v2racing

Bats, I had a friend back in the 70's that was somewhat like you, but a little looser on cash than you probably are. He would buy the newest parts for his Harley, spend a ton on how he was going to build it, and then do an about face and completely change the build plan. He would sell me the parts at pennies on the dollars. It was great for me, but I would eventually have to tell him to stick to one plan and get it built. I was building engines for him, so I had a little pull. Crazy thing was, he would ride a month or so, and tear it down and start building it different. He again would sell me the parts cheap.

Mike

v2racing

I'm not really into the over customized race themed show cars. I mean their cool and fun to look at, but I prefer function and something that looks like the real thing.

The first frontend the headlights are a little too forward. I think moving them forward to balance the distance between the hood line and the front edge of the bumper would look good though.

I think if I had your car, I would have sold the 73 front clip and gone back to a chrome bumper front clip, '69 prefered.

Mike

The13Bats

Jim,
I still have both the mako clip and stock 69 clip two polar opposite looks but the plan is still in for quick swap tilt clips,
Cannon plug cannon Electrical, optics a bit different,

Enjoying the thread and some guys brought up some great food for thought for me,

Me, i love just about all patina, i just love history,

I like the concept of "good enough" if that is the same as simply up to par,
Budget building is the heart and soul of true car crafting.

I enjoy the high dollar builds if the cat is cool and his real motivation isnt just being an attention *****,
"Look at me, look how much i spend" without thinking,
yawn,

I really love super out of box builds like richards done with lots of thought planning and hard work,

His is about the only custom c3 dash i like,

I look at so much out tgere and grab this or that idea and make my perfect c3, well, perfec for me, yours will vary...

3JsVette

For me it's the road race look. I also like simple. I'm fine with a carburetor sitting on top of my engine. I do like O/D manual transmissions as I like to be able to drive at highway speeds plus. Good handling is a must with modern rubber mounted on period correct wheels in modern sizes. Some of my favorite Corvettes are the "Bring a trailer" '63 Corvette, the Mongoose Grand Sport replicas, the AIR James Garner #44 L88, and the Owens Corning #11 Corvette.

The13Bats

Oh v2,
My flip flop mind might be like your buddies but i do not waste anything, if i did change a part along a build for a different idea i liked better i would be sure my new part was free , funded by the sell of the old part,

Ive never really done that big though,

It would drive me nuts, i do my homework,
i do not buy a top dollar part it doesnt fit or i changed my mind then flip it for peanuts and buy another top dollar part, repeat, etc,
I would feel too stupid,

v2racing

I didn't mean you were just like him, just your own admitted indecisiveness reminded me of him. Haven't seen him in a couple decades though.

Mike

The13Bats

I understood,

oldgto

But that indecisiveness is the curse of a true artist. I have so many paintings that lie underneath other paintings. Many projects started, then abandoned for newer or better ideas.
My kids have inherited this anomaly also.... I see it in their "cosplay" outfits. Some change mid-stream, others are set aside half complete.
That`s why I say.... at least for me.... it`s best if I can look at my 2 favorite versions (even if it`s just a mental picture), then figure out which one lights me up the most. The trick is.... STICKING with the final decision and seeing it through.
As with the artist`s curse though, even when a project is finished, and you`re totally happy with it, you will STILL inevitably think "I should`ve added this", or "I should`ve done that" every time you look at it!

The13Bats

I do not necessarily like having the mind of an eccentric artist, i just know no other way,
I have to tamper with just about everything, make it mine,
I can only imagine the comfort of being satisfied with the way something comes packaged,
I feel so badly for guys i hear say they can not do this or that to their c3 in this case because, well, this is how the factory did it, it must stay that way,

Coming home today i see an ac cobra in traffic,
It was so cool to see that, and before the tingle of seeing it as even started to subside i start thinking what i would change about it,

30 some odd years ago i really thought a mako kit was about as sweet as a c3 could get,
Lots of things flipped and flopped and now i really like the road race look,
But even in that there is a "by the book" those c3s "should" look,
And again, i can not do the cookie cutter thing i have to make mine, mine.

My mind is a terrible thing to taste.

Kid Vette

I'm constantly saving concepts and ideas. For example I saved these pics to pattern after for the rear end of my Vette.





Right now I putting together ideas for painting when I get to it. For example, I like the the combination of Lemans Blue stripes over Polar White on this Pace Car Camaro.



I like the pattern of the stripes on the rear of this Vette.



And I like the hood stripe pattern on this Vette.



And I like the side exhaust, Torq Thrusts and color combo on this concept Charger.



And I'll probably get some vinyl Mako Shark emblems made up to put where the Sting Ray logo is on this sides. Something like this without the background.



So I'm pretty much copying stuff to come up with something original.

The Phantom

I too like the Bat go my own way, I do what I like and hope that it all works out in the end as it is my car, right or wrong. I am guided by two things keep it clean and custom.

I was bitten by the custom car bug early, my oldest brother was an avid modeler turned Hot Rodder turned car show judge turned Ridler Judge ... so pretty much I have been baptized in the world.

American Muscle and Custom Vans in the 70's, to a brief trip down Mustang lane in the 80's and 90's but I never was far from my love of the c3 body style and the variety of body mod options. I have friends that are purists in their restorations ... I tip my hat to their dedication, but in the 70's I attended a car show at the Place Bonaventure in Montreal, those Frenchmen just loved custom Corvettes and custom paint ... it was glorious!

So all this inspiration has molded me and my tastes ... fingers crossed it all works together.

Dave

Priya

If I'm reading you right, that's similar to the problem I had when I was trying to decide whether to buy a 69 and put a 79 interior into it, or to modify my 79 to have 69 front and rear. I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of the 69 and 79 rear trying to decide which I liked better, the sugar scoop rear window or the bubble back rear window. I was never able to decide I preferred one over the other (the best I got was I liked the sugar scoop window look from the back best and the bubble back window look from the side best) so I let practical concerns make the choice for me.

I did up some cost estimates for converting a 69 to a 79 interior and converting my 79 to 69 front and rear ends. My estimate to convert the 79 was thousands cheaper than selling it, buying a 69 project and putting a 79 interior in it. The clincher was that my husband said there was no way he'd help me with the project if I bought a 69 and wanted to put a 79 interior in it. So, that's how I decided on the custom build on my 79. As I start closing in on the halfway point on my build I think if I could talk to my self when I was first contemplating the conversion I'd tell myself "Don't do it, its too much work, too much expense, and you're too old to be taking on this big a project - just put the pace car front and rear spoilers on it, you don't like the 69 front and rear that much better anyway.".


That's pretty impressive workmanship on your car!

I know V2 said he thought the headlights looked a little too far forward but for me that looks fine.

car junkie

Corvettes are not the best candidates for customization for the very obvious reason that they are essentially factory customs produced in mass quantities with little concern for spacious interiors and cargo capacity. Regular passenger cars on the other hand are designed with the idea of maximum interior spaces for comfort and carrying capacities. There are plenty of areas that can be streamlined, lowered, chopped and sectioned without effecting the ability of fitting people into the now downsized confines of the modified interior spaces. Having looked at customized Vettes for decades, I've come to the conclusion that at best very little in the way of actual improvement upon the original design is possible. About the best that can be done are tasteful flares and hood treatments that that have already been done and copied many times over. Are these really design improvements or just attempts to change things for the sake of change, I'll go with the later. This is also why old Vettes make such great restomods, the original designers pretty much did all that could be done with their designs and still remain tasteful.

The13Bats

Priya,

Yep, we are fairly sempatico in our afflictions,
And while the subjects of focus are different our hurdles are similar,

A buddy told me in private the other day no matter what i do i will regret it,
I first i thought no, not regret perhaps just question and second guess myself but wth Semantics aside hes right,

So i guess as insane as it sounds even to me i will have several interchangable front clips,
All tilts,

Ranging from stock 69 to radical mako,

Im in the market for both the ecklers styles so if anyone sees one iut there for sale please do let me know.

The white ecklers monza clip i posted, i find the nose part from the wheels forward just about the perfect c3 look,
I do see why zora or whoever called 73 his favorite year c3,

Carjunkie,
I have a very racy, outside the box mind and do not see a c3 as less customizable as any other car yet at the same time believe i get your point,

Take a 79 like priyas, when finished she will have a radical custom yet a car gm very well could have designed and sold,

The trend of road race look,
L88 flares, hoodscoop, track inspired detail and trim is radical too yet in most cases is acceptable even to the most die hard purists, these two examples look good they flow,

Im not one to change something for the sake of change, i have to feel a flow there,

My desire to personalize would be a curse to some ,
i do not like having the same thing fred does, i wish sometimes i did, but i just like to personalize my stuff,

Some people personalize themselves with clothing, hairstyles, tattoos and body jewerly,

Lots of guys dont touch a c3s body yet have big hp engines, thats their desire and self expression,

I get misinterpreted,
Just because i like modding and support anyone who mods doesnt mean i like it all or dont find some mods tacky,

My support comes from wanting people not to settle, do what you can to be happy lifes too short, if a bone stock garage queen is a cats dream i fully support that,

In priyas case we havent always agreed and what she wants and what i want in our idea of the perfect c3 is very different,

However,
I respect her and her build i believe more than anyone else on this forum for many reasons....

Priya

I can see where Car Junkie is coming from thinking there's no improving on the factory body (I lean that way myself) but I know a lot of other people feel differently and they like something different from what GM did, some people quite a bit different.

In the end it all comes down to doing whatever makes you the most happy.

The13Bats

Actually in my way of thinking what you are doing is radical custom
Sure you are like i said creating a car gm could have built but they didnt, you are,

You are mixing two very different c3 styles to make the one you find most pleasing, changing gms design a great deal,

I like splitting hairs like this in a fun way as i have actually met purists who admitted to me if for example a 68 corvette had came stock with say 69 camaro tail lights they would say they looked best, because they came that way factory,
But if i installed 69 camaro tail lights i ruined my car only because they didnt come in it...

Believe you me i wish there was one c3 that had a body i see as perfect. Boy would that make my life easier,

A 68 bb convertible is close for me, very close,

To the point that even though i preach dont settle i likely wouldnt touch a car like vettebuyers 69 if i say won it in a drawing, at this point i would likely just drive the tires off it,

But if i get feeling better you know that will change...big smile,

a striper

Picking up a '15 Z06 had been a big influence for all my older cars that are in progress. Some of the engines that I thought would be just right are now looking a bit anemic. I'm questioning my old school engines. A 500 HP small block used to seem very cool but now a loud, rough idling engine that's down 150 HP compared to an LT4....

Priya

Yes, I suppose you're right, it is a radical custom in that GM didn't make a C3 that looked much like it.

I know the type of person you're talking about, if its not factory its a horrible wrongdoing. I'm more of a believer in "if the factory didn't make it the way you want it, change it.". I often look at a car like a 2nd generation firebird and Camaro and think I like the idea of combining a 77 firebird front end with an 81 Camaro rear end. Or a 70 charger tail light panel on a 69 charger. I often see styling changes on a car over the years and think I'd take this part from this year, and that part from that year, and so on. I've often fantasized about taking a 59 two door Impala and putting a 60 Impala front end on it from the doors forward. I like both years, but my ideal would be a combination of the two.

I'm looking forward to you get back into your car.

The13Bats

Look at the old mustangs when the right cat stuck cougar tail lights on one it became a smash hit mod still sought after today,

I always wished gm had put a shaker on corvettes, im not anti factory,

I badly want to get on my car,
I havent been feeling good lately, note more time on forum,

Nursing home said mom 90 has a month or so and that has been heavy on my plate, she sort of knows who i am, its super hard, i have to just detatch,

The forum and a few other avenues are my source of escape,

My nerves issues take a big hit this time of the year anyway and the hurricane was an extra bonus at no extra charge,

But lady luck smiled, i do have a big guest show dec 10th, likey over 1000 will show up that will help in a zillion ways,

So my goal is to hit ncrs after the first of the year driving the 69 there,
Im interested in the swap meet area,

The13Bats

I didnt ignore you, thanks for engaging my brain,

I almost have your thoughts in reverse,
In my case the more i see late models the more i want that beastly, loud rough idling engine, and vintage old school coolness, its just what i really love,

I daily drove a 327 350? 66 in the early 90s i also spent almost every sat night at the local cruise,
On my glove box was a laminated homemade into decal of a timeslip of the car running a best of a low 12,

Almost Each week a new comer would see a vette and wanna race me
I would say, well, go look on my glove box, thats it, i have zero to prove, if you are faster cool, if i am cool....

Now with my 69 Im not on any tracks or doing things on the street that endanger others,
so 300 hp or 600 hp doesnt make any difference to me cruising our 69,
I did tell tina when the car is running again i want her to do a few passes on the 1320, for fun, im guessing mid low 12s,

If i liked any corvette after c3 especially c7s it would make life a tad easier
I like the c7s better than i did at first but not more than any c3,

Perhaps the feel i get inside is what most inspires me,