And Now... for a REAL Custom Vette !
 

Hello to all. Since my 77 show/race car burned in March, I have gone off the deep end in it's new birth. I have just added pics to my gallery...

Here is what she looks like today:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...-picture39321t

I am in the finishing stages of bodywork.. and should be painting within a couple of weeks.

I hope you all dig it!

Sorry... but this whole picture thing is quite agravating! I have uploaded a series of pics into "MY ALBUM" ... so please check there.

looks like you're attempting to recreate the original beast.. are those the same rims?

may i ask what happened???? how did the fire start? she was beautiful before and i'm sure she will be beautiful again

Ed... yes they are. and I will use them again, they are one-off's of my original design from about 4 years ago. 20x12 on the rear, and 20x9.5 on the front.

And while the car may look similar with the front clip down... it is totally new from the frame up. INcluding: Full tilt linear actuated front clip, vertical doors, shaved/filled marker lights, shaved/filled door locks, custom fabricated steel firewall, completely hand fabricated front clip hinges; radiator core support; custom electric actuated headlight assemblies; grill supports; lower fender panels; lower valence panel; front spoiler; and custom hood/clip catches.

But it still looks similar!

vettehead.... I ran high speed autocross all last year... (therefore the roll bar inside!) and as a consequence, burned a bearing during Roebling Road races last fall... after rebuilding the motor, I also moved the electric fuel pumps to the rear of the car....

My FIRST day out in the car, just playing around and tuning, was MArch 17, 2009. I got into the car at a friends office to go home, and two things happened at the same time: 1) The carb (Barry Grant 650 Mighty Demon) backfired and started a bit of a fire in the carb.... and yes, I had a full tank of 118 octane race gas !!.... and:
2) The newly relocated fuel pumps shorted ON.... and before I could hit the master electrical kill switch ... it was too late.

I emptied TWO 5lbs fire extinquishes and it just laughed at me.... luckily the local fire department was across the street... and they were on site in minutes.

I will say that race gas burns HOT and FAST!!!!! Even the Fire Cheif was amazed at how hot the fire was.

All in All... only the front clip and top of the motor really burned.. although there was substantial damage to the firewall, front suspension and a few other things.

You have done a ton of great work to recreate the car. I look foward to following along as you complete the project. Keep the pictures coming.

I am not into extreme customs, but your craftsmanship is amazing :thumbs:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...-hand-made.jpg
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...king-shape.jpg
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...ting-there.jpg
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...se-sanding.jpg

Before:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...ch-17-2009.jpg
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...p-in-smoke.jpg

Thanks Eddie for putting the pics up. And thank you raj and 3j for the compliments.

I will continue to post as the build comes together.

sorry guys for not posting lately... I have been celebrating my anniversary with my wife.. and sanding my ass off.

More pics to follow soon.

So he rescued that awesome 'vette and rebuilt it that way? .. hes a real brave man, I salute him! :flag:

Just an Idea, go mechanical pump this time. Car looks great so far. How did you fit such big tires on the back? Straight axle?

Amazing save and great body outcome. I realy like the stock headlights with the tilt frontend. I think you have fabricated the best tilt on a C3 that I have ever seen. I also like the chopped firewall; gives it an exotic look.

Very Nice Work!:thumbs:

Thanks fatcat. The firewall is almost all 16 gauge steel now... and a WHOLE lot smoother than stock.

BB72... I run basically a stock setup on the rear.. but with 3350 ujoints, a much heavier fiberglass monospring, and solid half shafts. The trailing arms are NOT offset... and are built with HD bearings. But I did manage to squeeze 20" x 12" rims with BFG g-Force T/A's 285/30ZR20 rubber on them under the fender. It is simply a matter of the correct backspacing and offset.

That last pic is painful to look at OUCH!!!! The rest are sweet :thumbs: Them doors are the bomb dude.

I see you have a Steeroids R&P on your car.:thumbs:
It is a nice looking custom. Please send us some photos of your car currently and when it is finished so we can post them on our website.

Speed... yes, I have been running the Steeroids set up for several years now. I have high speed raced it, driven it on four Hot Rod Power Tours, and dragged it multiple times... I just LOVE the R&P ! It is SOOO MUCH easier to drive ... and cuts a half ton of weight off the front end.

I have ALOT of pictures posted in "MY ALBUM" should you want to see more.

ART.........Beautiful!