long delayed photos

[6 Shooter]

Looks Great, what is the HP/Torque of your LS1?

 

[stepinwolf]

Look who's talking. otfl

You got that right. !:eyerole

Stepinwolf

 

[stepinwolf]

My hat's off to you John

Outstanding work John, you deserve more then compliments on these excellent builds. No matter how much I go over the various photos, I never get tired of looking at them.

Stepinwolf

 

[gmjunkie]

Outstanding work John, you deserve more then compliments on these excellent builds. No matter how much I go over the various photos, I never get tired of looking at them.

Stepinwolf

Yes, Yes He is Prudy Crafty!! Say John ,What would the Chances of Eye Ball'n that Beast in Person the next time I fly to Texas on a Auction Trip to buy truck's??? Do they have a Manheim Auto Auction in Austin?? junk!!

 

[John Mcgraw]

6shooter,
I would guess that the engine is about 375 hp and at least 350 ft/lbs. It is mostly stock with just a set of headers, a cam and a reprogram of the PCM, as well as the loss of the cats, and the EGR system. The car is just scary fast, and I have owned a lot of cars that were rated at similar horsepower ratings, but they never moved like this thing does! I just can't wait to see how the LS2 in the 65 works. I have reached the limits of traction with the 245 tires, and any additional power is probably just a waste, but more power is still nice! I am unwilling to change the body lines at this time, so I will just have to live with the traction I have. A lot of the acceleration is due to the incredibly low first gear ratio that the nwe generation of transmissions give without sacrificing economy. With 3.54 rear gears,the effective first gear ratio is equivalent to a close ratio Muncie with 4.70 gears, and this does not even take into account the torque multiplying effect of the torque converter.
Regards, John McGraw

 

[John Mcgraw]

Steppinwolf,
Thanks for the kind comments, It is nice to hear then from people who know how much work this really is. I have non-car people look at it, and while the like it, they do not truly appreciate it like you guys do.

Junkie,
You are allways welcome to come by anytime you are in the area, just drop me an email when you are comming and I will send you my cell phone number.


Regards, John McGraw

 

[6 Shooter]

John,

Your probably pretty light weight, say 2750?

Can ya put any bigger tires on than the 245?

The LS2/LS7's run awesome, looking forward to seeing your 65!

Thanks for the info . . .

Dwayne

 

[John Mcgraw]

6Shooter,

You can get larger tires under there, but you either have to shorten the halfshafts and tub the wheelwells a little or put the bulged fenders on. I am unwilling to change the body lines, and tubbing the wells makes the folding top not fit in the compartment. Rich is tubbing his car some, but he had the foresight to start with a coupe. I'll bet that he will end up with 315's or better under his car! I am already on the lookout for a basket-case midyear coupe for my next project. I build my cars as cruisers and highway cars, so super traction and eyeball-peeling acceleration is not high on the priority list. I would much rather keep the stock lines of the body and sacrifice the traction.

Regards, John McGraw

 

[firstgear]

John, do you have any photos of where you attached the VIN?

 

[Mac]

Amazing as always, John. Congrats on another job well done!!

-Mac

 

[Loren Smith]

Great car, John! Looks too nice to drive!

 

[RodsnRides]

Ohhh, man.....

Me Too......................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man.. That is some Beautiful Crafsmanship..!!!! You are to be commended.. You are a Credit To Our Hobby and our Passion.... Every time I see a Corvette built and worked on by it's owner such as yourself and ... Larry (IHTLOSE) .Rich Lagasse ..Stepinwolf ..67 Heaven and many others here... I get a nice warm Glow...


Congrats....

That is truly impressive. What a craftsman. I have to agree with VNV-all of you are-and build-great stuff :cool. That's why I like this site so much-it's truly an inspiration to what I hope to achieve. All of the above here-my hat is off to you. Wow-art that MOVES...

Rick

.

 

[John Mcgraw]

John, do you have any photos of where you attached the VIN?

Herb,
The vin tag is in it's original location. Remember, that this is a 59, and all cars prior to early 60 models, had the tag screwed to the driver's side door hinge pillar. You would be wise to put it back on the steering column on anything later than a December 59 car. There is no sense drawing attention to it at the DMV. Most DMV office will still look for the tag even on an early 60 on the column, because they don't have all the subtle time lines that the NCRS uses in their judging. All the DMV knows is that 59 cars should have it on the pillar, and 60 cars should have it on the column, they just don't understand the concept of different locations in the same model year.

Regards, John McGraw

 

[Stan's Customs]

Man o' man...what a drop dead beautiful accomplishment.

John... skills and craftsmanship aside ...you just have a keen eye for the attitude and cordination of the vehicle that melds it into a work of splendor. Magnificent taste...

Like I said before... there are none better "in the nation"....Outstanding!

Congratulations on a fine example of American know how!

I know you must be as proud of it, as a Papa is a new baby....and rightfully so.

Lots and lots of hard work there and it shows....words are inadequate.....

..color me green (with envy...ha)

Stan...

 

[firstgear]

Herb,
The vin tag is in it's original location. Remember, that this is a 59, and all cars prior to early 60 models, had the tag screwed to the driver's side door hinge pillar. You would be wise to put it back on the steering column on anything later than a December 59 car. There is no sense drawing attention to it at the DMV. Most DMV office will still look for the tag even on an early 60 on the column, because they don't have all the subtle time lines that the NCRS uses in their judging. All the DMV knows is that 59 cars should have it on the pillar, and 60 cars should have it on the column, they just don't understand the concept of different locations in the same model year.

Regards, John McGraw

I am getting an IDIT polished aluminum steering column....now what do I do?

 

[cbernhardt]

I am getting an IDIT polished aluminum steering column....now what do I do?

firstgear:
I have a modified steering column in my wife's '62. The column does not protrude into the engine compartment enough to attach the VIN tag there, so I attached it to the column under the dash.

John:
Ditto's on all the comments on your car. Beautiful work. You need a TIG welder to keep those weld splatters off the floor.
Charles

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

Look who's talking. otfl

Yeah.. What He said.....:L

 

[richscorvettes]

Yep, shoeless is the only way to go! I have got to recoat the floor again now that the 59 is done. I did not get complete coverage with the plastic, when I shot the red, and there are several places with red urethane overspray all over the floor.

Yup, been there before. No matter how much plastic you lay down the overspray seems to find a way to get on everything. Did some paint work one time which took about an hour and spent the next day trying to get the paint off the floor....... :eyerole

Rich, now that you are completely done with grinding your welds with a rotary file, I found a neat tool that makes short work of these weld fillets. Dynabrade makes a contact arm for their dynafile II belt sander that gets right down in there like a champ! It is a contact wheel that is about 1.5" in diameter and is about 3/8" thick with a 3/8 convex radius on the edge of the wheel. You just push the contact wheel down in the weld, and the belt just conforms to the fillet. It sure beats the hell out of rotary files and sandpaper sleeves.

Regards, John McGraw

Well, now you tell me!....... :L I now have more carbide burrs of all shapes and sizes than ever. Just let me know if you want to borrow some..........

Rich

 

[ZRGator]

Wow...all anyone with any sense can say is...Wow!
Oh, BTW, I was talking to Santa today (you guys notice his lap seems smaller and less comfortable now?) and he said he wanted to borrow your sled for this year's run. I guess he still has a thing for red, red, red.
Great car, wear it in good health.

 

[vetteman64]

Hi John
Your car looks fantastic, I had 2 questions regarding your 59 and my 59 hybrid. You answered the one regarding the rear fenders being factory. I was curious why you made the cutouts in the trunk for the exhaust pipes. Was this due to the frame or your exhaust pipe diameter or ??? I am in the bodywork stage, not thinking about the exhaust yet, but I want to try the hushpower mufflers and the largest diameter pipes that will fit through the factory "body tubes" in the rear. Any idea how close the pipes can be to the "body tubes"?
My cars colors are the opposite of yours, white with red coves and red interior.
C Ya, Joseph Rock
Frankenstein 59