If it's as light as I would guess (2000-2200lbs), and really has 400HP, it should go low 12's (traction permitting), with the chance at high 11's (traction mandetory). If I got the weight correct, and it really "hooked" hard, it can go even quicker yet.
The atomic punk is insane ! I would love to see a rodders journal on bubble tops! So now we know from Plow boy that a good ac system makes it liveable and who ever builds the x sonic can make the nesc changes to be comfy in it, how bout it someone build the xsonic maybe with a sponsership from vintage air? would love to see that thing sliden down the road. The Vettes are tiny but wouldnt the bubble top give you more head room?
Do it Aaron. You know if I ever gave up the hippie lettuce I'd like to build a car called the X Chronic.
Sorry Nads, I'm giving up bubbletops and hot rods in general. I think I need to spend some more quality time snuggling with my lady.
She's fucking hot dude, I was sitting on a broke ass dick until I saw that, now I feel like the twelve year old I am deep inside. Thanks brosiph.
I couldnt "Clone" that car....... there would be TOO much argument over correctness because of the different versions that car went thru. It will be more of a "TRIBUTE to X-Sonic" and it will mostly resemble the early bubble version. Heres how it sits today..................... Im put'n some fire under my ass since this thing has sat for too long already.............. I will keep you posted.
This Email exchange with Ron Aguirre was posted on the LayitLow board. I don't know Ron or the original Emailer, but thought it was an interesting read- especially the fact that the first version of the hydraulics were apparently hand pumped... >> I have seen just a few pictures of your corvette, the "X-Sonic" and I >> must say it is outstanding. I was wondering if you would be so kind >> as to possibly share alittle information and maybe a picture or two >> of the corvette. Jason, I'm glad you liked my car and the way I customized it. I will be glad to share some of X-sonic's history with you and your group. >> We are all intrigued on the hydraulic setup and really dont have a >> clear idea as to how you went about it originally. It is true that a law was past by Gov. Brown in 1957 against lowered cars. I lived in Rialto CA. a suburb of San Bernardino (60 miles East of Los Angeles) and having the lowest car in the Berdo (San Bernardino) area and after the law was passed it wasn't until 58 that the law was really being enforced and I had one cop (Lester Groves, nicknamed "Sandy") and made it his #1 priority to give me tickets for being too low. The way Lester got the nickname "Sandy" was one time he was busting a bunch of my friends for street racing and someone put sand in the gas tank on his bike (NO! it wasn't me). How I invented Hydraulics - In 1958 I was visiting a friends body shop and saw a bodyman pushing a dent out with a hydraulic Porto-power tool. I looked at the ram and instantly got the idea to put this little unit between the spring and the frame to lift my car. I explained my idea to my Dad and being a welder by trade he started to fabricate the cups I designed to hold the rams. I had hoses made that would extend into the car and I set the hand pump on the hump between the seats. This worked great but the pump was designed to pump fluid to one ram and I had two - the problem was that the rams would not lift equally and the car was not level until both rams were full. A couple of months later my Dad took me to a place in L.A. that sold used aircraft parts called Palley's. This is where all the parts for hydraulics came from. With the aircraft parts the right and left sides of my car could raise and lower equally. An electric pump made it much easier to raise and lower the car. But it wasn't until 1959 that I was able to raise a lot of Hell and with the system the way it was and I was going to drive "Sandy" THE COP crazy. We waited for him to ride his bike (he was always on a police motorcycle) to his spot across the street from the local hangout in Berdo "Ruby's Drive-in". I was parked on the lot with my car lowered way down. There were about 100 of my school friends at the drive-in waiting to see what would happen. I left the car down and started to drive out and the side pipes were scraping the pavement (It was way cool to have your car dragging on the pavement). I had my girlfriend get out and my buddy got in with the instructions to pump hard on the handle of the pump as soon as I gave him the word. In the 50's our cars were so low that we developed a technique to get out of driveways. We would position our cars on one side of the driveway and drive slowly to the opposite side to exit without dragging too much or getting hung up on a high spot. Well, knowing "Sandy" was across the street and waiting for me to leave the restaurant so he could give me a ticket in front of all my friends and teach them that this punk was not going to get away with breaking the law, again. I pulled out onto the street and watched Sandy start his bike, I told my buddy start pumping. I didn't get twenty feet and Sandy had his red lights on me. I got out of the car and everyone from the drive-in was standing on the sidewalk. I greeted "Sandy" by name (as no one called him Sandy to his face) - "Hi, Lester what seems to be the problem"? He stated "You know your car's too low". "But Lester", I said," it isn't too low any more, I took your advise and raised it to legal height". He smiled at me and took his ticket book (Back then, this is how the cops checked cars if their ticket book did not pass freely under your car you would get a ticket) and he slid it under my car without hitting anything. Boy, was his face red and with all the witnesses yelling and screaming, he didn't say a word, he gave me a confused look and got on his bike and left. OH... revenge was so sweet..... >> I have also heard that the car ended up being remote control. Yes it was, I used a model airplane remote control and could raise & lower the bubble top, open & close the doors, raise & lower the car, start the car and turn the wheels. I don't believe anyone else has attempted to do this. >> Here is a link to the website / forum thread where we are discussing >> you and your car. I read some of the discussion and noticed that much of history changes depending who is writing the story. 1. My last name Aguirre is of Latin decent, but I must admit that I never had a connection with the Chicano movement that developed the fantastic achievements that were and are preformed with hydraulic lifts. 2. If you look closely to the pictures you do have of my car the rear is higher than the front. Back then we set the style of the raked look it was cool to have the front of your car a couple of inches lower then the rear. Plus if you look close, I have racing slicks on the rear. I used to street race prior to the radical customizing. I beat every 55-57 Thunderbird on the street and they came from L.A. to race me. My car was also the first to have chrome wheels and chrome carburetors. 3. San Bernardino had no Chicano groups in the 50's they were in L.A. and one of the the main car clubs was the Dukes. I understand from all the old timers that I have meet in recent years It was a family orientated club. I know some of the people that are still part of the club and their family members they are very nice people and am proud to have them as friends. 4. The term "Lowrider" did not exist in the 50's. I believe the term "Lowrider is truly a Chicano phrase that has been adopted by many cultures to refer to an extremely lowered car Custom cars were considered lead sleds and lower cars were simply lowered cars without any specific terminology attached. It was just a contest to see who had the lowest car and he was the coolest guy in town. But, back then it was the front of the car that was the lowest, no one lowered the rear to match the front . The rear was always a little bit higher. 5. Since it has been documented that my car was the very first car to be automatically raised and lowered doesn't mean that I take credit for the phenomenon of the Hydraulic Lift Culture that sprang from my invention. My father, brother and myself only did about six hydraulic lifts before I went on to do other things. I didn't mind that others were copying my idea. They improved the idea and went into directions that I never dreamed of. Remember all I wanted was to stop getting tickets for being too low and I was not going to raise my car to some stupid legal height. 6. Paige Penland is a very nice and good looking young lady (that used to work for Low Rider magazine) who wrote the story mentioned by one of your forum members. The article in question was prior to her going to work at Low Rider Mag. and did not have her story right nor my name. She has since interviewed me and in her book "Lowrider History, Pride and Culture" she has corrected her mistaken information. >> I would truly enjoy hearing back from you and possibly discussing the >> corvette and your innovations. I noticed the two pictures you had posted of my car. The first one (prior to being the X-sonic) was a unique experience. First you must know that I traveled a great deal with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and we were between shows and I had just stripped the paint of my car for Larry Watson to repaint when Ed call me and said he wanted me to bring the car to a special car show at Disneyland the following week. I told him I couldn't and told him that Larry could not paint the car for two weeks.. He said bring the car over that the two of us would paint the car for the show. Well, Ed painted my corvette these god-awful colors/design that fit in nicely at Disneyland. Right after the show we stripped it again and larry painted it a Rainbow Pearl The second picture was taken in a photo shoot by Ed Roth for the 1961 Sept. issue of Rod & Custom Magazine. If you look at the interior the X-sonic still had the Gold Tuck-n-Roll interior and a steering wheel. It wasn't until 1963 issue of Car Craft that the new interior and the remote control system was photographed by Bud Lang. A couple of years ago I decided to build a mild custom to carry my custom Harley and picked one of my favorites a 1972 Ford Ranchero GT. naturally it's been Bagged. I believe that this is now the greatest way to automatically raise and lower your car.
Could you post a link to that thread? Me and a friend of mine named Jason emailed lowrider magazine a few years ago and the editor fowarded the email to Ron. I remember the name being of latin origin in the exchanges my friend would send me. Supposedly the car was going to be restored.
I've seen this many times in the 80's. Every Italian guy in NY had a IROC Camaro. They would lean in so not to mess up their John Travolta hairdo. IROC ( Italian retard out crusin ) No offense to my Italian buddys but thought this was worth sharing....LOL
In 1962, I had (still do) a 29 Roadster with a 6-pot Chevy and a quickie. I thought it was the coolest car around. I'm cruising the main drag in Berdoo, and here comes this purple/lavender bubble-topped Corvette, on the ground coming up E Street. Puckered me right up. Maybe 40 years later I first met Ron at a rod run in San Diego's Campland on the Bay. He saw the Krankers plaque on the sedan in my avatar, and asked if I was in the club. He said he was 2 or 3 years as president. I said I'd never had as good of a car back then to get in the club. We spend some time together and I'd never met as nice a guy. Sometimes the guys you looked up to back then were really nice people. (Never mind about John Bradley.) Here's kinda how the roadster looked back then (nowhere as nice as the Corvette).