63 Split Window Corvette with SRIII Chassis

[Restocreations]

Prepping the TKO 5 speed conversion for install. I removed the bearing retainer, retrieved the bearing race from it, and installed the new bearing retainer and hydraulic throw out bearing.





Other than that, I have just been working on wiring and lots of it.

[wfo guy]

Looking good, Bud.

[Restocreations]

Computer is mounted. I mounted on the plenum panel and used nyloc nuts on the backside to make sure they would not rattle loose.



Electrical control box fit best on the passenger fender apron. This was the fuses can still be accessed. There is zero room left inside the car.



The GM control pack harness comes with relays to power the fuel pump and electrical fan. It turns the fan on at 190F



Another extra benefit of the GM control pack is that the electrical box has extra power ports. Mounting it near the electric brake booster came in handy...now i can just run the wire from the booster straight up to the spare terminal on the electrical box.



I searched the internet for quite some time looking for a pedal mount for the GM pedal that would work on a C2 Corvette. The mount that comes with the kit doesn't line up well with the firewall and if you use it, you must weld long spacers to the back of it and it still wont line up well due to the e-brake assembly.
I found this Pedal Mount bracket from a company called Samburg Performance. It is made for a mazda or rx7 conversion, but worked well for the Corvette once modified.
Here is the link
http://www.rx7v8.com/product/fd-driv...e-pedal-mount/

I simply cut the mount in half where i felt was the best location, overlapped and lowered the mount, then welded it back together. I could have cut out the unused portion, but overlapping the two pieces will make for a much stronger bracket. I find it easier to just buy a bracket and modify it rather than spending hours making my own. It took me about 20 minutes to cut and reweld the bracket.



Welded back together.





I'm most likely going to use an electric e brake, but i mounted an older unit i had sitting around so y'all can see just how close the e brake will be to the pedal. It's tough to run the stock e brake handle with a drive by wire pedal.



And the calipers are now on and the car will soon have operational brakes! I had to mount these today to take measurements for the wheels.

[Restocreations]

I ordered my wheels. The people at BOZE were very helpful and extremely nice!
I went with the polished lip and brushed center. I did not order them with the black accent like the picture shows.

[Restocreations]

The LS3 525hp crate motor arrived today. I ordered the engine from Karl Performance. Summit was initially going to price match, but then they said the Karl Performance website was wrong and they weren't offering Free Shipping. I called Karl Performance and they said shipping was free to a terminal, so I gladly ordered from them instead.

[Restocreations]

Vintage AC Front Runner System



Before with stock balancer and waterpump



During install...studs in place for waterpump



After. I need to rent a tool to install the Power steering pump pulley and I had to order an LS1 style thermostat housing. For some reason the LS3 housing will not work, but i am not sure why...just following directions.







New LS conversion Flywheel with ARP hardware. The ARP bolts are probably overkill.



Testing the fitment of the new gear reduction starter motor with a piece of welding wire(this is demonstration only as the gear is not fully engaged). I ended up needing one shim.



New 621 Bellhousing. Checking the alignment of the bellhousing is next.

[Restocreations]

pilot bearing installed



12" Centerforce dual friction clutch(comes with ARP bolts and alignment tool) Im a big fan of this clutch. I used this clutch last year as well to replace the damaged clutch(do to improper installation by the chassis company) on the last restomod.





Reconditioned Original 621 Bellhousing. BTW, DON'T use allen head bolts to install the bellhousing, use hex or 12 point. If you need to change your clutch or remove the bellhousing for any reason in the future once the body is on, you wont be able to get a socket on the two upper allen bolts.



Here you can see the repro and original side by side. I think the bellhousing i received might even be a knock off of the reproduction. The metal is extremely porous and the casting number in the side is very faint. It was so far out of whack that it will be going back to the company I purchased it from.



Again, here you can see just how porous the reproduction is.

[Restocreations]

Heart transplant is complete. Ill play engine dress up later on in the build

[wfo guy]

Rum. Rum. Rum rum.

[Restocreations]

The wheels showed up today and I am very impressed with the craftsmanship by BOZE...outstanding wheels and the pictures truly do not do them justice!!! 18x 9 in the front and 18 x 10 in the rear

[linkstar69]

Great look with the wheels. They have a real classic sports car feel while still being modern.

[wfo guy]

You forgot the tires!!!!

[Restocreations]

Tires were ordered today. I could only get away with a 275 on the rear. They already shipped, so i should have them by early next week.

Dash is finished and installed. Gauges are only temporarily installed. I still have a little bit of wiring to tidy up. I changed the bezels to black because I did not care for the silver. I also decided not to use the radio surround bezel as I like the way the new radio looks without it.







New radio from antique auto radio and 6x9 speaker with dual tweeters. The radio has an output for an ipod or MP3 player. While one 6x9 isn't going to produce crazy sound, It's about all I care to do in this car.



And the driveshaft

[Restocreations]

Rounding the final turn now...looks like the endless hours of filling, sanding, filling, sanding, priming, sanding, filling, sanding, and priming paid off. Not to mention the additional 80 hours the bodyshop put into blocking the car.

[mikewoods]

Sweet Jebus! That looks awesome!

[68lovebuzz]

Simply amazing

[Gil]

Awesome !
Gil

[opnwide]

Oh, crap! Now I'm going to have to sell my '72 for a '63. What do I tell the wife?

[Mach1_Ron]

That is an Incredible car....

[MichaelUser]

Looks great. I bet it's better in person.

Larry and Zac are great people at BOZE. FWIW, I designed the logo. Just saying. Larry has been building wheels for a long time. He is one great guy.