All back together. I'll order the new driveshaft Monday and hopefully all will be good. Also rewired my kill switch so now it works as it should( alternator wire was back feeding the system).
Car's back up and running. Rear end is nice and quiet. 4.11's pull even better than I though they would over the 3.73s in the stock rear end. All good news.
Built the COE in 2010 just after finishing my 55 Chevy. 47 COE cab I mounted on a 1990 1 ton dump truck dually chassis. Shortened up the wheelbase from 136" to 106". I'm running a 1984 Corvette 350 (now Holley Carbureted) with 400 trans, mounted under the front seat( about 18" back from the stock location of the six cylinder) which makes it almost mid-engine. Been a great shop truck. Thank's Mike That's as good as it gets. Trying to log some miles on it before I give it a good thrashing.
Took my friend Tony out for a "quick, little ride" in the Corvette this morning. Tony owns the Caddy powered 55 Thunderbird Gasser. Here is a short video. 454 is running good.
Guessing you missed the "SPEEDING FINES DOUBLED in construction areas" sign as you were getting on the highway. LOL But wow that thing RPMs FAST.
That American flag in third gear shifting into fourth does it all for me! Great car, thanks for the ride!
Baron: not trying to ask too many questions but I will ask this one. My engine will have just over 600 Ft/lb of torque which is probably just under yours. Did you do anything to re-enforce the frame from twisting or is a stock C1 frame strong enough? I'm using a dropped 31 Chevy or Dodge I-Beam or maybe a narrowed early Econoline I-Beam. Rear axle is a Ford 429 CJ 9" with a 4.57 spool. 35 spline. Will the stock frame hold it for agressive street driving and a few 1/4 mile strip blasts? It's a "decluttered" 60 Vette. Thanks for any ideas. Movin/on
The frames on these C 1's are pretty rugged, especially with the heavy X-member tying the frame rails together. When I removed the stock front end, I made a new radiator support that bolts to the bottom of the rails and then I put a piece of 1 3/4" tubing that bolts to the inside of both rails which stops the frames ( from the firewall forward) from twisting by keeping the frame rails parallel to each other. Other than that, I think you'll be fine. The cars are light(mine weighs 2800 lbs ). Any questions or pictures you'd like to see what I did, just email me at [email protected] More than happy share any info I have. Good luck with your build. PS Check out Crazy Grandpa's 57 and Jackal396 's 59 Corvettes. Both are killer cars, super fast, and both have twice as much HP/TQ than I do.
Thanks for the reply. I'll be changing things and re-inforce the X member to install a non-Chevy but torque type engine of the 1960's era. But it will present my 60 Vette nicely. More to come next year but a picture of the intake. The engine will be a stroker @ 454 cubes. Oregon Cam, Arias pistons , H-beam rods, Vertex Mag and original Cast Iron exhust manifolds with a forged RC bell housing big in & out top loader. Vette purests will literaly hate me. but -- THF? Just Movin/on
The purists may hate you but many of us will not be in that camp for sure. I also am a FE fan and with the right cam they really sound great (and run be pretty darn good as well). Good luck with your build. Not sure how much you really have to beef up the C1 frames. The 60 Vette frame I dragged home from Alabama a few years ago sported a BBC that ran in gas and modified production that ran for years down south. Not only did the prior owner not beef it up he actually cut a bit of the x member down a bit to make it easier to pull his Doug Nash 5 speed out at the track for work and clutch changes. They are pretty stout frames (basically a shrunken version of a 49 Chevy) when weight was not as much a consideration. I actually remember guys removing the x member back in the 60s which I did not get then or now. If there is a weak spot it may be in the kickups as the frames get dirt and water trapped in them (especially in some of northeast states with winter) and they rust out. I recently replaced the metal in the kickups for that very reason in a project. If your kickups are good that will be a plus for sure.
I haven't looked at the frame kickup's but the car has been off the road since the late 60's and always stored inside. Not a bit of rust on the engine compartment rails or cross members. It still has the "canvas" rear axle straps.
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