The journey begins...

A bit about me

Former motorcycle racer who suffered two badly broken wrists and hands which has now forced me into racing retirement. I have already had several surgeries and there are a few more to come. I have very little hand strength; I struggle holding tools. Also I have lost a lot of my range of motion as well as fine motor skills in both hands. In short; I am a mess.

I do love to tinker and learn new things so this will be an exercise in learning as much as doing. In the past I have done my own carbon fiber work for my race bikes, my own engine building, paint, powder coating, etc.

Here is a CF gas tank that I made for one of my earlier race bikes:



I am building this C3 for a few reasons:

1) It gives me something to do. I am a 'go getter' type, and the inability for me to work now is driving me insane.

2) I absolutely love the C3 lines. It was always my plan to build one when I retired from racing...it just seems that it is happening a lot sooner than I had planned.

3) I am using this build as a means of physical therapy. I think it will be good for me to try to use my hands as much as possible. This will absolutely slow me down as I have to stop often because the pain becomes too intense.

The Plan

The goal is to build a fun to drive classic looking car with modern handling and conveniences. This will be a full frame-off project leaving no bolt untouched.

Something else of note is that I fully intend to do absolutely everything possible on my own: engine building, transmission, paint, powder coating, upholstery, welding, electrical...you name it. The only things that I will sub out are any jobs requiring special skills or tools that I do not possess such as machine shop work.

Here are some things that I know I will be doing in this build:

1) 383 Stroker motor
2) T56 conversion
3) Upgraded wheels/tires
4) VB&P full suspension package
5) Completely rebuilt steering and front end parts; poly bushings, all new tie rods, etc.
6) Updated interior ; modern seats and seat belts, sound system, etc.

The Budget

While I do not have a strict budget per se, I am actually enjoying the 'bargain hunting' aspect of sourcing parts. I have no problem spending money where it is needed, however I have never been one to throw money at a problem. I will first try to refinish/rebuild anything that I can, and then find alternate sources if that fails. I have already scored a few 'deals' which will help to keep the cost of the build down. The idea is to do this as inexpensively as possible without impacting the vision that I have for the car.

Because of my situation I have a lot of time on my hands so if I can spend 10 hours to refurbish something rather than buying it new then that is the road that I will take as long as the finished product meets my quality standards. That last part is key so if I am unable to make/refinish something that meets my standards then it will be purchased new.

The Donor Car

I am leaving early Friday morning for a 16 hour trip (each way) to go pick up the car that will serve as the base for my project.

It is a no hit body 1972 Coupe that has been sitting for a bit. The birdcage is solid, the frame has some rust spots so at this point I do not yet know if I will be patching the frame or replacing it. The car is being purchased from a forum member at a price that I feel is fair to both parties.

I know this is blasphemy to many here but I actually prefer the lines of the coupe to the roadster. Likewise I will not be putting sidepipes on this car as I feel it detracts from the overall aesthetics of the car. Because this is a base model I will not feel bad about restomodding the car.

It is fully optioned: tilt/tele, A/C, PS, PB, PW, PL, deluxe interior with shoulder belts.

I have a few pictures of it however they are not very good quality. I will post up better pictures as I go along.

 

As I mentioned above I am really enjoying the 'hunting for parts' aspect of this build. It is funny because I have never really done this before; typically I would just purchase new and be done with it but my time is a lot less valuable now than it once was.

Some of the deals that I have scored:

You will come to learn that I tend to travel my own path on things. I like doing things my own way and having something that is unique to me. One of the reasons I am not doing sidepipes is I feel that they are overdone.

Anyway, I really like the classic Torque Thrust II look however, like the sidepipes, I feel that they are too common so I came across a killer deal on a set of unique wheels that I hope will make this car pop. They are a discontinued American Racing VN805's in 17x8.5. They still make these wheels but only in 20-22" sizes. The set that I got are near perfect with just 2 scratches in the lip on one wheel. Ideally I would have liked 18" wheels but at the price I paid for these I really couldn't say no. The complete set came with 4 tires in very good condition. I will be replacing the rubber when it comes time to put the car on the road but for now these will serve nicely.

Price: $175 for the full set of wheels and tires


My second find was the seats. Rather than go with the usual Fiero conversion I was inspired to go a different way after looking at one of the C3's at SEMA back in 2015. I scored a set of Mazda RX8 buckets in cloth and will be re-upholstering them myself.

Here is how I got them:


This is after my first attempt of reupholstering. Price: $80 for the pair of seats plus materials for reupholstering.


Next deal - A set of Profiler cylinder heads with 2 hours of run time on them. Price: $500 for the pair. I have stripped these down and have them checked out by my local machine shop. They will be getting all new internals to make this work with the 383 build that I have planned.







I managed to find a T56 transmission out of a 95 F body with 40k miles on it. With the transmission I also got the correct driveshaft, a complete new clutch kit, flywheel, complete hydraulic clutch setup (master, slave, hoses, reservoir, throwout bearing), bellhousing, and CNC billet modified shifter so that it goes through the body and into the console properly.

Price: $1000 for all of it




Next deal was a set of manual transmission pedals for $75


It was a little rough and since it is my intention to basically make this car as new as possible I refinished the pedal assembly. New bushings but all the rest of the parts were phosphate coated and then powder coated.


I also managed to find a complete set of Allens stainless steel chambered 2.5" exhaust, brand new. Includes headers, all stainless steel hangers and clamps, stainless steel exhaust bezels and tips. Also new. Not the actual picture of mine, but the set looks like this. Price: $300 for all of it.

 

Since this is serving as my physical therapy, I will also be putting together a video series to help chronicle the build as well as my recovery. After discussing it with some friends we came up with the name 'Road to Recovery' and it stuck. Here is a very rough draft of the intro to the series. Once I actually have my car picked up I will substitute the correct pictures of it in there.

 

Sounds like you've got a fun project ahead of you!

 

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Sounds like a fun project.

 

You and I have several things in common, bad wreck put an end to my bike riding days(2000 Hayabusa), I prefer the coupe body over a vert, and I am restomodding a 72. In the past I did most of my own work, but not as much now, I do use it as therapy though, I have never gotten a power screwdriver as the manual screwdrivers are good therapy for my wrists and hands.

I look forward to watching your progress. I will probably start my own thread in Jan when we start working on putting the supercharged LS motor in

 

Cool! Looking forward to following your progress.

on both coupe vs roadster, and sidepipes... Still like my torquethrust style wheels though!

 

Sorry to learn about the accident, but the "Therapy" sounds wonderful. I know what you mean about doing work with hurting hands.....I had to learn to "rest" my hands when necessary.

You probably already know to "have two repairs going at the same time".....One Example: Any time my hands need a break I can bead-blast parts so they will be ready for primer.

The video looks like it will help others and also be very interesting. The project car looks good. Keep us updated!

 

Good to see that project going to someone with a good build plan. I saw it for sale here and thought it looked like a great starting place for someone.

Good luck with the build and enjoy the trip to pick it up. If I remember correctly it was in the Chicago area. We just got pounded with snow yesterday in Michigan so the roads over that way may be nasty.

 

Hi PS,
Sounds like a nice project for you!

The car looks like a really good starting point. It seems very complete which is a good thing!
There are going to be lots of small things from it that you won't be using because of the direction your plans will take it.
You might be surprised how interested the 'originality' folks might be in some of the most insignificant little things you take off it.
For example the hoses from the vapor canister to the carb (and the straps that tie it) would be on my list.
You might be able to make a few $$s along the way!
Good Luck as you get going!
Regards,
Alan

 

That sounds like a fun project for sure. I thought about going that way but decided that if this one turns out alright that I can always get another project car =)

Nice to see that I am not the only one

I too like the TTII wheels and may end up going that way. I won't know until I see these on the car. The good news is that these are finished in satin black and I plan on doing a 'motion' style stripes on it also in satin black so hopefully it will tie everything together aesthetically.

Thanks for the tip. I usually go to the point where my hands hurt so badly that I just need to stop doing pretty much anything but hopefully down the road a bit my condition will improve enough to where I can do exactly what you mentioned.

I have already blasted a few parts but with the sheer amount of work that needs doing I am betting that I will be spending a LOT of time at the blast cabinet.

It really does look like a great place to start my project and I am very excited to start the process. Hopefully the snow will not be too bad, I really don't enjoy the idea of towing a car through that mess. From what I have seen so far it looks like I will miss most of it, if not all of it.

Thanks Alan. The car is mostly complete with a few things missing here and there but nothing world ending. I will cross those bridges when I come to them.

I do absolutely understand that there are many who are going for NCRS or just plain like to keep things original and I believe in 'paying it forward' so you can be assured that as I remove parts from the car that I do not intend to use that I will absolutely put them up here in hopes of helping a fellow c3 enthusiast out.

I will keep an eye out for those hoses and straps for you =)

 

Nice starting point, love your plans for the car. Enjoy and i like your recovery idea.

Jack

P.S. Can you write off the vett as physical therapy?

 

Awesome project and I wish you the best. If you are patient you can get just about everything on sale. I even got my new LS3 and T56 conversion at a 10% discount by waiting for annual sales. I don't think I paid retail for anything, but it took almost a year to get all the parts.

I agree with your side pipes choice and be sure to document how you are mounting those mazda seats as there are always a lot of questions on the forum about seat conversions. Good luck with the build, keep us up to date, and take lots of pictures

 

All hitched up and ready for a 6:30 a.m. departure tomorrow morning.

 

 

Good luck! It looks familiar. I began my project in 2010. When I picked up my 1972 elkhart green base Corvette coupe. At first it was a fun project. Then it became an obsession. Now its a sickness. Lol. Ive got spares, let me know if you need something. I may have it.

 

subscribed.

Love the project and everything behind it. Thanks for sharing and there is a great group here that can support you as you go.

 

I’ll be following your thread with interest! I’m sure you were very good at bike racing, but your bargain finding skills are world class!

 

NO way I can feel your pains man, but I have the same sorta conditions, due to age and arthritis in my case, along with the rest of the problems being age 73 now....moved to Florida 20 years ago to get out of ice and snow, bought about 16 years of pain relief....I got a cheep tin rusted skeleton, next go round I investing in a stainless model.....

My hands and so forth seem like yours from the posts....

I started with an old show car back in '95, it is also a '72 but a convertible....now it is also GREEN it was burgundy, but paint and time don't mix....as we all know....

I too sub'd to this thread, should be interesting.....I like the wheels...

I also do things on the cheep....and I am slo on this **** these daze....

my car is in the maintenance stage these daze, and accumulated no miles to speak of....a tank of gas lasts me almost 2 MONTHS.....

see below for pix of the car today.....there is NOTHING STOCK, stem to stern, wheels through roof....NOTHING......

NOPE, not even THAT, I mean NOTHING.....

 

[QUOTE=PainfullySlow;1596178052]I have already blasted a few parts but with the sheer amount of work that needs doing I am betting that I will be spending a LOT of time at the blast cabinet. QUOTE]


Indeed you will , try not to get overwhelmed at so many pieces when you first start doing it Oh and get a barstool type chair for the long sessions