I can't wait to see Bruiser do a full throttle pass.
Mike

 

Just be sure you get the retrofit starter bolts (available from GM). The late model starter uses 10mm bolts, but our early motors use 3/8" (9.5mm). With regular bolts the starter will move around. The retro-bolts have a 10mm shank, 3/8" threads.

I've been running the late model starter on my 454 for years and years. Best starter I ever had.

 

I do like being able to *clock* the aftermarket mini starters in different places to make more room for headers, oil pans and such.

I've had a basic (read that cheap) Summit one on mine for years and it has never failed to crank mine.

JIM

 

Thats what I use on almost all my cars. I have a 92 Vette starter on my 540. Turns it just fine. And if it dies you can get one at any parts store. The starters for the C4 vettes are for the smaller flywheel. The truck and S10 starters are for the large ones.

 

Outstanding Doug! Nice to see the progress continuing. Can't wait to see what it looks like as a finished project.

So....we gonna auto-x it next year

 

Dave, if you promise not to tear the fenders off, we might do a shared ride thing in BG next year. Would be fun to see what you could do with it.

DP

 

Okay here are some more pics with apologies in advance. Interior is far from done, hood is unlatched, I'm not a great photographer, I was taking them at night. More pics tomorrow.

 

This is a really cool project but I need to ask a question.

Forgive me for asking this because I'm English and Know nothing about the Vette scene in the States.

As a Vette enthusiast, does it not feel wrong to butcher a good condition, matching numbers car? If you're going to do this much modification would it not have made more sense to use an unfinished project or an already modified car as a base?

Or are '71 matching numbers convertibles still quite common?

 

The answer to your question may have been too well hidden in my opening remarks. I bought the car and would have kept it whole for the exact reason you point to above. It was already not an NCRS candidate when I bought it...motor was modified, bored out to 496, TKO-600 tranny and old tranny gone, headers replaced with Hooker supercomps and original headers sold off, aftermarket wheels, fiber optics gone, vacuum system compromised. So a good looking driver reported to be numbers matching, although when the block was rebuilt and decked, serial numbers were lost. That's what I bought. I put quite a bit of time and money into the car and fixed all the nits and nats, even became a kind of expert on troubleshooting vacuum systems along the way. It all worked. I was happy with what I had, and had paid a premium to get it. I asked the owner if the car had ever been wrecked and he lied and said no.

When the tranny took a powder, I pulled it out and had it sent off to be repaired. Then I noticed an oil leak at the back seal so off came the power steering linkage and oil pan. When I removed the rear bearing to put in new rear seal, I found this:



Bearing race cut to the copper. So I pulled main and found:



Then after consulting with my friends Donnie and Jim, I knew the motor had to come out. Donnie and I shared a few beers on the news and the project really began.

When the motor was pulled and dismantled, we found that the cam gear in the front of the motor had been installed incorrectly and had machined its way into the front of the block ruining the block. There was metal everywhere, stuck the oil filter bypass open so oil filter hadn't been working at all and new oil was filthy, shavings were everywhere. Oh and I found out almost all no name chinese parts.

Like the balancing work done on the crank shaft?



What a hack job! Rockers were burned, the motor was toast. Would have had to bore out cylinders even more, weld material on the front of the block and machine it down, all for a block that I couldn't prove was even a numbers matching block and, frankly, given what else I'd found, I couldn't trust the owner or his mechanic, both of whom are known on the CF and both disliked (I found out later).

So I started over. At first, just to build a motor, eventually to build a one of a kind magazine car.

So I didn't start out to do all of this or spend this much additional money but that just sort of evolved over time. I have built a "keeper" to go along with my 2002 supercharged convertible (check out the homepage of the NCM website...that's me in the blue C5 and my Jack in the Box head driving that car in the CF Autox) and a modified C6 Z06.

http://www.corvettemuseum.com

So in my book, I did the best with what I'd been given and I ended up here. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

No offense taken.

Doug

 

Cheers, that fully explains it

That crank

 

Yep and no name rods, crank, lotsa parts. I hold the owner responsible for lying about the car having been wrecked. I am guessing the bad parts and the fact that the car was put together finger tight with whatever hardware was in the drawer was the mechanic conning the con artist. Oh well, I wouldn't be having so much fun if the car had been right eh?

DP

 

I promised a couple more pictures in daylight. Here they are. Picture this car in C6 LMB and metallic silver Baldwin Motion striping.

 

HEY DOUG,

NICE CAR!!!!!!!!

HOW HAVE YOU ADDRESSED GETTING ALL THAT POWER TO THE GROUND? REAR/FRONT SUSPENSION MODS??

KEEP THE INFO COMING. I LOVE IT.



BILL SR

 

That's a killer looking Vette. Don't know if you have already mentioned it but who makes the wheels and did you have to get them custom made.

Probably the best looking wheels I''ve seen on a C3

 

No problem! But this time, let me know how much power I'm working with BEFORE I start driving.

 

Looks awesome! I think it would look great in Arctic White , but I'm sure the blue with BM stripes will look very nice as well

 

what fender flares did you use?

 

McLeod RST clutch, Son of Transzilla tranny, HD driveshaft, Tom's rear end with 4180 half shafts and HD everything, safety loops, monster offset trailing arms, 7 leaf HD springs, the whole enchilada. It IS stout!

Here are a few shots so you can see HOW stout it is:









We are hoping there will be an entire article in CE just on the choices and build of the drive train so more details then.

 

It's a deal Dave! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

 

http://www.vintagewheelworks.com/pro...eels/v48/17x11

On my Z06, HRE's were 2000.00 a piece. I got this entire set of 4, custom offsets and all in 4 days for 1500 including shipping. They did an awesome job for me. AWESOME! I had the spokes and the back side of the wheel powder coated a gunmetal silver at my local powder coat place.

Here is a finished rear wheel before tire mounting:



DP