69 Corvette Road Race Build
 

Hey guys, I wanted to introduce my new project. I was fortunate enough to acquire 69MyWay's latest flared '69 Corvette roadster. He did a beautiful job getting the car in paint with a running and driving chassis. Now I get to carry it forward with the finishing details. I am currently working with Ben Hermance on some renderings for the car. I can confidently say that my vision for this car includes a vintage road race vibe with modern twists. It has been a lifelong goal to build a flared 69 Corvette, so I'm thrilled about the opportunity to take this great foundation over the finish line.

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This is gonna be an awesome build!!! Love these Road Race Vettes!!!!

Neil has built some very nice cars. I can't wait to see how this one finishes out.

Very cool Neil! :thumbsup:

You know I will follow this one!

https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=44704

Anxiously waiting... :popcorn2:

I'm looking to you for inspiration! : )

Like!!

How'd I miss this!?!?!


Love this!

Excited to see where this one goes!

Oh yeah....this is going to be fun. :popcorn2:

Rendering
 

During some brainstorming for the rendering, I did some research on C3 Corvette racing history as well as other types of road racing from that Era. I also read (prior car owner) Chris DcDonald’s novel The Key to My Heart which is a story based on his first black ’69 Corvette. Corny as it may be, I was inspired to create a fictitious (but plausible) back story for my project, similar to what Steve Strope does for some of his creations. So here goes…

Rendering
 

The year was 1970 and Formula 1 rookie Emerson Fittipaldi had captured the U.S. Grand Prix victory at Watkins Glenn for Team Lotus. While in the U.S., Lotus Engineering Chief Colin Chapman met with Tony DeLorenzo along with top GM executives. Chapman was impressed with the success of the Owens Corning L88 Corvettes in FIA World Sportscar competition. Wanting to get young Emerson additional exposure and seat time in the U.S., Chapman commissioned DeLorenzo and team to build and campaign a third Corvette with Emerson as lead driver for selected races in the ’71 season. As a marketing experiment with his sponsor, Chapman requested that the car wear the now famous black-and-gold JPS (John Player Special) livery a full year prior to it’s introduction on the Lotus F1 cars. However, early in the ’71 season, the Owens Corning Corvette team disbanded before the JPS/Fittipaldi car was completed. A few months ago, a partially completed race car with lineage back to DeLorenzo was recently discovered in an Illinois corn field. The story of the car unfolded but, unfortunately, there are no records to ensure completion of the car with historical accuracy other than what is known about the Owens Corning cars. Therefore, the plan is to complete the car with a retro-modern feel with visual clues to it’s heritage.

This car incorporates all of my favorite things from the car hobby and my old racing days. I hope you guys like the direction it’s headed….

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very good looking car

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Very nice, I'll be watching this one fer sure!

Love it! Subscribed! Thanks for the new wallpaper!

Don't leave out the interesting tid-bit that during the 1970's, while the rising popularity of clear drinks such as vodka and gin controlled the disco nightclubs, the Vette was used as a whiskey runner from the Illinois corn silos into the underbelly of dark and seedy neighborhoods in South Chicago to avoid tax stamps.

Love it! Great job on the rendering!

LOL. Yes, the car traded hands several times during the 70's but stayed in the Midwest. The car was fortified with steel floor pans and heavy duty suspension components to handle the added weight of the whiskey running payload. The car was also extensively street raced in Southside Chicago back in the day. The car still wears decades-old slicks that have been screwed into the original Rallye wheels. LOL.

It's been fun learning about the history of these cars. This was Tony DeLorenzo's personal black '69 L88 back in the day. He added the L88 flares and several other items from the Owens Corning parts bins. The car received a Nabor Bros. restoration and sold for $680,000 at auction last year.

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Very cool! Looking forward to following along! :popcorn2:

Just a little update... I'm still waiting in line at the chassis shop for the roll bar. I got the CCW wheels ordered and they should be here in a week or two. The Hooker headers were hitting the body and generally looking a bit tired, so I put on a new set of Doug's headers. The driver's side needed some persuasion around the Borgeson steering box and the frame rail. The passenger side went in so easy I figured I was doing it wrong. Next up is building some seat brackets for the Kirkey vintage race seats.

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Very nice car. I have a 70 LS5 Convertible, it is also Black.

Excellent choice with CCW wheels! They fit beautifully on my vette.

looking good

Yes, they look great on your car! I can't wait to get mine.

awesome build!! can't wait to see it come together!

I had a great weekend picking up my wheels at CCW and attending the HSR Vintage 24 hour race at Daytona. There where several C3 Corvettes racing this weekend to give me inspiration.

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Picking up my wheels...

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1st test fit for my new rollers!

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Those are simply awesome!!

Oh yeah! :bigun2:

looking good, love the wheels and the color scheme in the rendering.

I believe you nailed it

LOVE where this is going Neil :cheers:

The Classic 24 was fun - I was there Thurs - Sun

Yes, it was a really cool event.

sooooo slick! what size did you end up with?

#ZoraApproves

I went with 18x12.5 rear wheels and 345-35-18 tires. This is not a slam dunk combo and it is definitely pushing the limits with the Custom Image flares. I desperately wanted to run an 18x11 front with a 315 tire, but it just wasn't going to happen without major post-paint surgery. I ended up with a conservative 18x10 275-35-18 front combo, but I do see a larger front setup down the road.