Projects "Hot Rods to Hell" Corvette build finale

I think the original flames have some orange in them and they are outlined in white.

 

This is the instrument cluster after restoration . I went with the vintage electric tach because I didn't have a cheap way to drive the original mechanical tach . I welded a Hurst handle with a little dog leg in it ,to the T-5 trans to get it to come through the floor where I wanted it to. I made a cardboard template and then a metal plate to cover the hole in the tunnel . The steering wheel was a very badly deteriorated one that I refinished. It looked like it had been in the desert for 60 years. All surface cracked .You can also see what appears to be a stock radio in the dash. Its really just a face with the buttons glued in from behind and knobs bolted to the console. It looks real and fills the hole nicely.

 

Nice work!

 

I am really liking your build. I remember the first time I saw the movie. The car sounded funny for a Corvette. I especially like how you are finding usable cast-offs. (windshield) Can't wait to see it rippin up the streets.

 

Of course , the Anti-hero of the movie "Duke" would have had a bad ass engine . Since no Fuel Injection emblems are present on the side of the car, it stands to reason that the car would have Dual Quads. I traded a GM dual four intake for this Edelbrock intake because I had a pair of AFBs already and they don't fit a GM manifold. . The WCFBs that came on the Corvette manifold are also kinda hard to come by, not to mention expensive . The valve covers were given to me , because of the breathers "They're Ruined" I was told. With the engine installed its time to fab up throttle linkage and fuel lines , wiring etc. The carpet set is a 35 year old replacement set sewn up by a local Auto Accessory Supply business that was never used. I bought it from a friend for $15 . This is also a good opportunity to use up a bunch of chrome parts I've been hoarding that aren't useable on a restoration. Pulleys, brackets, alternator .

 

Looking good. When ya installing the roll bar?
-Pat

 

A couple of years ago when Rocket came out with their "Strike"series of wheels that are pretty much copies of the old Rader single rib wheels,it really helped motivate this build. I've been watching for the Rader wheels for several years and I have yet to see enough originals to put a set together. I think these wheels have the correct look and they are priced reasonable.The rear leaf springs required a lot of de arcing to achieve the lower ride height needed .I also added another leaf to stiffen the suspension a little and extended the ride height snubbers to keep the tires from bottoming out in the wheel wells. I chose a set of Hurst pie crust slicks. There are no clear shots of the movie car that definitively show the type of slicks used so I chose these. I think they're at least close.

 

What? You bought some new parts?

Great work!

 

Looking good!!

 

Masterful job.

 

Holy Cow!..the vette looks better every time I check back in.

I love the stripes and I'm betting it was a PITA on the hood but looks great! HRP

 

This is just too damn cool. The wheels are a great fit too. What's your plans on the center cap/spinners? Almost looks like a wire framed knock off in the pic. Or is that some kind of tropical illusion?

 

You nailed it and on a budget, its great to see this car come together

 

tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.......

I'm not a vette guy, but this is COOL!!

 

Great work on everything! I love the fact that you are using so many left- over parts for the build.

 

Love it.

 

The wheel centers are called "Pin wheel" spinners and the new Radir Wheel Company makes a version that is very similar to what is needed except the center is cast with their RADIR logo. And they are $230 for a set of four. Too much! So I get on EBay just to see if there might by some slim chance be a set on there for sale . Not expecting to see any, I about passed out when an old set of four popped up. Holy crap, The plastic emblems in the center were mismatched , but there they were. I got the set for $60 . One of the centers was like the movie cars except for the black background instead of red. I pried the centers out and made new matching red ones. My daughter works at a graphics store cut the red vinyl centers with RADER lettering and by using a piece of chrome vinyl as a base and then putting the red cut out piece over, I got RADER with chrome letters. I stuck those in the spinners and then poured clear casting resin from the hobby store over the top. They turned out great!

 

Bitchin' man, I'm not a Corvette guy but this is a cool build!

 

It is amazing seeing all that you come up with on budget build of a wild car.

 

Man I dig this! Awesome work!

 

A lot of the time the old parts just are not available anymore or you spend thousands of hours trippin thu all the swaps in the world. But the effort shown in recreating what is no longer available in very impressive. Doing the IVO 4-engine car I had to come up with 4 sets of un-obtainium parts for 4 engines. These cars are 99 percenters, meaning that 99% of the people wont know the difference. Appreciate the effort

 

diggin' the build, but don't understand why you didn't put a 4-speed in it

 

AWESOME!

 

It's a road car now, need 5th for longer trips!

 

Cool project, looking forward to seeing the outcome.

 

Your Vette is going to be WAY nicer than the one in the movie!
Your attention to detail is what will set it apart!
Can't wait to see the finished product. It will be a hoot to hear the comments from the NCRS crowd!
KK

 

Time for seats now. Original Corvette seat cushions and frames can cost $3000 and up. That's about $2950 more that I feel comfortable about spending. My solution is using a rear seat from a 95 Pontiac Grand Am . There are several cars that will work but this is what I had. Many newer cars rear seats are made of foam rubber with just a minimal frame work molded inside. I took a sawsall and cut 4 individual cushions out of the Grand Am upper and lower cushions. Then trimmed them to fit snugly into the Corvette seat cavity's. I built up the top of the seat backs to extend rearward to fill the space in front of the deck lid. Also welded a 1/2 inch square tube frame work around the perimeter of the back of the cushions to hog ring the covers to. Took a still shot from the movie and gave it all to the upholsterer.

 

I was wondering how you were going to find seats on a budget. Excelent creativity, I wouldnt have ever thought about doing that. Now you are letting us in on all of your secrets. The funny thing is unless you tell them no one will ever notice.

 

Like the mathematics on this one, very resourceful!

 

Awesome build, nice to see creative solutions to just spending money...