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its a down tome for me, bigly as our potus would call it so to derail my mind a little here is a post to ponder,
This really wont apply to the purists as they have to build to ncrs factory specs but for you guys who modify and have open boxes on your builds have you always built in an honest to yourself what you wanted way or have you ever followed how someone else or a trend at the time dictated?
An example for me i let my dad talk me into a 383 when i like bbs,
I went into the 383 hopeful but didnt like it, i got lucky a member swapped me for his mild 454,
In the last 30 or so years I have found my tastes in cosmetic modifacations have changed,
So how does a person make sure what they are building is what they like best and remove all outside opinions and influences from the equation?
My specific hurdle is front clip,
Lots of options and i cant seem to like one the very best.....
I finished my 72 2 yrs ago. Kind of kept the body stock, interior stock, engine..sort of incorporated original parts with aftermarket.
After the engine broke with 2000 miles on it, Im going all out nasty under the hood. I'll post picks when its all done, but nothing is factory. I still like the way the the car looked externally as it rolled off the assy line. Underneath the body, 5 spd trans, wilwood brakes, ridetech suspension, fuel injection. 427 cu in sbc. Basically, I like modern performance in a early C3 body.
My theme was to remain true to the beauty GM designed into the exterior styling, but to build the car at a high quality, high reliability standard mechanically.
With my original Code 66 Orange paint, and YJ8 aluminum factory wheels, the color styling was basically three colors - orange, black and silver. So those are the colors I incorporated into all pieces....for example the crossed flag emblems are typically white, red and black....but as we know the quality of the emblems are cheap chrome, with lots of untrimmed mold flashing. So I took a file and sandpaper, and cleaned up all the flashing, used scotchbrite to buff all the chrome to more of a pewter / silver look, and then painted all the depressions satin black. Also, since the windshield molding on 77 is satin black, I also chose to paint the t-top trim and lower rocker moldings satin black (as they were in 68-69). So the appearance of the car is very stock looking, clean and the color styling is simple, clean and consistent.
The interior looks stock and switched to black....again, to match three color objective, and I like that. Absolutely nothing strays from original looking in the interior.
As for the engine compartment, again, very simple, all garbage removed, old school GM muscle car looks. I built the engine using a new GM ZZ4 roller short block, with AFR heads, Eddy RPM intake, Lars rebuilt Quadrajet, Comp steel roller rocker arms, pushrods and cam. All ARP bolts, and Stainless Works headers and exhaust. Torquey and sweet sounding.....and much more fun than the 77 factory L48.
I also basically had mindset that if a system wasn't needed, then its either removed, disabled, or dummy only. I have no heater hoses...don't need heat. No airconditioning....that's what T-tops and windows are for. None of the console mounted controls heater or fan controls are connected - don't need them. The fan is mounted, but not connected electrically. The pillar vents and dash vents provide plenty of ventilation, and I think I have driven the car only a few times with windows up. The radio head is all show, and is in fact a faceplate only just to look stock and no guts, antenna, wiring, speakers, etc. The music I need comes from the sweet sound of a 350 V8 through 2-1/2 exhaust. The windshield wipers are mounted, but fuse pulled. If I need them....I will put the fuse in and use them. Otherwise not interested in scratching my windshield inadvertently with the hokey 77 only wiper switch. No need for a windshield washer tank, pump or wiring. I have the original Borg Super T10 4-speed- crude, rude,simple and old school character...no need for overdrives, automatic transmission, coolers, etc. I removed all the vacuum garbage for the headlights, and right now I just manually open and close them.....I think I have driven at night twice now. I will be installing electric actuators this winter just cause I want to, not cause I need them. None of this have I needed or missed in the 10,000 miles I put on the car in last two years. This mentality was basically to keep everything as simple and reliable as possible. Things can't fail or break if they are not installed.
I spent a lot of time planning and executing the reliability standard. Best part was all the good quality parts installed and built, the powdercoating on most all steel parts, Dewitts radiator, and the best Moog and VBP aftermarket suspension components. The car is built to run, and last long time! I now have driven it two summer seasons and it is running great, seemed to really run better this year than first year.
To answer Bats question, I think it is important to start with a basic theme of what you want visually, performance wise and reliability wise, and then make all decisions based on that basic theme. Its easy to get distracted in one aspect of it, and then start down a path that ends up not fitting overall with the original idea. I have done that on other projects and regretted it. For me extreme modifications can quickly take away from the character of the original car, and it ends ups just trying to be something else from what attracted me to the car in the first place. That includes performance....I did want a stronger motor, but going as far as trying to make a C3 Corvette a C7 Corvette is not for me, and would destroy the character of this car. So, I try to stay true to the character that originally turned me on to the car when I was a 16 year old staring at it going down the road, and I have achieved that with my car.
Last edited by Torqued Off; 11-17-2017 at 08:00 AM.
I like to build what I think the original engineers and/or period racers/hotrodders would have if they could. I try to keep it reasonably period - I'll fit modern parts but only if I can make them look and feel 'right'... Which of course is an entirely personal and subjective standard. Performance is important, but if it were the primary priority I wouldn't be driving a C3/70s F250/MG Midget. So retaining the character of those cars is very important too. I drive my cars, a lot. So reliability and longevity are important. I also compete in competitive events in them, so they need to hold their own, and I like to be faster than anyone expects, even if I'm not going to win. I love to beat up on Skylines, WRXs, Evos etc, because those owners/drivers always underestimate the old Vette. Engine bays should look period correct, even if they hide modern components, likewise for interiors, and the exterior should be fairly close to factory, just cleaned up a bit and fitted with nice wheels, and at the right height... It's basically how I've approached every car I've owned to date.
My wife & I have built a few cars over the years, but have never been "purists", nor full blown "custom" fans.... but rather somewhere in between.
So we go into them with the thought of keeping original the aspects that make the car appealing to us, and changing what we think could be better.
This Corvette is a car I`d always dreamed about, but never thought I`d have. I love the sleek lines of it, and the ****-pit feel of the interior.
We have made a few subtle changes, but only true Corvette fans would ever notice. For instance, we moved the front center grill out 4 inches to be flush with the valence. Electric headlight & wiper doors. Painted headlight bezels black instead of body color. Left windshield trim stainless instead of body color. Made 4 stop / tail lights, & moved reverse lights down near license plate. Removed black paint from sides of "Stingray" emblems.
On the rare occasion when someone has pointed out these "errors", my response has always been.... "Aren`t you glad YOU don`t have to drive it?"
It doesn`t matter what anyone else thinks of how it should be done. I have a friend who often suggests how I should be building this car.... but when I tell him to get out his checkbook and I`ll change it.... he quiets down considerably!
never let any trend influence anything Ive done
Want a tight driving car that turns, stops starts well etc
Stockish inside/out with all the good stuff in the drivetrain
If one follows the trends they will constantly be spending every few yrs to keep up with the jones's. Who are they, whats the fun in looking just like everyone elses? Like stuff thats a little different at the end of the day its what I like not what someone else thinks.
Im amazed at those who change thier plans to the point they will not enjoy it because they listened to a group of goons who insist they are ruining their car. Its not a rare diamond its just a car to have fun it.
Era correct modifications are my taste..influenced by my eight year older brother who was into cars when I was a kid..and I hold true to that after all of these years.
A way to accomplish building what you want vs others builds (accepted by the masses) is to keep it to your self until it's completed (if you are prone to be swayed by outside influences). Show off the finished product with your choices having been made after it's completed..undoubtedly some will love it, some will not..but what counts is, it's your creation.
It's not about a certain style, it's about your style.
I've never asked for advice on styling/build choices on any car I've owned (and I've owned a lot of cars), and I never will.
Performance for sure has always been number one with me, but for looks I don't tend to like over the top cars. I like a lot of the styling cues GM put in and on these cars.
I have always liked the clean look of the 73-74 front bumper, especially if it has the center grill. I have always hated the 75-79 bumperettes, so my Vette got the 73 bumper and grills. I never did like the 74-79 rear bumpers. The cars look unfinished on the back to me. I do like the 80-82 rear bumper, so that is what is on my car. The L88 hood is the baddest C3 hood ever, so it's on my car too, and because of performance first, it has the cold air chamber installed.
I love the 68-72 bright red interiors, so I'm switching from dark red, which I don't like so much, to the bright red. I'm installing black carpet and a couple of other black parts because I like some contrast in my interior.
Anyone following my frame off thread knows I am doing what I can to stiffen up the car and increase handling, plus give it a nice clean look underneath.
I do like race themed cars and of course original race cars. Again, I don't like over the top customs. I like my car to look like something GM could have possibly built. I can't wait until I have my car on the road and see what year people think it is.
I wanted to look of a 69 vette but the driving capabilities and reliability of a newer car. That guides pretty much everything for me. If it needed to modernized/customize I tried to match the look/shape of the original while getting the improvements I was after.
I love the road race look but some of those cars, flares, or panels, scoops, spoilers, etc car be rather customized compared to tge cars stock counterpart,
Would you say 73 nose is your favorite c3 nose?
Tell me what you think of this
It runs 73 front grills but the headlights are forward of the stock position for a 73 to 79 nose, like it? Hate it?
I would have thought it would have made a good race nose, slick,
My 69 had a modded 73 nose and i really am drawn to the look,
Perhaps because they got longer in 73,
I do not care for the later bumperettes or smaller grills,
Money, or lack of it, influences everything that I do in all things !! I've become a member of the "good enough gang" as a result. I recently used wooden 2x4 sections , metal strips, and fiberglass to reinforce the frame rails on my MGA project. I chalked it up to, "That's kinda how they build Morgans." but it was simply the lack of money and materials that precipitated the decision.
I also dont have unlimited funds to pull off this build so I just want to get everything in good operating and safe condition which is ending up mostly stock components. The 383 stroker is about the only upgrade. Transmission was rebuilt with heavy duty parts and every bearing was replaced with Timkens. This is pretty much low buck build but I dont care because I will have my own C3 a life long dream.
Its not about how anyone else would do it its about what i want and i cant seem to focus
I was REALLY digging on the the idea you mentioned a while back about doing TWO tilting front clips that you could swap out as the mood changes.
As for other, more permanent parts of the car, you could mock up, photo-shop, build models, or do sketches of your two favorite versions, pick which one turns you on the most, then stick with that decision!
I wanted my car to have a stealth look- and to the non-corvette person they really won't even notice the changes - till you open the hood. Small flares which to most go unnoticed- original color Nevada silver paint...
even the stock side mirrors...well sort of...
And even when I modded the interior- I used the stock gauges-
to mimicked an Iconic car- the Lamborghini Miura...
Look - can't beat those sexy curves.
Sound - Muscle
Smell - It's odd, but I really dig old car smells. British is tops.
Speed - meh. It will never be as fast as a Tesla, so why bother.
Handling - tight but plush for road trips.
Reliability - Have to be able to give it to wife/daughters/sister to drive.
Patina - I dig it if it is MY patina. It does not count if someone else dinged it.
Fearless - If I don't blow up at least one engine, I haven't learned anything.
Improvement - I love it when I can eliminate a sub standard part or design.
I don't let others influence what I want out of my car. I may ask opinions mostly because I am so new to the hobby that there may be options that I hadn't considered but at the end of the day it is me and me alone who makes the decisions.
My car will be a driver and an odd mix of classic styling with modern accouterments. I definitely do not 'follow the crowd' with things like this.
I actually do not care for side pipes on these cars...to me it detracts from the lines of the car. The same reason that I just cannot bring myself to have a luggage rack, no matter how much I would appreciate the extra carrying space.
In the end it is my goal to build a comfortable, quick-enough-to-be-fun, handles the curves well car that looks as close to a classic muscle car as possible. I know many will call me a poser but the exhaust note is far more important to me than the actual power of the car...because no matter how big I build a motor, it will never compare to my bikes :-p
The big constraint on me right now is budget. I have limited funds to pull this off so I have to be thrifty. I have tons of time on my hands though so if I can spend 20 hours reconditioning something rather than spend $$ for it, that is easy for me to do. Also because I do not have time constraints I can afford to wait and watch for deals that come up on the various forums, etc.
11-16-2017, 11:02 PM
what influences your builds
Engine bays should look period correct, even if they hide modern components, likewise for interiors, and the exterior should be fairly close to factory, just cleaned up a bit and fitted with nice wheels, and at the right height... It's basically how I've approached every car I've owned to date.
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