C3 Pro Touring Restomod

[iPro1969]

I'm hoping to do a project car for my first car, and I thought that since I'm almost 15, it would be a great time to start. I want to do a C3 Corvette, but need a reality check of what is feasible, worth while, fun, and what parts are of great quality and better pricing; I'm mainly asking for technical stuff : engine and drive train, chassis, suspension, brakes, fuel lines and such.

[Aficionado]

I'm in the middle of a '72 Stingray that's a project car for 'Vette magazine. (Check it out at www.vetteweb.com or on the newsstands; the car is named Scarlett). We've pretty much gone all out on the car mechanically. The sky is really the limit: LS swaps are relatively easy (we built a 635 hp LS3 for this car; a similar car in the shop at the same time got a Whipple charged LS with over 800), as is installing a T56 Magnum, the preferred PT transmission.

All C3's start with decent brakes and independent front and rear suspension; it's pretty easy to do bolt-ons that will substantially increase the car's performance. The ultimate way to make one handle is an aftermarket chassis with newer suspension (Scarlett's is a Street Shop, Inc. chassis for C7 Corvette suspension), but be prepared that this is a very, very expensive option and will cost more than the car itself. It can also require substantial modification to the car depending on what suspension you want, so you could also be looking at some serious fiberglass work.

The older cars generally make more power (not really important, since you generally plan on replacing that) and have both a higher purchase price and better resale value. Allow $15-20k for a chrome bumper car (1968-1972), substantially less for later models. All are expensive to paint; plan on it costing $10k. Virtually every part of the car is currently reproduced, so finding "correct" parts isn't all that hard, but they are more expensive than some comparable cars. Performance parts are generally equally pricey no matter what you bolt them to.

Always better to buy a car that runs and drives and that you can enjoy and do minor stuff on before making a several year, very expensive commitment. And don't EVER have a project car as your only transportation, because it WILL let you down.

Building a car is very expensive and time-consuming, but it can be very rewarding (I love it and wouldn't trade anything for the experience) and you can make lifelong friends in the process. You'll have to learn enough new skills that it's very easy for it to become a lifelong obsession, because the process itself can become enjoyable, and you don't want to waste the skillsets you worked so hard to develop.

Make sure it's what you want to do--you should LOVE it before you start, otherwise you won't follow through--and if it is, go for it!! You'll find several C3's on the PT forum, and a lot of us are eager to help so you don't have to learn all your lessons the hard way.

[iPro1969]

what if I were to get one in lesser condition, with no drive train at all and just a rolling body and chassis, but it was an earlier chrome bumpers model?

[srh3trinity]

If I were you, I would look for one with decent paint that you can live with. Paint and body can eat up a budget quick. Vansteel and now ridetech look to be the best suspension options, but that will be driven by your budget.

[iPro1969]

Yeah, that's what I meant. One with a good body and paint but no drive train.

[Matman3]

Another thing to consider is part availability and pricing. Generally speaking, parts for Corvettes are slightly more expensive. Repo door trim panels are roughly $500 each, hoods are $200-300, etc...
On the other side, your first car will be a Corvette. You can't get any better than that. Mine was a '57 Ford PU!

[Aficionado]

It is possible to find one with the body and paint already done but no drivetrain (and possibly no interior), but that's likely to be pretty pricey since one of the most expensive parts is done. Most of the time I've seen bodies for sale they need just about everything: people don't usually separate a body from the frame because it's all working well. All the small parts can become unbelievably expensive, and as the previous poster pointed out, they're pricier on a 'Vette than say, a '65 Mustang. Hoods, for example, aren't actually $200; a good one is around $1,000 new. For another example, the body itself may only be $5k, but if it needs bumpers and grilles, that can break $2k pretty fast. We're not even into body work and paint yet, and you're at $7,000, almost half the cost of a decent running, driving car. It is possible to put a stock-style (but not "correct," which is a whole different animal than most of us are interested in) drive train in on the cheap, but if you want to go ahead and put a serious motor in from the start, that adds up very fast, because in addition to the cost of the motor (plan on at least $6 if you're buying a crate LS3, far more for a 'built' motor, less for a takeout or non-LS engine) you're also talking a new cooling system, EFI wiring, fuel pump and lines (if not a new tank as well), exhaust and possibly transmission.

Having to come up with the money for those things will make it that much longer before you actually get to drive it. I don't say this to be discouraging; just make sure you go into it with realistic expectations so you don't get in the middle of something that turns into a crushing disappointment.

Having all the parts there when you start--even if you wind up throwing away or selling them later--is probably a lot cheaper in the long run. Not to mention that while you're saving up for the better engine/suspension/brakes you want, you're actually getting to drive the car. : )