Can you buy a aftermarket C1 body complete

[Stan's Customs]

Out of the mouths of babes..

Talking to my son about building this C1.....and the cost of better instruments, Wise Guy seats, Vintage Air, aftermarket front engine bracketry and so on..

Then I mentioned that I had been talking to Billy Dawson about his aftermarket frames and the C4 suspension package....and the LS engine conversion..

After listening intently for about 15 minutes my son says ...why don't you just part the old car and buy all new body parts too... if it needs all that?

The baby is 34 years old...too bad I didn't have a good answer for him, like a good Daddy..

Now I'm wondering why not...What would be the big hang ups in doing this ...for all you guys that have done the retro cars? Must be quite a few reasons or these old wrecks wouldn't have as much value.

...Stan

 

[IH2LOSE]

Its great to have kids,

 

[Lucy64]

One of the Corvette magazines recently did a multi part story on building a C1 from scratch with all aftermarket parts. It turned out great, but you have to get everything...and I mean everything....to build that car. With a donor car at least you have a starting point and some very hard to get parts to start with.

 

[stepinwolf]

One of the aftermarket Corvette resellers, will supply you with a complete 1957 body for your build.

Stepinwolf

 

[IH2LOSE]

Sorry I am still having troubles with my lap top and keep losing my connection, and half of what I am trying to post is being lost when I go to post the reply and I am just to frustrated to re type it.
I have to replace this thing very soon.

As for the car

Yes there is some one making a reproduction C1 body I seen it at Carlisle hopefully some one will give us a link to the builder of the body, If I remember correctly it had a custom frame also.

I knew nothing of C1s except what I learned from this forum. I wanted an original car with a perfect current registration; I knew I was going to have some dollars in the cars, and did not want to have to title it as a kit car, or support the services that claim they can title any car you have. That being said this was my main reason.

So what did I use from the original car
The entire body including the door hinges door inner hardware window runs door post , trunk hinges, truck lock mechanism and brackets, entire windshield chrome and stainless but replaced the glass (boy I still cant believe I was able to replace that glass) I also reuse the latches to hold the hood down (the ones that mount to the car)

I reused all of the bumpers, and modified the bumper brackets to work with the new frame.

I reused the original stainless for the door trim and the seat/deck lid surrounds,

I modified the top half of my gauge cluster and sold off the bottom half.

I had to purchase a used hood, I had to purchase a used cowl vent with hardware, I should have purchased a used trunk but could not get a good replacement one. Pretty much that all I used from the original car, everything else that was good I parted out.

I spent a lot of money having my body redone for my 62 probably a little bit less then what the reproduction body is selling for but my main reason was to have an original corvette body on the car so it would not be considered a kit car.

 

[Stan's Customs]

My project has a lot missing..

I thought keeping the windshield and trim...bumpers for replating, and the dash instrument shell. Maybe the brightwork in the cab and glovebox, and door glass.

I was planning on using electric windows...don't have a top, don't know about the door,trunk, and other hinges..to use or buy new?

Thought I would sell the seats and w's wiper assembly separately

Nearly every thing else I would replace...although I'm not sure about the frame under the dash...I haven't looked at that closely...that may be the cost of replacing the whole thing?...or the cab part itself. The front clip and back half are about I've seen for sale...may be a reason for that.

Stan..

 

[studiog]

I have never seen a repro interior fiberglass floor tub anywhere???

 

[John Mcgraw]

There is a named Mike Walker that builds a repro car. The frame is of his design, I believe, and the body is from Downs Manufacturing up in Michigan.
Downs builds some real top shelf streetrod bodies, so I would guess that his 58-60 bodies are pretty nice as well. I could be wrong, but I believe tha the body does not fit on a stock chassis. I have only seen them mounted on a tube style chassis that gave the cowl and door pillars structural ridigity. The body is not a perfect repro of the original, and the interior has been restyled to give a full-length console. If any of you remember that seafoam green resto-rod on Ebay a couple of months ago, that was one of his cars.

Regards, John McGraw

 

[Ron Miller]

One of the aftermarket Corvette resellers, will supply you with a complete 1957 body for your build.

Stepinwolf

Believe Corvette Central sells a 1956/57 one piece body, or did at one time.



Visit http://www.corvettecentral.com/concept.asp

 

[Stan's Customs]

I would buy a '61 or '62 aftermarket body if I could find such a thing...Well depending on the money...not $30,000 or something....but something semi-reasonable.

 

[paintdaddy]

Corvette Central is the one that sells the repro body,I think its called concept 57.There is also a guy in the Atlanta area that has had some on ebay.If you have any interest let me know and Ill try to find him .

 

[Ron Miller]

Corvette Central is the one that sells the repro body,I think its called concept 57.There is also a guy in the Atlanta area that has had some on ebay.If you have any interest let me know and Ill try to find him .

There's a hotlink to the Corvette Central Concept '57 body in my post above.

 

[Stan's Customs]

Thanks Guys...

I'm particularly interested in the later models '61 or '62.

I perfer the later instrument and dash arrangement....I like all the back ends ..but since there are some 59's and 60's built I thought I'd be a little different...and build the ''61 or '62 with a trunk. The '61 being preferable because of the coves...I like the side chrome on it...