Hot Rods Corvette Roadster Barn Find! New Gasser Project

Anybody that wants to put a 392 Hemi in a Chevy is "just not right".
Nice thing about Hot Rodding is you can build it the way you want it.

 

Unless somebody offers you stupid money for it build your hot rod. If you do not have a paper trail there is no way to prove that it once was a fuel car, and even if it was most of the expensive stuff is gone. Vettes don't bring near the dollars they did 3 or 4 years ago and they are damn expensive to put back to stock I know I have a 64 coupe that I recently replaced the nose on. The 365 hp cars also had the 6500 redline tach and the 80# oil pressure gauge. Fuel cars had a hole in the left side of the radiator support where the S tube from air cleaner attached, they also had a longer arm extending up from the accelerator linkage where it came through the firewall then the carbureted cars. The wiring harness is also slightly different in that there was an extra wire which attaches to the start selenoid on the fuel unit. Hemi or big block in my opinion it would be neat either way although I think the rat motor would be simpler and probably cheaper in the long run. You do not have to cut the front frame cross member to run a big block just buy a small diameter balancer or cut one down in a lathe

 

Mid-year Vettes do make great gassers. Here is one we have. It now has a 427 and 4 speed. We hope to finally have it on the road this summer. As you can see, there's not a lot of the original car left other than the body and frame rails. You certainly have a great find there and I'm sure you will have a lot of fun with it any way you decide to go.

 

Take the time an educate yourself on the term "number matching" you'll soon learn it can mean something other than the original FI and Motor. This is how folks who restore vettes make a living.

 

authentic would be an l88 aluminum headed 427.not a 50s hemi.
just my .02

 

If you want to build a corvette gasser, offer yours up for trade. No sense in whacking up a fuelie car - i am not a corvette guy by any means, but i respct what what it is. I do know what it takes to build a gasser, the first thing to go is the swingarm rear - nhra rules there - when you put a 9" Ford or a Dana back there you'll have to do a fair amount of chassis fabrication, cutting and welding etc in brief it will no longer to be suitable for restoration. And that is before you drop a bigassed, heavy as all get-out hemi up front - it was designed for a small block, remember?

 

Corvettes deserve respect. Everybody has their own vision of what is "bitchin" and cool is. I respect car lovers from all era's brands, etc.. I have trouble understanding why so many think it is cool to butcher a rare Corvette, but want to see a rusty, beat up, undesirable 4 door dug out of a mudslide or creekbank and "saved." Respect the car, or sell it to someone who does and buy a car that can still be a little dignified with extreme mods to it.

 

Im all for making a car your own, on this car I dont like the plan. Period correct racer would be fender flares / screaming small block / straight REAR axle, crazy paint. It could still be put back to stock if someone offered you a boat full of $, have fun with it, as more and more vette restoration projects dry up this car will be more desireable in the future, you will get you cash back.
Dont make this a gasser.

I'd go 377 dressed as a 327, doug nash or similar high strength manual, blow proof bell, 9" with 4.11's to go with the deep first gear of the aftermarket crash box. panel paint lots of pearl and fades, fender flares, extra brake lights, stock interior with period racing seats, roll bar, sidepipes if you dont like your calf skin, stock front suspension with light tall springs. Period correct racer.

if you really want a gasser sell this car and buy an aftermarket shell, you just need the outer skin from this car to make a gasser if youre looking to actually race it.
Gassers that arent race cars are just street freaks, trendy, and will fade away

 

Not trying to be an ass toward somebody I like and respect a lot, but the above statement is just wrong.
"number's matching" means(to me and anybody who's honest) original engine block, frame, and serial number tag.....and all 3 carry the car's build number. Anything else is just plain fraud and misrepresentation. Restamp a block? With correct broach marks? Sure.....but why? Historical accuracy, or money? You know the answer

"correct" isn't the same as "numbers matching"

okay....sorrry to further derail the OP's thread.

I'm diggin everything suggested with the exception of straight axle-ing it(which appears to have been nixed). I think restoring it is fiscal suicide. Somebody already said it---there's no way to PROVE it's a fuel car without the block or unit. My 63 conv has a 6500 tach, 80lb oil gauge, hole in the core support, emblem holes(covered up), etc....but all the important pieces are long gone...... It would cost more to restore it than it'll ever be worth, it will never again be a real matching number car, and I will never be able to afford a midyear for what I have in this one--so, mine get butchered.
Ultimately, they're built for fun--whether we build them or the factory built them. Losing sight of that is a step backwards.

 

Earl.... You know I love ya man! And I knew someone would suggest "restamping". But, what I am stating pretains to restoring with use non-restamped parts and disclouser of the restoration. Dated coded factory 327 parts are plentiful. In 1964 they put these motors in anything from corvettes, pickup trucks to station wagons.

When my '65 vette motor did not magnaflex, I bought a non decked, standard bore block that was dated coded the exact same week as my car was built. Never installed the motor, but gave the buyer the option of buying it for his NCRS restoration. He took both blocks and original heads. Either way he would have a dated coded car. His choice.

I heard he paid $4000 to have the original block pinned. In my mind, money not well spent. This car was a true survivor. Had about 100,000 miles on it and was the first owners everyday driver with a bunch of the originial parts GONE from the nature of owning a driver. No documentation all word of mouth.

 

Numbers matching does not mean original. Numbers matched cars can be manufactured using the correct dated and part number pieces. For example you can use a 67 vette block that is dated to within a specific number of months from when the car was built (derived from the vin) have the block decked and then restamped and call it a matching number block. You could then assemble all of the correct parts (in reference to part# and date) and claim to have a matching number motor. Do this throughout and you just created a matching numbers car. DO NOT however dare to call it an ORIGINAL motor or car....this can land you in deep water if you sell it representing it incorrectly. Vette guys can be very sharp and will call you on this. All of the above is why I lost alot of my interest in showing and owning corvettes. I still love them but then I'd take a 32 over one any day.

 

So what...

This is a Hot Rod Forum.

We cut stuff up.

 

Damn John ............... I knew you would chime in

 

Bye the way, there is a guy in kentucky who is decking and reinstating the original broach marks (at least he claims this) and as far a restamping goes I know a guy who will hit the numbers with factory stamps for around $250. What a crock for the rest of us who actually still do have original motor cars. I mean these cars were built with the super optioned motors for one reason and thats the reason the motors blew up. I'm sure I will be asked to leave the NCRS for that. Oh well my 2 cents.

 

Ever seen a cool old hotrod, street rodded? Kind of turns your stomach, don't it.

 

I thought it might clear the water a bit. I say the dude does whatever he wants with it anyway. Chop....chop if thats what turns you on. I really don't give a rats ass.

 

Depends what you're going to do with it...are you going to build it as a 'race ready' gasser, or just a poser? Fake race cars suck.

A cast off vette project is a dream find for me - just so I could put together something and drive it, without buying a way too expensive trailer queen or somebody else's hacked up resto effort...

I interned at WPAFB in Dayton in high school. One of the guys in the research area a couple departments over drove a barn fresh looking 64 convertible all summer long. Total beater. It didn't need to be any nicer than that to be a wicked car.

 

....:d I know it's not the same year but they are pretty sweet.

 

Not to hijack this thread, but I just wanted to share a cool part of Corvette racing history. I need a 427 in mine.

http://www.67fso.com/

http://www.airl88.com/

 

FAVORITE Corvette Drag Car.

 

Have fun!!!

 

"That's right cut it up and put a s10 chassis under it."
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274702

Hard to draw a line in the sand and claim traditional. (for metalshapes)

Hot rods are about going fast and having it your way.
So put that Hemi in that Vette, make it scream!

 

Well stated! I feel the same about mine.

 

As mid-year Corvettes ('63/7) prices go, the '64 is at the bottom... But, they still aren't inexpensive. My '64 coupe has a "RE" coded '64 327 (365 hp). I've never bothered to check the date codes or try to verify if my car came with this particular engine - I don't care. I have no interest in selling the car, it's fun to drive, and I enjoy looking at it. It pleases me. The owner is the only one that has to be pleased with the car - unless he/she thinks that one day they may want to sell or trade the car. That's when the rules change. When something is being offered for sale, you want it to appeal to the widest range of potential buyers. This usually means that modifications should be kept to a minimum ("bolt on" modifications are best). When I purchased my car, it had white wall tires and knock off wheels. I sold the wheels and used a portion of the proceeds to purchase the 15X5 & 15X7 Americans, which I like much more than the knock off wheels. I like the idea of installing a '67 big block hood and side pipes on my car. These modifications can be easlily undone by a future owner (no one lives forever).

It's fun to talk about these options (straight axle, Hemi, etc), but most of us have family financial considerations. You don't want to spend a lot of time and money just to make it worth less. There's a guy here in my area that purchased his '67 427/425 Corvette brand new. He put only 40 some thousand miles on the car, by sometime in the mid 1980's. He wouldn't even discuss selling the car. He decided one day that he want to start drag racing. He removed the original drivetrain, seats, steering wheel, sidepipes and sold them. The car was tubbed, got a cage, and was raced for one season and then sold. What a waste of car and money. If you are wealthy, then ten thousand dollars may not mean much to you. For most of us, 10-20 thousand dollars will affect our decisions. Fun and wisdom do not always go hand-in-hand.

For me, I've considered storing the 327/365 engine and building another engine with a Hillborn. It would look cool, be a lot of fun, and could easlily be un-done by a future owner. But, I'll most likely stick to modifying my '34 Ford & '55 Chevy. The '64 Corvette and the '69 Camaro will remain pretty much as they have been for the past 40+ years. But, I do still have a NOS 4 bolt main 427 block, steel crank, '69 rectangular port heads & intake - which could also be fun in any of these vehicles.

OK, there's my 2 cents worth of opinion. I hope that my note didn't bore anyone too much.

 

I vote for the hemi! Corvettes were meant to be hot rods, ala John Mazmanian.

 

Cut it up and make it your own. If you are going to hot rod a midyear vette, this is the one to do it to.
The original motor is gone, the body is busted up, wrong hood etc. 64's are typically the least desired (cheapest) of the midyears.
That being said, it is a really cool car. Best of luck with what ever direction you choose to go with.

 

Ok, I'll say it. Judging from the build quality and cleanliness of your other cars - I'd say fix the Corvette bodywork, change the wheels, and maybe jack up the front a little if you want. It would be ashame to see it hacked up past the point of return. I'm all for hacking cars together, but not making something decent worse off.

 

here is a link to some inspiration, killer pics of race cars from back when, have fun!!!
http://public.fotki.com/VincePutt/drag_racing/altered-wheelbase-/chevy-awb/corvette-awb--early/

http://public.fotki.com/VincePutt/drag_racing/gassers/corvettegassers/

 

Mazmanians vette had a small-block

 

Its a corvette, would you want your 32 ford stock?