The Spirit of '66 Build Thread: AutoX Stingray
 

This is something I never dreamed I would have the chance to have (Actually it is the wife's car). After going to one autocross event and getting a few ride alongs, she asks on the way home, "when am I getting my own car?".
A couple of months later she's been looking at every possible make and model and keeps coming back to a 68 Chevelle. I'm totally fine with that as I'm now quite familiar with A-bodies after building my 65. Thought a two Chevelle family would be pretty cool. Actually as my oldest son, 11 now, will be inheriting a '70 El Camino when he gets closer to driving age. One big happy A-body family ;)

So her dad is over one day and starts talking about a Corvette a friend of his has in his garage. Can't remember if it's a 65 or 66, but he did know it was a custom car with flares and a "dated paint job". So we ask a hundred questions, he doesn't know the details and said he'll set up a visit to go look at it. She starts looking at mid-year Vettes now and seems to like them better than the Chevelles now...hmm.

So a few weeks go by and we finally go get to see the car. Turns out it is a 66 Stingray Coupe, 327/350hp car that was customized in '74. This guy has owned it since '76 and it's been up on jack stands since '91 in his garage.
Other than a cam and lifter swap, the guy says it's exactly the same as he bought it in '76. The odometer shows just under 50k, most things we've found would back that up as being legit.
As we uncovered the car the "dated paint job" made it's appearance. Wow, totally 70's, but actually we both really thought it was kinda cool. She definitely wants to leave it as is for now.


So how about some pictures, right?

The reason for the thread title, "Spirit of '66" you ask? (yep, it's on the L88 hood)
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psccf9d7c8.jpg

Here is how it's sat for the last 22 years
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psff5e891e.jpg

Did I mention the flares? lol, it's got lots of flair :D
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8e098240.jpg

After getting it home and cleaning it up, it doesn't look too bad.
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6267224.jpg

Check out the funky "layered" stripes on the rear haunches:
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psf6fd2748.jpg

better shot of the stripes before washing it, how wild is that??
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps942e9942.jpg

Here is a view of the stripes coming off the hood:
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4f639a71.jpg

I'm sure some keen eyes will say it's a 67, but it's just the side gills from a '67 grafted in when it was customized. The front bumpers cut and put on the rear (?), the chin spoiler, turn signals behind grill, L88 style hood, massive flares, all custom touches from almost 40 years ago.

Still has the ARE Daisy wheels, 15x8 and 15x10 with Firestone "Parnelli Jones" tires! Those should make nice garage art.
The paint has a lot of chips and scratches mostly from it being in the way in the garage for so long I'd suspect. Oh well, life's scars.

As far as numbers matching stuff if you are into that, yeah, it's mostly all there. The block is a "CE" replacement block from '68. The Muncie is matching, the heads, Winters Foundry marked manifold, original date coded Holley carb and radiator are all in place. Even the water pump is original. We have every intention of preserving any and all parts that are from the car. However, we also have every intention on modifying this car further to be a fun and hopefully competitive AutoX car.
Intially we will be using the original 327 with some changes for safety (better, baffled oil pan), as a power plant. The 4 speed as well. Suspension wise, that's up in the air yet but it won't involve many original parts for sure. Brakes will be upgraded to C6 Z06 calipers and rotors.

Motor pic, yes we know the fan and upper rad hose is not correct, and yes we have the original air cleaner assembly with it:
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5d3c0c60.jpg
Interior is probably the weakest part of the car. It looked much better in the dark garage...It was originally Bright Blue, some painted, some dyed, some parts replaced with black parts.
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9aed5d3a.jpg

So that's it for the introduction of The Spirit of '66, hope you like it. We'll post pics as things happen.

:) I love it

I'm really startin too dig Vette's.First Danny Pop,Now you.May have get one also!!!!!!.Cool Car.

Sweet project! The old daisy wheels don't look bad and they match the paint good! Can't wait to see what you guys do with it! Saw your Chevelle over the weekend and turned out awesome!

Very cool, I dig it!

This thread could get interesting! :thumbsup:

We do too

I've been in contact with Danny about it. He does know how to make one work. Hey, missed you at Indy this past weekend

Hey, you should have stopped and said hi. I was giving rides all weekend :drive: Thank you.

It's "groovy" man :lol: , thanks! The car is a blast from the past.

I hope it does Sieg. Boy, they are diffent animals from what I'm used to wrenching on. That back trailing arm/IRS(sort of), transverse leaf cluster setup is weird. Might start from scratch and design and build something different back there. :weld:
I'll try to keep it interesting. This is a real time build, but there has been a little disassembly so far from the pictures above.

I so want that car
 

Have a 68 I can trade, maybe some cash too?

I am diggin the paint job!

Lol, Ron already called first dibs! Though a tempting offer, I'm not in a position to negotiate..its hers and she can't wait to drive it.

Thanks Payton

Yup. Subscribed. When is she coming home from Billy's? Or is she already?

Very cool. Leave the outside the way it is.


Subscribed

Geez, spoiler alert!
The deeper we get, the longer it'll be there. I'll be posting more progress pics later.

Yep, that's the plan. It has to be seen like this :lostmarbles:

So as promised more pics, and since the cat is out of the bag...Thanks Brian :buttkick: the car is at B&B Classics now. Yes, that one, headed up by the one and only Billy Utely. It couldn't be in better hands.

We sent it there to have a few things done, upgrade the brakes and to get it running and driving so we could figure out what it needed. Well, two weeks later it has had a few parts removed...
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps32ae2d92.jpg

Oh and this :confused59: :
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...ps36bc1a2c.jpg
Good thing we did go this far as the frame has some damage that needs to be addressed.

Here is the rest of it, sitting in the "skunkworx" room, lol
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...pse62013a7.jpg

Call me weird, I say keep the body modifications as-is!!! I LOVE IT!!!
You could maybe put some Grand Sport touches on it but I'm really digging the 70's fat-tire look! Can't wait to see what you make of it!!!

Sweet Vette!

Thanks Weird!
love the GS mods also...maybe next go around with the body and color change.

We like the look too of the fat tires, but they really don't lend themselves to high cornering loads in the autox... most likely end up with a 18/18 or 18/19 combo.

:thankyou:

I was vague - kind of. :innocent:

What is that new frame in the background??? :ohsnap:

Why yes it is. Not for the Vette, but a Nova for another customer.

Damn it!!!, I'm never going to talk your wife out of that car now. The funky 70's paint scheme is really growing on me, kind of making me want to dig out a Foghat 8 track.

This is THE car and body mods we all wanted to do to our Corvettes in the early 70's.... I like the fact that they left the headlights alone - because the worst mod ever was when they glassed 'em up and put those crap rectangles down in the grill.


#1 -- I would absolutely leave the flares on it - particularly if you plan to autocross it. You can't get much tire under these cars without them. Plus -- they're just badass.


#2 -- Since the CE motor is worth virtually nothing -- stick a nice crate LS motor in there and a 5 or 6 speed

#3 -- These cars are HOT --- the floorboards get hot (less so with the side exhaust) and on hot days will burn your feet... So if you really want her to drive it and enjoy it -- think about A/C


#4 -- If you have kids -- THEY WILL BURN THEIR LEGS on the side exhaust no matter how many times you warn them --- ask me how I know this.


#5 -- You will have a LINE of people that want to buy this car everywhere you go - every day - day in and day out. That's the very best part of owning a mid year. '69 Camaro's got nothing on mid year 'Vettes

Aaron - That paint job is Pimptastic, I'd change everything suspension wise and rock that paint job like it was still 1976.

Love the car! Glad you plan to keep the paint as is for a while.

Greg's #5 is spot on. Get used to simply saying Hi it's not for sale when introducing yourself.

Good one Ron. She's gonna be a hard sell to talk her out of it for sure.
Nice talking to you today too.

Thanks Ryan, lol it's different that's for sure :wacko:

I've already had a few interested in it...crazy, but they are an iconic design for sure. Thanks!

Should be a fun journey. So many things I want to do to it, unfortunately there are so many things we have to do to it first.
Thanks for your comments GW.

I still have dreams about the mid year that had just got painted and was sitting at Dee Westcotts (Yes the body manufacturer) -- it was pearl white -- with two blue candy stripes -- side exhaust (the header into chromed aftermarket versions)... duck tail -- flares... and Tiger Paw wide ovals....

I think I was 16 or 17 at the time. That car has haunted my dreams... it was pure perfection. We all wanted the Trans Am look back then (that would have been 1969ish).

+++++++++++++++++++++


My point on the motor -- nothing wrong per se with a CE motor.... it's just a factory replacement. Might have been a warranty issue back then -- you know - like the idiot blew it up -- or floated the valves til they let go.... or maybe it was just a factory oil eater.

You want to keep the motor and all the stuff.... you don't want to separate them. BUT --- a good quality rebuild will cost you several grand -- and for about the same money you can have a far superior engine.... Of course there's more to it than just the motor -- because it'd be EFI so you have pumps and all that jazz.... But my 2 cents worth would be to have a car that was totally reliable and leak free for the bride. Your car - your dime - you do it the way you see fit.

She may also want an automatic - the new ones are so dang good.

Also -- best cheap money improvement on these is the single rear phenolic leaf spring...

With these old Vettes - just make sure you have a plan and the people working on it realize what these "old junk parts" are worth.... Vette stuff fetches some good prices if you decide to sell off the pieces you don't want -- but keep in mind -- once you do -- you've destroyed a lot of value down the road. The real money in these is in a restoration not the resto mod. Having said that -- I'd never own one that was stock... I'll let the collectors of the world have 'em. They pack 'em away in cotton balls and brag about their certificate they got at the last "meet". Been there done that. BORING.

Just sayin that if you tear into it -- and have the motor redone - the guy will deck that block and wipe out the CE stamp and the factory broach marks -- and then you'll have absolutely nothing but an old block. So these are things to learn about.

Just another thought after I read the last post ---- A GM crate motor rather than an LS motor --- Like the 350 HO motor can be bought complete carb to pan for way less than the cost of a rebuild... so maybe you just clean up the old CE motor - and park it as a conversation piece. Drive the new crate motor -- they even come with warranty's!

I love it. It brings me back to my younger days!

:hello:everyone... Thanks for the nice comments/suggestions on my ride...but I have to tell you....absolutely no on the automatic. :thankyou:

FINE!


I was only thinking of you dear.....




:lol: :lol: :lol:

Didn't mean it that way...just looking forward to driving it as a manual... It's half the fun

Absolutely agree!

That's all I do too Greg, just agree :waveflag:
At least she knows what she wants! She started out driving a stick in 19xx (wait, I shouldn't say:underchair: )
If we and when we go to the LS platform, I'd like something simple and straight forward. Maybe a LS3 with a good torquey cam.

Welcome Jill :hello:

I like your style! :thumbsup:

Just another picture, for Ron S. :headspin:
http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/...psaf7a2adb.jpg

Those pictures are a nice distraction, but the details are still mysterious! What the heck is B&B doing to this thing? Clearly, the scope has crept since I saw the car!

Good question, I think Billy has something in mind. We just need to find out what that is :headscratch:

After dropping the frame, there was previous damage (no real surprise I guess). A questionable repair was made in the passenger sided rear section that we are going to address now. Vette Products has any and all original frame sections and brackets available. The own the original A.O. Smith frame dies. They are in Lk. Orion too, so close to us.
After the frame gets blasted, we'll get a list of everything it needs then get it back in suitable condition.
One of the rear body mounts is also broken from the fiberglass, so we will have someone that is versed in the "itchy stuff" come and take a look at that.

Hopefully we can move on after those items are addressed to reassembly.

Bastard!!

:rofl: