Hey Fellas,
I'm brand new to the forum and going to be brand new to corvettes. The purpose of this post is to get some advice and/or info about the C5 platform so that I can make a decision about whether it would be a good candidate for using as a platform to do a complete custom body swap. Now, I know stripping all the corvette out of a corvette is probably sac religious around here, but I hope you will hear me out as I really need some insider knowledge here. But first a little about me and what I'm going to be doing exactly before I start to list a bunch of questions I have: (This post may be long so if you feel like just skipping to the questions and answering any you think you could help with, scroll down.)

I have been a hot rodder and car enthusiast for years. I love to work on them, fix em up and customize things. I particularly love the "getting to know" all about a particular system, learning about all the different peculiarities and performance mods. In addition to a love for tinkering, I am also a visual artist. The reason that that is important is because I have come up with an original design for a sports car body style that I have been dreaming of for many years. I've always loved cars and just like many of you, I'm sure, I have a mental list of which I think are of the most beautiful of them. My favorites are, probably in this order: Shelby Cobra, 71 Barracuda, 63-73 Vette's, 69 Boss, 71 442, various Ferraris, ANY roadster, etc. So, naturally, in this car I have designed, you will see many elements of some of those cars within it. Some of the elements of design that I felt were MUST HAVES for my car were a few things like: It has to be a roaster, it has to have wide tires in the front and back with extremely wide fenders, it needs to have curves, no right angles, vintage style round 240Z/Dino style headlights, clean smooth lines, manual trans, V8, really low and really wide stance. And if you are interested, below, i have uploaded a picture of my latest rendition of what I plan on trying to recreate with my body style.

So, when musing about trying to turn this car design into a project that I can make a reality, I was confronted with how it could be done. I have though about what it would probably take to do it and have researched many different sources for ideas and information about what I would need to do. And I have gathered enough through self study that at this point I think it would be wise to get some outside opinion and advice. Now, I am quite handy and full well believe that I can tackle this project, but I am under no illusions about exactly which components that I would lack the expertise for being able to produce a viable WORKING automobile. First thought, for some would be to consider building a frame and then designing the drive train etc. And while I could do that, I know there is zero chance that I will be more clever with my choices than the engineers at GM have made, after hours of testing with a big budget. So, I decided the best idea would be to try to choose a donor car to use as a platform to build onto.

For this, at this point, I am pointing my guns at the C5 convertible.Unless, someone could offer me a suggestion that would be more advantageous or feasable. I would even consider prefabricated or designed and available kit car frames if they could serve my purposes better. The reasons for this are many: It's American, so no exotic parts made from unobtanium. The C5 is the version that is currently at the sweet confluence of availability, affordability, drivability, performance mods available, tech, amenities and many other things. Since the focus of my design is most pointedly at the look of the vehicle, it seems wise to attempt to make use of as much of the tech that the engineers have already laid out for me to better be able to actually END this project with a working, driving, and performing automobile. What could be better than a C5 convertible for this? Its already relatively light, plenty fast with upgrades, modern enough for creature comforts like power functions, AC and an inherently more performance minded chassis and suspension.

So, my plan is to try to find some kind of decent donor car that is working great mechanically but possibly has some cosmetic issues that I could grab at a decent price. Or, if the body is in decent shape, remove and sell everything I won't use. Then, get to the task of forming my body panels around a stripped C5 core, leaving the A pillar and windshield, chassis, drivetrain, ECU systems, suspension, convertible top, firewalls, wheel wells, cabin, electronics and most other things intact. You get the gist.

So, what I would like from any of you, that have stayed with me this far, and that would be willing to offer some tips, tricks and advice, would be to ask if you would mind offering some of your well earned corvette experience and know how or especially any advice you might have for me that could help me more easily pull this off. I mean, I'm sure for at least some of you, that you know Corvettes well enough that you immediately imagined yourselves trying to tackle the same monster, if for even just a second, and immediately thought, " Aww, man. That's not gonna be easy for that guy and he won't even realize that (this) will be a problem that he wouldn't even be able to find out about it very easily in a book." Anything that you would fill in inside those parenthesis would be just golden. Or if nothing comes to mind maybe scan through some of these, both general and specific questions, I have listed here below .

Its a pretty long list, but I don't expect any of you to even attempt to answer all, or even most of these questions. My intention is to have you just chose which couple of questions you may feel most inclined to answer or any that you may have some of that special "Vette knowledge" about that had taken you guys years to discover. Any of that would be WONDERFUL, if you could help. Or, now that you know what I'm doing, you could just as easily offer me words of discouragement or warning about what I am getting myself into. You could call me dirty names for being a Vette destroyer. Or, anything in between. My goal here is not to impress you guys, but rather to learn from you, so I am open to any and all commentary.

So, here are the questions. I will number them, and I was thinking it might be easy to just reply with the number of the question (15) and then just have at it. Only answer the ones you feel like messing with or just give me your own 2 cents about anything you think of. Thanks to ALL of you in advance.

0) I know its funny to have a question numbered as ZERO, but it wasn't until I had compiled the list that I realized that this question should probably come first: The only REAL hurdle that I can immediately foresee with using the C5 as a platform would be the fact that it may be difficult to keep the frame dimensions and be able to retain one crucial aspect of my design. And that is that I plan on this car having fender that are flared out to be of an almost ridiculous width. Its not illegal for the car to be a little bit wider than stock and I know that I can exaggerate this with having wider wheels, and also through a more negative offset, but the technical considerations for that can start to get dicey and can start to really compromise the stability and handling of the car. This part of the design, although it could be held to being less dramatic if need be, is really a non-negotiable aspect of the design. Meaning, if the C5 would probably not allow it then I should probably choose something else. Looking at how wide some people are able to get the fenders on their C3 Corvettes (quite wide in fact), and because of my speculations that wheel sets and the suspensions they are built around for that platform, likely have more negative offset built into the wheels that it works fine with, had actually made the prospects of using a very late 70's or early 80s version seem like it might be a more rational choice for a donor platform and a great potential choice. And I may come to find out that many of you would actually think that. And I don't really need to worry about rubbing on the fender wells because that would be part of the intended modification of the design. Although SCRUB angle WOULD be critical. My preferences for the C5 had really only come down to the availability of the more modern performance enhancements and creature comfort amenities available and also the fact that all of the parts and rubber just wouldnt be nearly as aged either. So, do you have any great opinion about any of that? C3 better? This would probably be one of my priority questions to have answered.
1) Do you agree with my choice of the C5 as a viable platform?
2) Are there any other cars that you think would likely be more suitable?
3) I assume that, like a lot of vehicles, much of the lateral stability and handling duties will have been built into the design and placement of the original Vette body panels, Are you aware of which parts of the structural design I will need to pay the most attention to preserving or at least finding a working equivalent solution for each their purpose in my modifications?
4) What particular red flags flew up in your mind about what would be involved in this project if you were to try to tackle it?
5) I would like to obtain the most comprehensive, complete and professional year specific service manual that I can find BEFORE I go and search for a donor car so that I will have a real good idea about what things to look for and the different systems involved. If money weren't the obsticle in obtaining it, what exact title should I look for when trying to locate the manual? Any ideas about where best to look? How much will that likely run me?
6) Do you know of which resource might be most helpful in my search for a good donor vehicle?
7) Where's the best place to sell corvette parts?
8) What are some of the C5's most common problem areas or things I should be on the look out for when looking for one to buy?
9) What are some of it's strengths in choosing it for this project?
10) Which other systems should I be especially cautious about destroying while involved in the dismantling of the car?
11) Do the convertible tops systems work well?
12) How are the manual transmissions?
13) How durable are the differentials?
14) Do they have many common or problematic electrical problems?
15) I live in a state where smog test is not a concern, but I would like to take advantage of utilizing any accessible tuneability features that I could modify or tweak through the OBD and ECU systems. How many performance characteristics are available to tap into with the right software, laptop and interface?
16) I really like the look of deep dish wheels. What do you think might be the practical limits of reduction in positive wheel offset that I could safely consider without completely destroying the handling of the car?

Again, a big THANK YOU to any and all that have taken their valuable time to answer this post I sure do appreciate it. And do not be afraid to be as critical as you feel necessary of this idea, as I am here to learn from you above all else.

Scott

Here's a current rendition of my design: (In case anybody cares how I arrived at these pictures), I first created some drawings from all angles. Then I sculpted an actual 1/12 scale clay model of the drawings that was sitting on top of wheels that I had fabricated and formed and painted out of wood and aluminum, and then spaced out for wheelbase onto a wooden "frame" as a place holder for the dimensions and the volume and height of the engine. the frame also contained a plexiglass windshield and A pillar to work from. I then molded and sculpted the clay into all of the surfaces of the car's body and even modeled the seats, dash, console and interior spaces. I then took some very good photos of the finished clay model from several different angles. I then uploaded those cropped photos into Grok AI. I then told AI that these were photos of a clay model of a car that I had been designing. I told AI that I wanted it to cut out the image of my clay model, not to change ANYTHING about the design I have made and to render everything that was made of clay as if it were metal painted in gloss metalic indigo paint. The headlights and taillights and windshield as if glass, the interior as if black leather and the exhaust pipes and wheels as if they were chromed and rubber. Add a license plate and make the background an ocean setting. There are two versions of the car here that I made in the clay: one is the picture with the oversized hoodscoop (which was rendered by ChatGTP which DIDNT retain the dimensions of my model and shortened it) and all the other pictures including the version without the hood scoop, (done by Grok which DID retain my dimensions and design faithfully, eventhough it did change the size of the windshield a little bit and it kind of dwarfed the drivers side roll bar) This is the version I settled on. This model was not a dimensionally perfectly accurate model yet as I plan to create another model in the future that is 1/10 scale and MUCH more dimensionally accurate taken from actual donor car mesurements and plot points made out on a more accurate model frame and with consideration for engine compartment measurements, convertible top space measurements, windshield angle shape size and base with considerations for exact interior dimensions and many other critical details.








All photos (C) 2026 by S.MorganBoyd. All rights reserved.

 

I’m not even close to being expert but the glaring thing to me is that you hadn’t mentioned that you understand the anatomy of a C5.

we have the powertrain that is a solid unit: motor bolted to the rigid torque tube that runs back and is hard bolted to the transaxle. The assembly includes the entire suspension. You can’t really make it wider, just limited to wheel offset to go wide.

that assembly is then bolted to the full frame. The frame carries the bodywork which for the most part just hangs off the frame attached with screws to a birdcage body frame. Even the floor panels are composite and bolted on to the frame rails. The tunnel over the tube also has a bottom cover plate running the length and its structural being held in place by about 18 bolts per side.

And the majority of all the metal is aluminum. Frame and drivetrain.

It seems you are very experienced at building. I’ll leave the rest to you to figure out. Here’s a pic of a drivetrain with the frame and body off. It’s a rigid assembly that can bear its own weight.

 

I'm definitely interested in this project. You've got a lot of ground to cover.

Ither than the aesthetic of your roadster, what are your performance goals and build plan? I ask because your questions while good, lack the tells of an experienced gearhead. Knowing where you want to GO with the car helps us get you there.

First off: firm no on a C3. Far less options. Far more work. If you're leaning on a used car as a stable base to mod then the C3 frame alone presents expensive barriers.

C5 is awesome because it can be Frankenstein'd with C6 and C7 parts with relative ease.

The only other I'd toss in the ring would be a wrecked C7 if it fits the bill because if you cherry pick the right one which gets junked because of body work and you plan to ditch the bodywork anyway.... The C7 overall offers more bells and whistles and modern amenities. One guy seems to have stopped but went a long way towards swapping a fully 7 interior, electronics, and drivetrain into a C5. Just offering it as an option. Though it may be a bit more complicated than doing a C5.

Set your performance goals for the "Sara Fim" and we'll give you the straight dope on what will achieve it.

Me? I've got my sexy C5 Z which, when I think about it, has essentially become a broad smack at what a C5 ZR-1 might have been if GM had released it. That has not been my goal, but it does seem to be where I've gone with it.


​​​​​