Features Corvette hot rods - picture thread

Cool beans Jim. We need to see pics of tiresmoke pouring out of the wheelwells!

 

Wow Jim, that looks really sharp. Nice work. Jim

 

Thanks Baron and Doug. Jim, I ran into Donny Brass and he thought you would like the car. One of the highlights of the weekend was the owner (Dick Robbins) of the 66 Nova in front of mine owned and raced a red 62 Vette from 64-66 winning numerous meets. It was a 327 single four barrel running 11:90s named "Up Tight-Out of Sight" running mostly B/SP. He brought in some old pics of the car on the strip. He had some great stories of match races and running the likes of Roger Lindamood in Color Me Gone on the streets. The guy that helped him uncork the headers that night was at the show and it was great to hear them relive the stories. Often times it is the people you meet.

Hope to make a tires a little tacky this spring and summer-Jim

 

Kudo's are WELL deserved! A beauty...

 

very nice ---any pictures before you started on it?

 

because it pisses off the restorers.

 

Black 62, here are a few pics when I bought it. The pictures to me do not show how bad it was in my opinion. They used too much stripper on the car so I had a bunch of work to bring back the body. They had glassed over the gas door at one time. It was hit in the front and the fiberglass was cracked in front and also around the body in general. The interior on the driver's side had been burned-they attempted an extremely poor repair similar to what they did to the hood ( I also include my repair with a new floor, the tunnel repaired and the piece that curves around the seat on the door jamb area). The same hood was repaired so I could put another hole in it for the present setup. They also just put a piece of fiberglass where the original downtube had been that fell out as soon as I touched it. The engine was a junk 327 thrown in as was the rear differential to make it look like a complete car. It had been thrashed on the strip but it also made it affordable so I could drag it home. Half the fun is working on them.-Jim

 

What an excellent job, it gives me motivation to move me along on my project.

I just have no idea how to work fiberglass.

jp

 

Jackal, I had no idea when I started but some drag racers needed a body and paint guy that could do fiberglass on an old Vette they were building into a gasser back in the 60s. I knew body and paint but was clueless on fiberglass but I was determined to work on that car-which started this early Vette disease for me. I found some guys that knew what they were doing and had them show me and then I started faking my way through it. Find someone knowledgeable in your neck of the woods show you how. It takes some knowledge and discipline moreso than talent. The key is mixing things correctly and get a big box of throwaway gloves. PM me if you get in a bind with something.-Jim

 

Funny how 95% of the people will look at a car like this and think what a piece of junk . And the other 5% of us just envision the way it looks today. Least that's the way I see it (with the bonus of hundred's of hours enjoyment turning it from an ugly ducking into a thing of beautie ).

 

I know what you mean Baron. I recently dragged home an absolute nightmare 58 Vette. The guys in my car club laughed and said it is a car in my mind. The funny thing it is. I know exactly how it is going to look and in pretty much every detail. I have thought that even though it is not my next project I may do enough work on it to make it look like a car. For some unknown reason some of us like a challenge I guess-Jim

 

Either true artists (or suckers for punishment..) Guess the reality is many of us enjoy the creativity and the build as much as we do driving the cars. My 57 looks pretty lame as it sits today, but I know exactly what it will look like. I remember when I bought my 62(25 yrs ago). Everyone thought I was nuts. Year later, it was a different story. I hope to get my 57 into my shop in the next couple months. I bought a hardtop for it Saturday. I ordered the fenderwell headers from Tubular Automotive last week and my S&W 8 pt roll cage should be here in the next couple days.

 

oh baby!!!

 

Baron, your old 62 looked great in your pics. I'm sure your 57 will as well. Tubular Automtive make great headers. I bought mine from Jim (Vetrod62) and Jim had them change the number one tube to clear the steering box. It was a great idea. If you need I will take pics of mine. What are your plans for the engine? Mine is a big block so if you go the small block route they may clear just fine.-Jim

 

thank you for the before pics ---great job...

 

I bought a 454 to put in it. Nothing like BB power. I have "new in the box" Hurst big block front motor mount, and after speaking with Dave ( at Tubular), I will bolt the headers on the motor and fabricate my front frame mounts to give me the clearance I need where one tube goes over the steering coluum and three under. As for the motor, I plan on running the Hilborn stack injection(EFI version). Doing my research on that now. I'll have questions for both you and Vetrod62,for sure. ( Jim has already answered a couple questions). Thanks.
When I called Tubular last week,I told them last time I was there was back in 1972 when I picked up a set of fenderwell headers for my last 57 Corvette. Glad to see they are still in business(and they are only an hour away).Once I get the car in the shop, I'll start a build thread like I did for my 55 Chevy.

 

Gee, I go away for a few hours and this thread rockets off. I guess Jim Ds vette is the winner of the year. Seriously, Jim your car looks out standing. I am super glad you got it done. I guess the hood I sent you did not make the cut for the show. How about the engine mounts? I would like to think I had a little part in this super display.

 

I know what you mean about vetrod, he has helped me out many times with pictures and information.

Jim the recent pictures and information about the fuse box location worked out great.

Jim D thanks for the offer of help

Here are the latest and will start wiring again this weekend.

jp

 

when i was a teenager i could not get to sleep for thinking about how bad i wanted one of these cars---i love all the pictures of all your cars---thank you

 

Looks like someone else has been busy.Looking real good.

 

Jim, the mounts look and work great ( I polished them) and of course your headers are a big deal. I had so many comments on the headers. I found the collector extensions on my shelf that I have kept from my Z/28 from 1969. Why I kept them God only knows but they fit and so I had them coated as well. The headers exit right under the rockers and rattle the ear drums for sure. The hood is on my shelf and that will go on the chopped top car (it is an exact match for the original hood as Teter built it-except for the big scoop on top, which I will graft on the car when that day comes).

I am sorting the car out with a single carburetor until I switch to stack injection (electronic like Baron) so the dual quad intake manifold is on a shelf as well. I am not in a hurry on the stack injection as I want to see how the car performs so I can tweak things if necessary and set up the injection accordingly. For now the air cleaner sticks through the hood a few inches-I will try to get a pic of that. The cool part is when driving the car you can see the air cleaner move.

The way you run the black car though gives me inspiration-don't kid yourself and you have been helpful not only with parts but with advice when necessary. We'll hookup one of these days-Jim

 

Jackal your car looks great. You may have to watch the right turns though. That front fender looks like it needs a bit of fiberglass repair, center of the wheelwell. Sometimes you can back trouble spots like that with a homemade bonding strip that looks factory. There should be one in that area anyways but sometimes you have to adjust where it goes to help give it strength.

Your making progress the car looks killer-Jim

 

Baron here is the pic of the #1 tube. I cannot imagine how you would ever get the left side header on without this slip fit setup, irrespective of your front mount. Also I made a removable fiberglass panel in the left side wheelwell to make installation and removal easier and to give extra room so the headers are not in contact with the wheelwell. On the right side I made a small blister but your 57 may be different. If not I can send you pics of what I did.-Jim

 

Did you do a build thread on your car? I would love to see it if you did

 

Thanks for the picture. I know the frt pipe is separate(the Hemi in my 55 is the same way). What I meant to say,was the I will locate the motor as such to give me the best clearance around the steering box before I locate the frame brackets. If those brackets were off by as little as 3/8 of an inch,the headers would hit the box. Appreciate the heads up.

 

I am sorry but I did not. When I did this for a living I used to take pictures for my clients but since then it seems what limited time I have after work does not give me a bunch of time to document what I do (and I only have myself to answer to and I am pretty easy on myself-sometimes).-Jim

 

Baron, I agree. Just thought to remind you that if they are making the headers to keep the steering box in mind before rather that after.-Jim

 

For those who do not know, Jim D and I are like long lost brothers that have never meet. We both have black 62 vettes hot rodded. We both have Candy red paint on our second 62 vettes, although My BBC is blown and injected, we both have drag racing these old cars in the 60/70s in our blood, we both think the same about these cars and we both are named Jim. And this was before we ever meet on the Internet.

I hope we can we can one day meet up.