7t9l82

I'm down the road in Melbourne, I'd love to see this car too

Franks73

Let me join the line of folks to say, Wow! Beautiful work on your C3! Looks like you are doing everything right! Enjoy!

FLYNAVY30

Neil, I meant to ask you, how are those Hoosiers on the street? Obviously a no-go in any sort of wet, but don't those need to be heat cycled, etc? I know they're web site specifically states that they are not to be used on the street, but I do see more and more (Porshe) guys running them on street cars.

Neil B

They need to be brought up to temp to really 'work' which you can't do on the street, but personally I love the way they feel on the road. They lose a few pounds of air periodically like most race tires but no big deal. I've never been stopped, but if I ever do, I will politely point to the DOT cert on the tire. I see these tires as no different than any other R Comp tires which people use on the street. So now for the disclaimer... the manufacturer says they are not designed for highway use, so I can't in good conscience recommend their use on the street to others.

Neil B

Thank you very much. It's been a journey and a learning experience.

FLYNAVY30

Thanks....thats kind of what I figured. I've run various R compound tires on the street for years...most recently Toyo R888 and loved them....never had an issue. I was curious what the difference was between the two as far as street driving goes....sounds like not much. Keep up the great build!!

Neil B

Yes, I've run both R888's and the Hoosiers on my C5 and they are about the same in street driving conditions.

Neil B

Love it or hate it, here is my swank race car interior that I completed this past weekend. I tried my best to retain a vintage vibe while using modern gauges. I even put a USB port in it. But.... no carpet, no insulation, no heat, no defrost, no AC, no headliner, no power anything... Perfect! : )

Next up is redoing my power steering lines and reservoir to eliminate fluid aeration. Then I will align the side glass and install the door panels and custom sill plates.

FLYNAVY30

Looks perfect Neil!! Looking forward to seeing what you do with the door panels. Couldn't help but notice the small, gold, accessory on the center console....what do/did you fly?

Neil B

This was my inspiration photo:



Here is my finished product:

Neil B

Those are my Dad's Navy wings. We always shared a common interest in cars, so it seemed appropriate. These projects consume an enormous amount of time and become very personal, so it's always cool to tie them back to the important things in life.

FLYNAVY30

Very cool

7t9l82

Magnificent

69ttop502

Really really nice Neil. Also curious what you are doing for Door panels.

Neil B

The plan is original style door panels. Most of the original L88 racers ran stock door cards. I have repros in the box so we'll see how they fit and adjust the plan as needed. The car is crazy loud right now so I might put some noise suppression behind the door card to tone the side pipes down a bit.

76strokervette

Your attention to detail and craftsmanship are inspiring.
Great job!

Neil B

Thank you very much for the kind words!

RBrid

Outstanding work Neil. 0% hate, 100% love here!

bmans vette

Another great Racer inspiration. lots of ideas gleaned from yours also Neil.
Any chance you could include some closeups of the dash....especially the gauges and switches?
Txs so much and keep inspiring us followers.
Dennis (Bman)

Neil B

Hey Dennis, here are some close ups of the gauges and switches.

Here is the 4.5" SpeedHut Tach and Speedo in modified stock bezels.



The turn signal and high/low beam indicator is integrated into the GPS speedometer. The antenna is located on a custom bracket beneath the center dash vent.



Here is the center gauge cluster with hooded toggles. The right toggle allows me to turn on items such as the USB port with no key in the ignition. Left toggle is extra capacity right now. The toggle switch panel is from New Vintage USA and the labels are LED backlighted.



The shift console plate has been modified to replace the heater controls and ashtray. The large toggle for Lights is a reverse polarity momentary switch to open and close the headlight buckets. I have a redundant starter toggle. The starter can also be engaged using the ignition switch. The ignition switch was relocated for easy access with the shoulder harnesses cinched tight.



All interior panels were restored using SEM Landau Black which creates a great flat/satin sheen. The leather shift boot is a 77-up C3 repro. The Hurst stick is a Mustang T56 unit from Core Shifters. The 6-speed shift pattern is VERY tight in the C3 shift plate opening, but it can be done with the right shifter offset and button head cap screws.