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I no longer own any of the cars I said I'd never sell
Ive been down that road as well. I know what you mean but I cant forecast a reason to sell it. Id like to hand it down to my son when hes mature enough to own it.
[QUOTE=RSbeast;1591994026]Please carry on with 'Project Rainbow Fart'
I'll have an admin fix4 the title accordingly [/QUOTE
Enough already. Its not your car. Its mine. Call it what you want. I dont give a damn what you think about it. If you dont like the car or this thread go troll another one. Have the admin fix your attitude as well while you are getting the title changed.. I sit here and think, for over 20 years I risked my own rear end to go help strangers I never met and this is the general public I risked it for? Its a car for God sake. Is it worth being nasty for? My mom recently died from cancer. My Dad now has cancer. I have bigger fish to fry. Im building the car to take my mind off problems but hey, thanks for being a "rainbow" of sunshine.
Yes im aware of the costs. The c5 being my favorite vette, it will be worth it to me. Some guys dump 25k in their motor alone and more. Im keeping this car, not ever going to sell. Tentatively its being done with paint for 8k. Putting a maggie in it and im done after its tuned. Will add some dress up stuff here and there
If you have the design FINALIZED I'd get the shop to commit to the quote within 10% and give a timeline guarantee in writing. Set a date that begins to incur penalty if gone beyond. That's a TIGHT quote on all that work...I can see them bloating that 4k easy once your ******* deep into it. The problem with customers like you are, you often come halfway into the job and say "change this, change that, do this then re-arrange that", then you're shocked when the bill doubles.
My advice, set your design as in stone and as clear as possible and have the shop give you a clear estimate in writing, with a timeline.
If you have the design FINALIZED I'd get the shop to commit to the quote within 10% and give a timeline guarantee in writing. Set a date that begins to incur penalty if gone beyond. That's a TIGHT quote on all that work...I can see them bloating that 4k easy once your ******* deep into it. The problem with customers like you are, you often come halfway into the job and say "change this, change that, do this then re-arrange that", then you're shocked when the bill doubles.
My advice, set your design as in stone and as clear as possible and have the shop give you a clear estimate in writing, with a timeline.
Thanks RC for the info. I appreciate it in its raw form. (meaning you dont sugarcoat anything) I like that! Its a friend of mine. He said he wont make money on my car but he believes in the project. I will likely throw him some extra to make sure he doesnt lose.Hes a good guy. Moved to L.A and opened a custom shop. I guess he's swamped with work.
Well, doing it on the side while "swamped" with work sounds like a recipe for a 1 month job to become a 12 month job.
After 2 decades and 8 businesses, my sugarcoating ended some time back in 2001, I simply couldn't fit it into my schedule anymore...lol. I try to guide people at times. I've been in the automotive world my whole life, followed it since I was a kid even. I have watched the ebb and flo of automotive trends, genre transfers, you name it. I am a tough character to deal with though...I won't lie...dealing with customers, and bs partners, and lawyers and bad deals...it all f*cked me up over the years....now I'm just an a-hole...sorry.
Well, doing it on the side while "swamped" with work sounds like a recipe for a 1 month job to become a 12 month job.
After 2 decades and 8 businesses, my sugarcoating ended some time back in 2001, I simply couldn't fit it into my schedule anymore...lol. I try to guide people at times. I've been in the automotive world my whole life, followed it since I was a kid even. I have watched the ebb and flo of automotive trends, genre transfers, you name it. I am a tough character to deal with though...I won't lie...dealing with customers, and bs partners, and lawyers and bad deals...it all f*cked me up over the years....now I'm just an a-hole...sorry.
I dont think ur an a hole bro. I totally get it. I know how people are. You have an impressive track record in auto customizing. I can respect that. Thats why I say I appreciate the input. My car is final on design already. The only things we will change are functional things we need to change along the way to make it all work without it becoming a hack job. We want to utilize factory mounting locations and add as little hardware as possible.
I believe this C5 was at SEMA 2012 maybe...or 2011...can't recall.
Then there was this guy as the rise of the Celica lights came on the scene. This guy tried to bs me at SEMA saying he developed custom headlights...I looked at him and was like "n***a please". He picked up what I was layin down...lol.
As I said...Corvette has to be consumed by more armchair designers than any platform out there...who knows why. I think it may be the demo...remembering the days of the Mako Sharks and radical fiberglass era. That movie with that hideous C3 (prior to my birth I believe)...Corvette Summer was it? Vaguely remember watching it as a kid and thinking it was kind of cool but kind of gaudy.
I was a critic of car, went to shows every year and read car mags..hell, since my birth...here's my proof...this is me and Daisy Duke chillin at a car show when I was 4 years old...lol. It goes to the roots man...to the roots...lol.
I believe this C5 was at SEMA 2012 maybe...or 2011...can't recall.
Then there was this guy as the rise of the Celica lights came on the scene. This guy tried to bs me at SEMA saying he developed custom headlights...I looked at him and was like "n***a please". He picked up what I was layin down...lol.
As I said...Corvette has to be consumed by more armchair designers than any platform out there...who knows why. I think it may be the demo...remembering the days of the Mako Sharks and radical fiberglass era. That movie with that hideous C3 (prior to my birth I believe)...Corvette Summer was it? Vaguely remember watching it as a kid and thinking it was kind of cool but kind of gaudy.
I was a critic of car, went to shows every year and read car mags..hell, since my birth...here's my proof...this is me and Daisy Duke chillin at a car show when I was 4 years old...lol. It goes to the roots man...to the roots...lol.
Anymore pictures from other angles of the silver vette I'd like to see that one sorry OP
I wonder if this is possible. Maybe make it out of 4130 Chromoly at the core using bar formed steel or tubular steel, maybe tie it to the frame, then wrap it in a plastic casing as shown. I would love to have the peace of mind of this behind me in my vert. Before anyone gets too technical, this is a design idea. To my knowledge and fruitless searches, no one makes them. It could also be made to affix a thick lexan wind reducer behind the seats and attached to the bar. Then maybe a Corvette logo LED in the middle that lights up red when you hit the brakes. I would buy this setup in a heartbeat from anyone willing to make this.
I wonder if this is possible. Maybe make it out of 4130 Chromoly at the core using bar formed steel or tubular steel, maybe tie it to the frame, then wrap it in a plastic casing as shown. I would love to have the peace of mind of this behind me in my vert. Before anyone gets too technical, this is a design idea. To my knowledge and fruitless searches, no one makes them. It could also be made to affix a thick lexan wind reducer behind the seats and attached to the bar. Then maybe a Corvette logo LED in the middle that lights up red when you hit the brakes. I would buy this setup in a heartbeat from anyone willing to make this.
Mustang crowd ran these plenty. I would have to say it depends on the vert top armatures and deployment/retraction. I could fab it...no question....just comes down to what real "real estate" is available for it. If you'd want it truly structural and trustworthy, you'd be talking about interior alterations, mounting, etc. I would think its possible though, as harness bars and rear roll bars fit in plenty of z06's. You just have to watch the proximity to stuff like that, as in a wreck, bars near your head and render you unconscious. BTW...if you manage to flip a corvette convertible, you were WAY outside the realm of legality, and if you're on a track, you should just cage it.
Mustang crowd ran these plenty. I would have to say it depends on the vert top armatures and deployment/retraction. I could fab it...no question....just comes down to what real "real estate" is available for it. If you'd want it truly structural and trustworthy, you'd be talking about interior alterations, mounting, etc. I would think its possible though, as harness bars and rear roll bars fit in plenty of z06's. You just have to watch the proximity to stuff like that, as in a wreck, bars near your head and render you unconscious. BTW...if you manage to flip a corvette convertible, you were WAY outside the realm of legality, and if you're on a track, you should just cage it.
It appears to me that there is enough room to contemplate doing something when the top is down and tucked away. Opening and closing the top becomes the issue if this bar were to be installed. Here's the thing though, this bar only has to sit up above the seats
by 4 inches or less. With the right angles on the top bar and the right measurements, I bet this could be done in a shape very similar to my rendering. I don't really drive my car very hard, spirited driving here and there. My car still has the factory tires.lol. This is as much a cosmetic thing for me as it is for protection. How would you go about encasing the steel bars with a plastic housing though RC? I'm not too worried about modifying the existing pieces to get this done, those can all be replaced. If I ever wanted to remove this (Very unlikely) if it was aesthetically nice and done right.
With plastics you're going to have to use more advanced processes. For a one off I'd do it in foam and carbon. It'd be two pieces, seamed underneath. It'd act like a cap, with a bottom to enclose it. I could do it in plastic if someone really wanted it but...it'd be a bit more of a pain.
What you're proposing though is the thing would have to be removed to raise and lower the top. Seems pretty inconvenient. Still could be done one way or another but...just saying.
This Wolfe Cage for example sticks up much higher than I would like. I'm not sure if this is because of regulations or whatever but this is definitely not the look I'm after. In these pics you can see there is still room to add the plastic casing. I would like it to be angled back towards the rear to go with the lines of the car, like in the rendering.
I will do a rendition of what I'm proposing super imposed on the Wolfe pics. I do not want the bar next to my leg or the bar to force me to pull the seat forward. Im not super tall (6'1") but I still need the seat all the way back. This would be challenging but I do believe with a little brainstorming it can be done.
Prob would take away your rear view with the top up but...looks like it'd work. You'd have a little bit of cash in that piece though. Thickness of it would determine what you could and couldn't make it out of. If you wanted it thin and have some aero property to it, you may have to construct it a bit more creatively. If you built it out of dom or chromoly, getting that thin profile would be tough.
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
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