Page 7: 1962 Corvette Project
- Project Progression - Chassis & Related Components -
To Page 8 - Car Show Pictures
To Page 9 - Vette Magazine Photo Shoot & Track Events
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Back to Page 4 - Other Vettes That Have Come and Gone
This is a picture of what the chassis looked like after returning from Car Creations. Here we were doing a test fitting of the upper "A" arms and the differential carrier.
To further strengthen the chassis all seams were welded and ground. Then the chassis was painted with the same urethane base/clear paint mix that we used for the body.
Car Creations will build a chassis to several levels of finish, from the bare chassis conversion as we did, to a painted chassis with the suspension and even the drivetrain installed. Click on the link below to be taken to their web site.
This is a picture of the completed chassis which has been converted to accept suspension components from a 1995 Corvette by Car Creations in Templeton, California. Paul Newman and crew did an excellent job. You can readily see the quality of workmanship and design that goes into their work.
The chassis was painted after welding all the seams and grinding all the welds. Then it was detailed and fitted with the suspension and drivetrain. Each suspension component was ground, filed, sanded and finished with a ceramic coating to make maintenance easier. The engine and transmission were then installed as well as the Z06 brakes, Baer rotors and the gas and brake lines were plumbed. The engine was then dressed with custom pulleys, P/S pump, A/C compressor, headers, throttle body, engine covers(by AutoBuffs), as well as custom intake manifold cover and intake filter system. The stainless exhaust system was then built and polished (I won't tell how many hours it took but my fingernails may never come clean again) in preparation of a test fitting of the body. From that point the body was installed and remaining assembly began on the plumbing, wiring, bumpers, lights, instruments and interior.
A project of this scope involves many skilled and dedicated people. Key people in this project were: Arthur (Bunjie) Bonneau of Bunjie's Hot Rod Garage, Frenchy and Jason Bernier, Joe Matarazzo and Ray Zisa of the Corvette Center, Paul Newman of Car Creations, Al Knoch and Dale Robertson of Al Knoch Interiors, Chrome work by Advanced Plating, AutoBuff's engine covers by Noel Mercado, Alf Ebberoth of Performance Automotive, Zac Fliss of Speed Scene Wiring, Bill Kydd of Billy Kydd Radiators, Mark Coolong of Mark Machine Co., Ed Harrison of Ecklers, Reggie of Park Auto Trim, Mary Joe Rohner of Corvette Parts Connection, the folks at Corvette Central, George Kasparan of Performance Unlimited, Lambert at Street & Performance and many others I don't have the space to mention. Most of all to my wife for her support and help (and for not hiding the checkbook!) Our thanks to all.
Since it's completion the car has been shown at Corvettes @ Carlisle in August, 2001 and was lucky enough to receive a "Celebrity Pick" award. It was also shown at the Super Chevy shows at Virginia International Raceway in October, 2001 and Epping, NH in May, 2002. It's first indoor show was at the ISCA World of Wheels auto show in Boston, MA. in January, 2002. In February, 2002 it was shown at the Frank Maratta Auto Show in Hartford, Ct. In April, 2002 it was shown at the Big Block Productions show in Springfield, Ma. Pictures from these shows, and other later shows, appear on the next page.
We have been pleased with the recognition the car has received but enjoy speaking with all the nice folks who stop by to chat with us at these shows. If you have never been to one of these shows please check them out as they are great events.
A feature article appeared on CorvetteMagazine.com on Sept.10, 2001. A picture of the chassis appears in the November, 2001 issue of Vette Magazine on page 10 and a picture at Carlisle appears in the January, 2002 issue on page 67. The car also appeared on the cover and was featured in the March, 2002 issue of Vette Magazine. Pictures from the photo shoot appear on the next page. It also appeared in the June, 2002 issue of Corvette Lifestyles magazine on page 50. It was featured on the Mother's Car Show TV Series on ESPN II in August, 2002 as the APC Finishing Touches award winner. It also appeared in the November, 2002 issue of Vette Vues Magazine on pages 16-17 as part of the Corvettes at Carlisle "Chips Choice" coverage and was featured in the Corvettes @ Carlisle program. It appears in the June, 2003 issue of Speed, Style & Sound magazine on page 76 as part of the Detroit Autorama coverage and in several issues of the ISCA Showstopper. It also appears in the May, 2004 issue of Vette magazine on page 12, in the May, 2004 "New Old Stock" feature in Corvette Fever magazine on pages 72-75.
Most recently, it appeared in the December, 2004 issue of Corvette Fever on pages 20-26 as part of the "Pro-Classic-Project Planning" article written by my wife and I and in the "Vette-Rod Basics" article in the February, 2006 issue of Corvette Fever on pages 26-33. The planning article is intended to answer the questions we often receive of "what's involved in a project like this?" and "how do I get started?" and the second article covers the basic decisions for these projects. Both issues have an extensive resource guide for component parts such as chassis and suspension suppliers. Click on the link button below to see the Vette Rod Basics article.
We hope the information and suggestions from these articles help anyone interested in tackling a similar project. Should there be any specific questions just send us an e-mail as we are always glad to try and help anyone seriously contemplating building a car.
The 62 was sold to a fellow who contacted us after seeing it on the web site. It was hard to part with the car but space was needed for the 63 project and he was someone who could appreciate the car for what it is and take good care of it.