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I've been looking for a C5 rolling chassis to use for a custom build. Needs to have good mechanicals and needs to be a manual trans.
There's a place in (near) Cleveland that is selling one about like I'm looking for at $6000, but the cost to get it back to Omaha is going to add another 10%.
If I have to swing almost $7000 to get the chassis, I will, but I had thought it would be possible to find one somewhere closer to $5000.
Any ideas about where to look?
Please let me know if I've posted this in the wrong forum.
Are you in a hurry? You could try the For Sale section and post a WTB.
Or you could just buy the one you already found. No guarantees that you will find one closer, or cheaper.
Well, I wondered about a sub-2000-pound C4 corvette with a super rigid chassis and an open top. Then I realized that it could be built for cheap.
Turns out it's a remarkably fast and capable car.
I found some problems though. First of all, it was not 2000 pounds, but closer to 2200. The parts are just heavy. Engine is heavy, the ZF 6-speed is very heavy. I calculated that I could get it down to 2000, wet, but it would require an aluminum block LS, a lighter transmission and flywheel (TKO 600?), and I'd have to trash entirely the factory chassis and build something custom from scratch. All of that was fine, but cost was starting to add up.
Second, the weight balance was off by quite a bit. The front of the car was just too heavy. That would have been a kiss of death in any autocross event (given the class I would have been in). The only fixes I found were battery in the back (duh), extra large fuel load, and radiator in the back (pain in the but for plumbing). Even with that, I would have to get the much lighter engine/trans setup and move it back at least 6 inches. Moving it back 6 inches creates lots of other difficulties (not insurmountable), because the wheelbase is only 96 inches.
I was preparing to do all of this fab work, and had already done most of the technical drawings and design, when it occurred to me that the parts I was going to work with plus the cost for the new engine/trans was about $7-8k. I decided to look into a C5 chassis to see if it could be had for that kind of money. Yes, it turns out, it can, and there are some things that make it highly preferable.
First, it will be way easier to interface the tube chassis with the C5 subframes. Second, the result can be way lighter (I calculate the final product could be under 1800 pounds!). Third, the suspension design and engineering is much better, especially in the front, so the car will handle better. Fourth, the weight balance will be easier to deal with, because the trans is in the back. Fifth, it will be more cost-effective.
Can you imagine it? A super-rigid C5 under 1800 pounds? Total outlay of under $10k? (thousands of work hours though, but I like it)
No, seriously, the idea is a supercar driving experience for cheap.
When you take 1000 to 1400 pounds off a corvette:
-The power to weight ratio jumps into the supercar range without changing the engine at all. How much does one need to spend to get five pounds per horsepower with an 'unlightened' C5?
-The grip levels (tire width/weight) go crazy.
-The braking performance increases substantially.
-Spring rates go up (effectively)
-Bushing density goes up (effectively)
-If done well, center of gravity goes down.
-If doing what I'm doing, the chassis rigidity goes up
-The required chassis rigidity, for the same flex, goes down
There are other reasons, which are fun for me:
If done with good design, sense of aesthetic, and good workmansihip the result can be very cool looking and dynamic, if not truly beautiful.
No one else will be driving driving a car like this. It's truly unique.
It's super serviceable and cheap to fix.
I've had C7 drivers sneak away from the C4 on the street, lest they be challenged to a race. I don't street race, and I'm not sure the C4 would win (wouldn't be surprised though), but it is fun how intimidating the car is.
I can build multiple frames that fit onto the same rolling chassis! It won't be more than a 3-hour job to take off one exo-frame and put on a different one. So I could have one for autocross, one for street, one for... whatever. I don't know if I'll do multiples, but it's an intriguing proposition.
I think the drawbacks of a build like this are obvious, and it's not for everyone, but I found that I only drove my corvette on nice days anyway and I was always stressed about the paint and such. "Oh no! I cracked such and such an interior piece, and it's going to cost $150 to replace!" -and that kind of thing is gone.
No, seriously, the idea is a supercar driving experience for cheap.
When you take 1000 to 1400 pounds off a corvette:
-The power to weight ratio jumps into the supercar range without changing the engine at all. How much does one need to spend to get five pounds per horsepower with an 'unlightened' C5?
-The grip levels (tire width/weight) go crazy.
-The braking performance increases substantially.
-Spring rates go up (effectively)
-Bushing density goes up (effectively)
-If done well, center of gravity goes down.
-If doing what I'm doing, the chassis rigidity goes up
-The required chassis rigidity, for the same flex, goes down
There are other reasons, which are fun for me:
If done with good design, sense of aesthetic, and good workmansihip the result can be very cool looking and dynamic, if not truly beautiful.
No one else will be driving driving a car like this. It's truly unique.
It's super serviceable and cheap to fix.
I've had C7 drivers sneak away from the C4 on the street, lest they be challenged to a race. I don't street race, and I'm not sure the C4 would win (wouldn't be surprised though), but it is fun how intimidating the car is.
I can build multiple frames that fit onto the same rolling chassis! It won't be more than a 3-hour job to take off one exo-frame and put on a different one. So I could have one for autocross, one for street, one for... whatever. I don't know if I'll do multiples, but it's an intriguing proposition.
I think the drawbacks of a build like this are obvious, and it's not for everyone, but I found that I only drove my corvette on nice days anyway and I was always stressed about the paint and such. "Oh no! I cracked such and such an interior piece, and it's going to cost $150 to replace!" -and that kind of thing is gone.
Lastly, I like to design and build. It's fun.
I like your ambition. Sounds like your looking to build something fit for a Mad Max movie. Keep us updated for sure...
Well, I wondered about a sub-2000-pound C4 corvette with a super rigid chassis and an open top. Then I realized that it could be built for cheap.
Turns out it's a remarkably fast and capable car.
I found some problems though. First of all, it was not 2000 pounds, but closer to 2200. The parts are just heavy. Engine is heavy, the ZF 6-speed is very heavy. I calculated that I could get it down to 2000, wet, but it would require an aluminum block LS, a lighter transmission and flywheel (TKO 600?), and I'd have to trash entirely the factory chassis and build something custom from scratch. All of that was fine, but cost was starting to add up.
Second, the weight balance was off by quite a bit. The front of the car was just too heavy. That would have been a kiss of death in any autocross event (given the class I would have been in). The only fixes I found were battery in the back (duh), extra large fuel load, and radiator in the back (pain in the but for plumbing). Even with that, I would have to get the much lighter engine/trans setup and move it back at least 6 inches. Moving it back 6 inches creates lots of other difficulties (not insurmountable), because the wheelbase is only 96 inches.
I was preparing to do all of this fab work, and had already done most of the technical drawings and design, when it occurred to me that the parts I was going to work with plus the cost for the new engine/trans was about $7-8k. I decided to look into a C5 chassis to see if it could be had for that kind of money. Yes, it turns out, it can, and there are some things that make it highly preferable.
First, it will be way easier to interface the tube chassis with the C5 subframes. Second, the result can be way lighter (I calculate the final product could be under 1800 pounds!). Third, the suspension design and engineering is much better, especially in the front, so the car will handle better. Fourth, the weight balance will be easier to deal with, because the trans is in the back. Fifth, it will be more cost-effective.
Can you imagine it? A super-rigid C5 under 1800 pounds? Total outlay of under $10k? (thousands of work hours though, but I like it)
Please keep this thread updated. I'm interested in seeing what you get and what you're going to do once you've got it.
Rolling chassis
