1965 Corvette Coupe WANTED!!!

nooshinjohn

I may be able to find some decent "bones" here...

http://autosource.biz/Ad/1965_Corvette.htm

charley95

I knew this wasn't NOS or B.G. but, a 40k budget??? Please don't take me as being rude that is not my point. I've been involved with Vettes for many years. $40k will not get close to what your stating here. A project like this is like trying to budget a full remodel on a 50 year old house. You will have very many unexpected costs that you can't foresee. You state that this will be a 5yr. project, how do you know what your priorities will be 5yrs. from now? I've lived and breathed cars for most of my life, my dad was a GM exec. I was fortunate enough to get some awesome deals on cars through him. I was a mechanic for many years. About 6 yrs. ago watching Barrett Jackson, I said F-it and sold all my nice cars and haven't looked back. The hobby ran it's course and I walked away by choice due to lack of interest. I'm assuming
you have the skill and equipment to complete this task? Is this something you will sell down the road or keep for the long haul?

polkfarmboy

Get the 1965 shelby-Cobra-Red-White

nooshinjohn

I am capable of doing all of this, but the paint. I have the tools and the technical skills. I have all the time I need to get the car done and done right. 40k is the baseline, and if it needs more, that is fine too. I am never selling the car, PERIOD.

The thing is this... a couple months back, I lost my uncle. He was a passionate car guy and did all the work himself on everything he ever owned. I learned fibreglass from him, and the various jobs I have had over the years, from assembly line to repair and electrical are all part of my DNA now for 35 years.

My uncle died without ever having the opportunity to drive his 1935 Ford Sedan-delivery street rod, which he labored on for 2 decades to complete. I don't want to start a project like this without having the time to enjoy it for a few decades to come. I started the thread seeking help in finding the right car, and I am grateful for ALL the advice, but keep in mind, I am 48 years old, and the last thing I need is 25 daddies telling me I am wrong, or making a mistake.

This ONE single car, has been my dream machine since I built the Monogram 1/8th scale model I got for my 10th birthday. The cheapest I can find out there today that meets the criteria you guys are setting is well north of 60k, and still won't be what I want, so why settle for anything but what I want?

EndersShadow

Hey John....

HoosierDaddy ...

Sorry my lame attempt at humor tonight lol

charley95

John,

If you ever wan't to discuss this,PM me and I'll give ya my number. This cannot be done right the first time for 40k unless there is something else you haven't stated. We spoke a few years back on the phone when I was inquiring about your 2.3TL's you had. I think you were in Indiana at the time.

polkfarmboy

Well said John, follow your heart and live your dream and dont listen to anyone telling you about finishing off some one else's project because you dont have the stones to see it through. Cars are a labor of love and the end result will all be worth it as you roll down the street with the engine purring as you turn some heads.

oldrocker

By all means, build it and enjoy it. Nothing like going to the dog and suds for ice cream cones and have some guy come up and tell you back in the day he had a car like that.

Funniest story was a guy who told me he sold his way back then to put aluminum siding on their house. I got quite a chuckle from talking to him, decided to take him for a ride, even let him drive it back.

nooshinjohn

oldrocker wrote: »

By all means, build it and enjoy it. Nothing like going to the dog and suds for ice cream cones and have some guy come up and tell you back in the day he had a car like that.

Funniest story was a guy who told me he sold his way back then to put aluminum siding on their house. I got quite a chuckle from talking to him, decided to take him for a ride, even let him drive it back.

lol... I love stories like that.

Below is a 1963 SWC... nothing special about the car but the rear window. RIDICULOUS MONEY!

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/cto/4439988925.html

And it is for this reason alone I KNOW I can do better on my own than deal with crap like this. I love how the ad says it was never wrecked. It may have never been in a accident, but that car IS a wreck!

sucks2beme

http://autosource.biz/Ad/1965_Corvette.htm
Here's a bunch of projects. $$$$$ junk.
Looks like just a roller is going to cost you $10-15k

nooshinjohn

sucks2beme wrote: »

http://autosource.biz/Ad/1965_Corvette.htm
Here's a bunch of projects. $$$$$ junk.
Looks like just a roller is going to cost you $10-15k

I saw them today online. All I need a good body shell/rear clip. The body will find a home on a new chassis. Thanks for the link.

charley95

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I was born in 1965 and the rest of them weren't....

The newer cars simply lack the raw sex-appeal of the C1/C2 cars. I do appreciate the way the new cars drive, which is why I chose the modern underpinnings. I am building a car for me, the way I want it to be. The only items that will be farmed out is the chassis build and the paint. Rosso Corso Red over palomino and red leather, done in a "Daytona" pattern is the direction I am going...


And Charlie... the Z0-6 may be the package that gets bolted in, mated with a supercharger, so 700+ is not out of the question.


Guys, I know this is a giant rabbit hole, but I remind everyone that you guys thought my tube amps would implode and they turned out to be legit high-end gear that look as good as they sound. My budget is coming in around 40k, so if I am smart about what I am doing and take the time to do it right the first time, I should have a car that will be worth the trouble for much less than buying somebody else's vision and then having to make it my own. I don't really care about using NOS/or original parts, nor do I care about "Bloomington Gold". I just want a 1965 Corvette Coupe done the way I want it.

Will the chassis be from a wrecked c5 or c6?, I would make certain the frame is not bent. If you put a supercharger on a possible Z06 donor motor I would make certain the internals are beefed up enough to handle the supercharger. I would think that installing the electronics properly to an old body would be very costly.

nooshinjohn

charley95 wrote: »

Will the chassis be from a wrecked c5 or c6?, I would make certain the frame is not bent. If you put a supercharger on a possible Z06 donor motor I would make certain the internals are beefed up enough to handle the supercharger. I would think that installing the electronics properly to an old body would be very costly.

I am looking at a roller chassis that has been custom-built for the c5/c6 powertrain to be dropped in. I have found a complete package (LS-3 engine/6-speed and all) for 15k here locally. If I can get a body for 12 or close to it, it will be a matter of sitting the body on the other chassis.

charley95

Do the the dimensions of the chassis match the 65 wheelbase? What about suspension travel in the existing 65 wheel wells? What about the internal condition of the motor,tranny… The torque tube will most likely have to be modified to accommodate the 65 wheelbase. Probably going to have to purchase heavy duty 1/2 shafts to handle 700+ HP also you should modify the trans. to handle the extra HP.

ViperZ

sucks2beme wrote: »

http://autosource.biz/Ad/1965_Corvette.htm
Here's a bunch of projects. $$$$$ junk.
Looks like just a roller is going to cost you $10-15k

John, also keep checking iaai.com auctions (or find a dealer friend who can bid on dealer-only cars). They just sold a 1964 Vette in Dallas yesterday.

charley95

Hey John, Have you found that Vette yet?

sucks2beme

Go look at the new ones. Granted it's not classic, but it's really
a great car. In another year or so you should be able to find
a clean used one in that price range. The problem is with old ones
you spend all your time under the hood and no time enjoying it.

nooshinjohn

No, and I am in no rush. I now work at a Chevy dealership and have restored my connections to the guys at Big Dog, so I have access to dealer cost for parts and paint work, so at least that part of the plan has come together. I reread the entire thread, and I do admit it seems like a stretch, but I do think it can be done.

EndersShadow

So thats where you snuck off to... another dealership...

Are their commercials just as "high quailty" as Bob Rohrman's were/are

charley95

sucks2beme wrote: »

Go look at the new ones. Granted it's not classic, but it's really
a great car. In another year or so you should be able to find
a clean used one in that price range. The problem is with old ones
you spend all your time under the hood and no time enjoying it.

The new ones have too many glitches in them. They need a few more years to work them out. I always bought mine at the end of the generation when most of the problems have been worked out. The new Z06 is a beast but, has way too many unacceptable problems. Head over to corvette forum and you'll see what I mean.

motorhead43026

I can afford to buy any modern day American muscle car available today, hell one of each. Yet, I prefer the 60's era muscle or in this case, sports (Corvette) There is nothing like the sound and feel of an American cast iron, big block, push rod V8.
The 4-4-2 in my signature is my favorite and it always draws a crowd.
****I will keep an eye out for a 65 body for you******

oldrocker

EndersShadow wrote: »

So thats where you snuck off to... another dealership...

Are their commercials just as "high quailty" as Bob Rohrman's were/are

Rohrman's, too funny on that one...