I have come to realize that a full on pro-touring C3 might be a bit much for a first car/ project for a first-timer, so what is a good chassis and drivetrain setup? I would like to use a sbc and a manual transmission/ transaxle (weight distribution) and what is a good suspension and steering set up too?

 

I'm not saying this to be at all short or mean, but my perspective is this: A good chassis and drivetrain setup is the STOCK chassis and drivetrain setup.

These were, at the time, race cars for the street with many, many car-specific parts that were designed with high-performance durability in mind.

The brakes are very good, a form of the rear suspension is still in use today on the C7, and the car is VERY well balanced.

A good going-over of the parts that are on the car (new bushings, new grease, and a general 'freshening up' of all worn components) will yield a car that handles VERY, VERY well and will certainly satisfy 99% of the driving population on public streets.

Add offset trailing arms for more rear tire, new QA1 Double Adjustable shocks, some nice front A-Arms, a fiberglass rear spring, a front spreader bar, and a rear anti-roll bar, and you should end up with a truly exceptionally handling car that will put most any other car to shame.

Good luck on your project. Don't be so quick to toss out the old stuff...it's not so bad...

 

that is an excellent response. these cars were designed by people that are legends, for good reason.

 

I wasn't trying to dismiss it, I was just wondering if there were any light-weight replica chassis' or other alternatives

 

There are lots of alternatives. Lots and lots. Vette Brakes and Products, VanSteel, VoloVettes, RideTech, the list goes on. You can put together a complete rolling chassis without even STARTING with a car...you can get 100% of the parts out of a catalog and build a rip-roaring car from the vapor of your credit card.

You can start by spending $8k on an SRIII Tube Chassis.

You can spend another $6k on the "Big Daddy" kit from Vette Brakes and Products (VB&P).

You could easily dump yet another $10k...probably $15k just as quick...into a custom billet differential, a 5- or 6- speed transmission, rims, tires, and a bunch of other widgets.

I haven't even mentioned the $10k you could easily invest into a custom engine.

What am I up to? $34k? I haven't touched the ACTUAL CAR yet...that's just the "go fast" bits.

Your imagination and budget are the only limitations.

My original point was that, stamped front a-arms aside, the stock stuff is pretty bad ***. Tasteful upgrades and solid rebuilds will get you 98% of the way to complete awesomeness for 1/4 the price.

 

Try this get a vette you like, i.e. chromebumper, rubber bumper, or whatever you like, then try to drive the car to the limit, all those go fast, better handling parts are for nothing unless you can really drive, also if you're seriously never going to take it out to a track, buy the vette you like, make the engine have a bunch of horsepower throw on some side pipes and be done with it

 

Mine began as a quick engine repair that never got done. From that I went to carpet replacement. Then door panels. Then gutted entire interior and restored. Then, instead of rebuilding the 190 hp L-48, I built an iron block 563 hp LS3 with a 4L60e. Midway through that, I PURPOSELY quit adding up receipts. What started off as an 1850 dollar barn find has accelerated into over 10 times that, and that's with me doing 99 44/100 % of the work. Now I'm finally off to paint. I'm 1.5 years into her now, but after driving her, it's unlike any C3 Corvette I've ever driven. All about perspective and what you hope to achieve. Good luck!

 

Many good points made here. Marc1973 probably has the best suggestion here: none of those expensive go-fast parts are going to do you any good if you don't know how to drive the car at its limits. And if you don't INTEND to drive the car like that, if you're just looking for a weekend/afternoon cruiser, it's a waste of money. As Keith and 7t9l82 are trying to tell you, these cars are very good in their stock configuration and it's more than enough for a cruiser.

You need to figure this out first and foremost: exactly what kind of car do you want? Weekend cruiser, or full-blow autocross? Pro/Grand Touring or dragstrip racer? Your desired end-use is going to play a major role in how you build the car. If you start building without a particular end use in mind you're just wasting money, money a young person like you typically doesn't have to just throw around.

My advice to you would be this: before you even start looking for a car decide just what exactly you want to end up with. Then start asking questions about what it'll take to get you there. For example I started this thread a while back to get some help finding direction for my car. You can see that I state what I wanted to end up with, and posted a list of parts. Then the kind members here responded with what I should change and why. Once you have a general idea of where you want to end up, and what it'll take to get you there, start looking for a car. Buy a car in the best condition that you can afford. A cheap up-front cost almost always leads to major expenditures later. Read the Ten Rules thread, watch the video, and take a copy with you whenever you go to look at a car. Be patient and you'll find one you can work with.

 

Yes, I do plan on taking drivers classes and courses to become a better and more skilled driver, and I occasionally hit the go karts too, but I'm not even 15 yet so it is still quite a ways away.

 

Have a set a budget for this project yet? It's really impossible to give any kind of descent advice without knowing that.