My father had always wanted a Corvette, and in about 2003 he finally bought one. He was retired by that time and simply tinkered with it (replacing worn out parts, keeping the carburetor tuned, etc..). In 2015 my father passed away and left the car to me. For the most part it was original. Original 350 block. Original dark brown paint. The car ran, but not well. I don't think he ever really wanted the project to be complete because he enjoyed spending time working on it.

Once I received the car I began planning how I could take a worn out 1976 Corvette and turn it into something special. I spent months researching what others had done, taking this from one build and that from another until I came up with a project plan that I really liked. Custom Image Corvettes provided quite a bit of inspiration. I really like a lot of what they do. I did a little of the of the work myself but had to enlist a restoration shop for body, paint, and some other work. I ended up picking JB Corvette based in Dallas. The car spent the better part of 18 months being restored/modified. Here are the updates/upgrades we made:

Daytona Sunset Orange metallic paint
"Stinger" hood to accommodate the higher intake- painted the stinger black
Flared the fenders (2" in front and 4" in back)
Reshaped the rear end
Added chrome bumpers on the back
Reshaped the exhaust exit points
Had American Racing custom make the wheels (18"x11" in back and 18"x9.5" in front). They are model # VF479
The tires are BF Goodrich G Force Rival (335/30ZR-18 in back and 275/35ZR-18 in front)
Interior was all replaced with new seat covers, new panels, carpet, etc...
Hurst manual shifter
Custom sound system behind the front seats while keeping the head unit the same
Upgraded cooling system, clutch, flywheel, starter, all wiring, etc..
Borgeson box for power steering
Stroker 383 (435 hp) with Holley 770 carburetor
Magnaflow exhaust
Hooker headers

The process was long and took a lot of work, but I am thoroughly pleased with the results.

Here is a picture of it as it was when I got it.

 

WOW and WOW,,,,

I'm sure your Dad is looking down smiling!!!

What a tribute to your father!!!

Richard

 

Pleased with the results. Ha no kidding that is close to perfection.

 

I'm not usually a fan of modern wheels on classic cars but those look great, and the paint colour is mint!

Question, what is the remote in the centre console for?

 

Pioneer Audio System

 

Very nice. Your Dad will always be riding w/you.....

 

Very Nice !

Wheel and tire sizes / specs ?

 

As Richard454 indicated, it is for the custom sound system which is located behind the front seats (amp, speakers, modern head unit). The remote just happens to fit perfectly in that little opening.

 

American Racing wheels (18"x11" in back and 18"x9.5" in front). They are model # VF479
BF Goodrich G Force Rival (335/30ZR-18 in back and 275/35ZR-18 in front)

 

You should be PROUD -- that baby looks amazing.......................

 

Congratulations, that is one beautiful automobile. I hope that you put many miles on.

 

That's a beautiful car! Great build - thanks for sharing.