Another C-1 Resto-Rod Frame Supplier Appears..

[JohnZ]

Here's the latest player in the C-1 resto-rod frame business - Art Morrison, of drag car and shoebox Chevy chassis fame; uses C5 front suspension, triangulated 4-link rear, and any transmission fits. The market must be expanding; new players every month.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Look like alot of steel.

With a 4 link I would think there going to the pro street crowd. not the pro cruiser (or what ever they are being called these days)

 

[Dakota kid]

Cool maybe we will start to see more Hot Rod Cloned c-1 and c-2 Corvettes on the road

 

[richscorvettes]

I had spoken to Art five years ago when researching the chassis options for our 62. At that time he said he didn't have it in his plans but could certainly build a one-off. He seemed like a real nice fellow to speak with and he certainly knows his business. I don't know why he seems to offer only the solid rear setup but I guess that has worked well for him and it's likely what he is most comfortable in building. It sure looks like it would be a stiff chassis.

You are right, more entries into the market every month...... I guess there must be something to this....

Rich Lagasse

 

[Fuelie]

It certainly does look like a hefty frame. It would not be high on my list to invest in though. With the ultra modern C5 front suspension and the somewhat dated rear suspension solid axle (I ran a triangualeted 4 bar rear in my chopped '32 F*rd coupe over 20 years ago), it lends itself more to the hot rod side of conversions that the Resto-Mod direction that the craze seems to have taken.

Probably be really cool if you wanted to have a Pro Streeter as Larry suggested. At least it wouldn't twist with that chassis

Take care,
Brian

 

[vintagecorvette]

Art Morrison has been building Corvette frames for a few years. I talked to him at the Portland Swapmeet and a friend of my Father's has a Morrison frame installed in his 1958 Corvette resto Mod. It is built to accept all C5 suspension and that really light Cadillac engine. It is pretty cool.

oWEN

 

[Loren Smith]

This platform on a Tri-five Chevy ran .94 G on the skidpath:

http://www.artmorrison.com/news.htm

 

[tigernut]

This platform on a Tri-five Chevy ran .94 G on the skidpath:

That's impressive.

Doug

 

[Loren Smith]

Check out this C1/C5 SRIII chassis setup on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...d=1,1&item=4600008160&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT

I wonder how much SRIII sells this setup for? It's got to be more than $11K.

 

[firstgear]

I looked long and hard at the Art M set up.....they have headers for the set up and seem to have all the t's crossed and i's dotted.....if I remember correctly they were also making sure that they had the mounting locations for the bumpers in place as well.....if I had them supply everything for the front and rear suspension, as well as a few other items, I think I was looking north of $20k...perhaps around 23 or 24......as you all know...I have opted out for a Myers front end.....I know it is a far cry from what this thread is about, but since this is my first try at building a "car" I thought I would go at it in a way I thought I could succeed......not like the guy that it is selling his SRIII frame on Ebay......that was and still is my biggest concern....not finishing what I have started or getting so lost that I get discouraged.....I am trudging on....time will tell......

 

[IH2LOSE]

Check out this C1/C5 SRIII chassis setup on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4600008160&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

I wonder how much SRIII sells this setup for? It's got to be more than $11K.

I would think this is worth more then what he has his buy it now set for. it looks like a great start for some one. When I spoke to the guys from SR111 they had a back log of frame orders.If this was a C2 frame I would have used the buy it now option for sure

 

[IH2LOSE]

that was and still is my biggest concern....not finishing what I have started or getting so lost that I get discouraged.....I am trudging on....time will tell......

Herb i think your going to do well.

What I have seen in the past with failed or stalled projects allways had to do with lack of planning,

 

[John Mcgraw]

I would think this is worth more then what he has his buy it now set for. it looks like a great start for some one. When I spoke to the guys from SR111 they had a back log of frame orders.If this was a C2 frame I would have used the buy it now option for sure

I don't know Larry. It might make sense from an availability standpoint, but I would guess that you could replicate what he has for about the same dollars.
He is not including the motor or the calipers. You can buy that frame for about $6K. and I would think that you could buy a C5 front and rear suspension for less than another $5-6K. The wheels and tires are not included either. When you buy something like this, you have to buy low to cover your ass if something is goobered up, since you have no recourse like you would if you bought from Mike. If the Chassis was being sold like it is shown in the pics, then I would agree that the buy-it-now price is a no-brainer. I can't help but feel that his misdirection with the pictures are intentional. Did you see his resopnse to the guy who wanted to know what he wanted for the body, WOW, $20K for a bare body shell!

Regards, John McGraw

 

[IH2LOSE]

Jon I am just thinking back to when I purchased my frame,Mike wanted 11,000 or so for a roller that included calapers and soft brake lines. I would think this is almost what mike would have gave me with the exception of the trans,i am thinking the trans and the torque tube would more then offset the calipers and soft brake lines.

 

[Mac]

Does anyone else see this quote from the eBay seller as being a problem?

-Mac

At an additional price I have 3 original titles and vintags available at $1500 each 1962, 1961 and a 1957.

 

[firstgear]

Does anyone else see this quote from the eBay seller as being a problem?

-Mac

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[John Mcgraw]

Mac,
That is not surprising, in fact you had better have a good VIN and title lined up before building something like this. You can't imagine the additional rules you have to comply with in a lot of states if you put this together as an "assembled" car! In a lot of states, you have to comply with all smog rules pertaining to the engine that you use! Could you imagine building a C1 with all the current smog equipment! There are many places that you can get clean titles for such cars, and the streetrodders have been using them for years. For many years, it was not required for titles to be returned to the state when a car was scrapped, so there are lots and lots of titles floating around out there waiting for such a car.
This type of car construction is done every day, and is the norm in some states. In Calif., the state limits the totaled "assembled " cars to no more than 5000 annually. As one could imagine, 5000 does not even begin to supply the demand for the streetrods alone, so people will "wash" an original tilte in another state and title a fiberglass bodied, custom frame hot rod as a 32 ford. It blew up on a bunch of guys in Ca last year when the state came down on them. A bunch of rod builders. including Boyd Coddington, were charged with evading taxes on these cars! Notice thay I said EVADING TAXES! That was all the state was concerned with, not the fact that cars were titled as original cars, without one single original part on them. It seems that these builders had been claiming values that were only a small percentage of the true value of the finished car, and the state was losing millions in revenue. They actually go to shows and rod runs, trying to identify tax cheats! As long as you are not trying to "clean" a stolen car, you really have nothing to worry about.

Regards, John McGraw

 

[Mac]

I've worked on a couple of chop-shop investigations and I know it doesn't take much to wash a title. I just can't imagine someone advertizing this activity on eBay.

I understand the registration issue too well, John. When I did my first body-off resto on a Jeep CJ7, I bought a YJ with frame & front end damage. I used more YJ sheetmetal than CJ because the old body was rusted to pieces. Since the rolling chassis is still completely original, I didn't apply for a new VIN. I just made sure the old VIN was a part which I kept instead of replaced. There's a fine line there somewhere...

-Mac