Building a Corvette Kit Car

This is just a reality check for myself on the costs and time to build
a Corvette Kit car. My thoughts fall in line with the absolute out of
reach costs of buying a genuine classic late 50s Corvette versus
building a late 50s style Kit Corvette. I also want to have the
advantage of new technology like braking and modern engines at a
reasonable cost and be able to pay-as-I-go.

What kits are available?
What costs are involved?
What are estimated build times?

Ironman wrote:
> This is just a reality check for myself on the costs and time to build
> a Corvette Kit car. My thoughts fall in line with the absolute out of
> reach costs of buying a genuine classic late 50s Corvette versus
> building a late 50s style Kit Corvette. I also want to have the
> advantage of new technology like braking and modern engines at a
> reasonable cost and be able to pay-as-I-go.
>
> What kits are available?
> What costs are involved?
> What are estimated build times?

http://www.bearfiberglass.com/mainpages/63vette.htm

"Ironman" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> This is just a reality check for myself on the costs and time to
> build
> a Corvette Kit car. My thoughts fall in line with the absolute out
> of
> reach costs of buying a genuine classic late 50s Corvette versus
> building a late 50s style Kit Corvette. I also want to have the
> advantage of new technology like braking and modern engines at a
> reasonable cost and be able to pay-as-I-go.
>
> What kits are available?
> What costs are involved?
> What are estimated build times?
>
Hold on to your purse strings. One of the side jobs I had was dealing
with fiberglass lay-up houses for boats, kit cars and military tank
mockups. They were there one day and gone the next, (down the street
under another name and solvent for the next month). Some of our
equipment is still working at ACI in Sylvania (Toledo) OH, good steady
people. If you're close go see and talk to them, they will do you
right on information and Corvette parts. Chose your supplier carefully
and don't get sucked into 1/2 down and the other half on delivery, it
won't happen. Many of the Corvette rags have people supplying frames
for current running gear and the drive trains are out there in the
re-cycles.

http://www.acivette.com/aci0027m.htm They built some of the Greenwood
Corvette GTs. http://www.greenwoodcorvettes.com/Profile.html#Schuller

The thing most people don't count on is the cost of the details. They
will $500 and $1,000 you to the poor house.

Just a thought or two, find someone that has already had his financial
ass handed to him by delays and cost over runs and pick up his
project. Another direction is to pick up a Corvette that you would be
satisfied to drive and work on it until you're broke or are happy with
what you have.

http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredveh..._0503_alstott/

Good luck, many of us have had that same dream, (nightmare).

--
Dad
05 C6 Silver/Red 6spd Z51
72 Shark Black/Black/4spd

"Dad" > wrote in message
...

Good advice sniped

>
> http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredveh..._0503_alstott/
>
> Good luck, many of us have had that same dream, (nightmare).
>
> --
> Dad
> 05 C6 Silver/Red 6spd Z51
> 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd
>
>
Very nice ride.
Cost was obviously not a concern, she knew what she wanted. This is one of
those "if ya have to ask, ya can't afford it" machines.

Thanks for the link Dad, enjoyed the story.

Marty

Dad wrote:
> "Ironman" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> This is just a reality check for myself on the costs and time to
>> build
>> a Corvette Kit car. My thoughts fall in line with the absolute out
>> of
>> reach costs of buying a genuine classic late 50s Corvette versus
>> building a late 50s style Kit Corvette. I also want to have the
>> advantage of new technology like braking and modern engines at a
>> reasonable cost and be able to pay-as-I-go.
>>
>> What kits are available?

Here's a couple of sources:
http://www.corvettecreation.com/
http://www.corvettecorrection.com/html/chasis.html


>> What costs are involved?
>> What are estimated build times?

Dunno, never built one, but I'd suspect you'll spend upwards of $60k and
put a lot of equity sweat into it over at least a year if you dedicate
yourself to it.

>>
> Hold on to your purse strings. One of the side jobs I had was dealing
> with fiberglass lay-up houses for boats, kit cars and military tank
> mockups. They were there one day and gone the next, (down the street
> under another name and solvent for the next month). Some of our
> equipment is still working at ACI in Sylvania (Toledo) OH, good steady
> people. If you're close go see and talk to them, they will do you
> right on information and Corvette parts. Chose your supplier carefully
> and don't get sucked into 1/2 down and the other half on delivery, it
> won't happen. Many of the Corvette rags have people supplying frames
> for current running gear and the drive trains are out there in the
> re-cycles.
>
> http://www.acivette.com/aci0027m.htm They built some of the Greenwood
> Corvette GTs. http://www.greenwoodcorvettes.com/Profile.html#Schuller
>
> The thing most people don't count on is the cost of the details. They
> will $500 and $1,000 you to the poor house.
>
> Just a thought or two, find someone that has already had his financial
> ass handed to him by delays and cost over runs and pick up his
> project. Another direction is to pick up a Corvette that you would be
> satisfied to drive and work on it until you're broke or are happy with
> what you have.
>
> http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredveh..._0503_alstott/
>
> Good luck, many of us have had that same dream, (nightmare).
>

Hey Dad,
Did you ever know/deal with the MFB (Molded Fiberglas Boat) folks
to the east of you? Went thru flight school with that gent's nephew--
50+ years ago.
--
PJ

Dad wrote:

>> ===== snip ===
> Hold on to your purse strings. One of the side jobs I had was dealing
> with fiberglass lay-up houses for boats, kit cars and military tank
> mockups.

--
…PJ
’89 HookerCar, ’02 E-blu 6-spd Coupe

"PJ" > wrote in message
news:6TbIf.159968$WH.152860@dukeread01...
> Hey Dad,
> Did you ever know/deal with the MFB (Molded Fiberglas Boat)
> folks to the east of you? Went thru flight school with that gent's
> nephew--
> 50+ years ago.
> --
> …PJ
> ’89 HookerCar, ’02 E-blu 6-spd Coupe

Nope, mostly the west coast in Costa Mesa, G&S and Florida, Magnum
Indy, H&G Carson City, Glass Craft Indy, but did some work with
Dexter, and Gusmer NJ and Venus Gusmer WA. If you're familiar with any
of them they were OEMs that made equipment to blend, chop, and spray
the materials. We made the pumps to move the material to the spray
guns and choppers, they put together the system. The only time I was
sent into a user is when the pumps didn't do their job and the
customer was ****ed. My normal job (?) was to design and have build
specials for their systems. We built pumps to pump paint, blood, soap,
wet corn kernels, wet sand, hog and chicken guts, crushed glass, mica,
ink, powder, caulk, sealers, and even windshield sealer that you could
stand on in an open barrel.

Those were the fun days, yeah, right.
--
Life is a sexually transmitted condition that is always fatal.

Lone Star Motors out of Texas has a 1953 Vette kit
http://www.kitcar.com/lonestar/66roadster.html

Pugesek motorsports makes a 53 Vette kit
http://www.pugesekmotorsports.com/

Advance Automotive Technologies modifies a C5 to look like a 53
http://www.corvettecenterltd.com/The...display_1.html

and now to what you are really looking for 1956-57

Corvette Central has a 56-57 kit called the Concept 57 but its expensive at
around $13,500 for the body according to my brochure from last year. Looks
very well made
http://www.corvettecentral.com/concept.asp

Joe Tromblay of Antique & Collectible Autos, Inc. in Buffalo NY has just
finished the fiberglass body and frame for a 1956-57 Corvette. They've been
building AC Cobras and other kit cars for years. Very good reputation. No
website yet but very reasonable prices at less than 1/2 the price for the
Corvette Central body.
35 Dole St.
Buffalo, NY 14210
1-800-245-1310 or Joe's direct line 716-823-0007
Tell Joe that I sent you. I've just purchased a 57 body and one of the first
frames from him. Will be picking it up this Thursday.

I've seen on ebay and several places online where you can buy 58-59 quad
headlight front ends for reasonable prices to change a 56-57 to 58-59
years.

There are many aftermarket frames available that depend on what type of
suspension you want. Mustang II front, 9" Ford rear. 4 link, Vette IFS and
IRS. Expect to pay around $6,000 to $13,000 for a complete frame. I'm going
with 84 Vette IFS and IRS but I'm doing it myself based on a bare frame
from Joe.

Certain parts are extremely expensive for C1 Vettes, for example seat frames
and springs, grill surrounds, steering wheels, stainless, windshield
frames, etc... A few of these are priced in the thousands of dollars.

Fortunately, there is a strong aftermarket reproduction for most body and
interior parts which are "reasonably" priced. Reasonable and Vettes don't
usually go together. What is reasonable for a Vette is unreasonable for
most other muscle or collector cars unless its a mid 60s Mopar which are
way overpriced because most rotted away.

Here's some sources for frames:

http://www.progressiveautomotive.com/53CV.htm
http://www.sriiimotorsports.com/pages/885872/
http://www.streetshopinc.com/frames_index.htm

This site has quite a list of replacement frames for C1 vettes
http://www.carols62.com/

I was thinking of going with an Art Morrison frame if I had the money but I
don't so I have to do it the hard way. I have some special plans for my
Vette so I'm doing something unusual again - see my 54 Pontiac link below.

How long will it take? There is a direct relationship between time and
money. If you don't have money, it'll take a long time. If you want to
spend the money, it'll take a short amount of time.

I'm in the process of buying parts. I don't plan on doing anything for a
couple of years yet. I have a 1954 Pontiac full kustom to finish first
which has taken 5 1/2 years so far. It will be on the road this summer. I
have about $7,000 into it but I've done all the work myself (95%) Here's my
webpage (250 pages or so):

http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54pontiac

What you need is a garage, tools, time, money, mechanical ability,
perserverance and an understanding spouse. Not necessary in that order. It
will take way longer then you expect! and cost way more than you expect!

I started up my 54 Pontiac last Sat and drove it out of the garage and back
in about 20 feet forward and backwards. Warmed up the engine, blurped the
throttle and spun the wheels. Don't have any glass or stainless on yet but
what a blast! Makes all the work and effort worthwhile.

Ironman wrote:

> This is just a reality check for myself on the costs and time to build
> a Corvette Kit car. My thoughts fall in line with the absolute out of
> reach costs of buying a genuine classic late 50s Corvette versus
> building a late 50s style Kit Corvette. I also want to have the
> advantage of new technology like braking and modern engines at a
> reasonable cost and be able to pay-as-I-go.
>
> What kits are available?
> What costs are involved?
> What are estimated build times?

HOLY MOTH*******R
Dadgum !!!
This one is too damned cool !
Advance Automotive Technologies modifies a C5 to look like a 53
http://www.corvettecenterltd.com/The...display_1.html

I swear, I'd love one of those !!!