up to and on the side panels are a glassed in item, nothing epic,
I would believe techs who work on high end cars big dollar cars have to be pretty good, but download the pictures and go talk with a few shops, look at their work etc,
The vents up to and on the side panels are a glassed in item, nothing epic,
well thats good to know.
Sorry but i did not understand that part abour the vents.which vents are we talking about?
oh and bats,since you're a fan of custom bodies i assume you have done some work on your cars before so i was wondering whats the estimated time and cost to finish a work like this in the US??
because i know the labor rates are really high there
Sorry but i did not understand that part abour the vents.which vents are we talking about?
-Prince
If I may , on your long nose 69 , the scoop behind the side window , the 4 vents on top of the front wheel guard and the two on the hood ,are added in later. Also one of the 4 vents on the side of the front guard has been filled in .
If I may , on your long nose 69 , the scoop behind the side window , the 4 vents on top of the front wheel guard and the two on the hood ,are added in later. Also one of the 4 vents on the side of the front guard has been filled in .
Echo...lol
Im sad, you didnt read my posts....so you dont think the work was all done at the same time?
Last edited by The13Bats; Jul 26, 2017 at 07:01 PM.
I agree, start with one of these. That is a perfect vette, black looks so clean on the 69s.
Like with any c3, rust is the killer,
And with basketcase old customs many times things are worse if the mods were done poorly,
Both these cars are great starting points for cool makos and also show the mako re body price tags are coming down....
Echo...lol
Im sad, you didnt read my posts....so you dont think the work was all done at the same time?
I read your posts and agree with them , I was trying to reply to V8 for life when he asks for clarification about which vents you were talking about. "Added in later" as in after the factory built it and while all the nose/ flares were being done
As far as I can see it was all customised at same time, looks good as well.
I read your posts and agree with them , I was trying to reply to V8 for life when he asks for clarification about which vents you were talking about. "Added in later" as in after the factory built it and while all the nose/ flares were being done
As far as I can see it was all customised at same time, looks good as well.
Funny with you...its all good,
I get the idea the car he likes is over in the middle east,
numbers matching stock purist stuff means very little there, old american hot rods and customs are the cool flavor,
My 81 wide body when there,
I would love to know the history of this threads car,
I get the idea the car he likes is over in the middle east,
numbers matching stock purist stuff means very little there, old american hot rods and customs are the cool flavor,
My 81 wide body when there,
I would love to know the history of this threads car,
yes it is in Dubai, He missed out on buying it ,now he's wondering about getting one just like it .Make or find one ???? is his dilemma .
yes it is in Dubai, He missed out on buying it ,now he's wondering about getting one just like it .Make or find one ???? is his dilemma .
yes.thats pretty much whats going on....
you won't believe this but the car was sitting at that showroom's backyard for over 8 months and just when i decided to buy it,it sold out.
now i wasn't sure if the car was customized or just had aftermarket kit on it but with the help of bats and the other guys here,its clear that the car is custom made so now we just want to find out what kind of mods are made on the car.what do you think?
bodykits
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