[Mojo56]

A few more... that's Clint Eastwood (yes THAT Clint Eastwood) in the second photo...

[Rymel]

the civette? yea, i'm doing the same thing. except i have a mini tunnel already that was included to help with chassis flex when the top is off, so it makes things a little easier to stuff in, theoretically. at least i'm hoping it's big enough to accept a torque tube.

i still think the entire drivetrain should fit just fine with everything removed and a hole cut to fit the trans. but i need to do a ton of measurements to confirm. will also need to order shortened axles to fit under the chassis better, but that can be ordered.

i slept on it, and the overall negativity i've received on paying to get this done is starting to bug me now to the point i might just go and do the cutting and mounting myself once i acquire the drivetrain. i'm not sure if that's a great idea or the worst thing i could think of, but it's sounding more and more like a good idea. it's just a sawzall, right? i have a few buddies willing to come help mount the subframes and make sure i mount and wire things up correctly. i've also got a lead on a welder willing to come to me, tack weld whatever points i need to mount the chassis. once i'm happy with how it sits, it goes off to a shop for professional welding of everything, and closing up of the trans tunnel. the frame will also be reinforced during this time, and maybe a roll cage if they feel it's absolutely necessary. i can't decide on fuel tank setup until i see how the drivetrain sits, sadly. or where the exhaust is getting routed. one decides the other.

does anyone here happen to know the measurements for any of these?
c6 corvette front cradle bolt to bolt width (i hear ~17"?)
c6 corvette rear cradle bolt to bolt width
torque tube diameter (heard 5", having trouble finding an answer)

[curtis73]

Hotrodding to me is taking what you have and making it perform like what you want.... that can mean making a Civic into a drag racer, making a diesel camaro that scoots and gets 30 mpg, or taking a Briggs and Stratton lawn mower and tricking it out with chrome exhaust and custom carb tuning. It can also mean taking a fiberglass roadster body and putting it on an S10 frame.

Bottom line is, I don't judge. There is a 3rd gen Camaro around here that someone has put on a Blazer 4x4 frame. I personally think its a bit "white trash" but I applaud his ability to make something he wanted to make. Its his own personal statement. Kudos to him.

... and kudos to you for making your own dream car.

[S10 Racer]

I feel anything you build yourself with a motor is a hot rod. I just finished this little go-kart for the grandkids. Modeled after a dune buggy frame, It has a 8hp B&S engine with electric start, a 5 speed transmission with reverse from a John Deere riding lawnmower driven by a centrifugal clutch, an alternator from an old Datsun car, rear wheels & tires from an old 3 wheeler. The rest is totally fabricated by yours truly. It's not fast at all even in 5th gear but it's a joy watching the kids ride it.

[MARTINSR]

You would have to stretch the body? It can't be done? I am sure glad Carol Shelby or Richard R. Hovis didn't listen to that talk!





Here's a 302 Ford in a Bug eye Sprite, it doesn't get much smaller than a Bug eye!





But here lies the problem, it will take a boat load of fab and modification and those $20K estimates are pretty conservative if you ask me. The shops who gave you the $120K they aren't out of line either if you are talking about "building a car". Building that car by a quality shop who actually makes money (unlike a lot of rod shops who make none) it's going to be a six figure car. I am sure they were just blowing you off or setting a figure to see if you still are the real deal and they should even take the time with you. But either way we are talking a LOT of money.

So then we come down to the simple fact that most of these cars are built by the owner. I have been into a few big name rod building shops and I am always amazed at how "assembly line" they are building the same basic car over and over. When you throw something out of the ordinary at them they aren't ready for it, it isn't their thing. Stuffing a V8 into a Honda DelSol isn't their thing, period. So of course you are going to get them trying to escape the question with a big price or pushing you out the door.

My suggestion is to start building the car yourself and one day you will pull out of your garage with it done.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Here is a V8 Bugeye photo that didn't come up in my previous post.

Brian

[Bad Rat]

[QUOTE=
does anyone here happen to know the measurements for any of these?
c6 corvette front cradle bolt to bolt width (i hear ~17"?)
c6 corvette rear cradle bolt to bolt width
torque tube diameter (heard 5", having trouble finding an answer)[/QUOTE]


Sounds like a B*&^cHing project to me,, as for doing it yourself? Actually it would have been nice if you could have started your first project on something a bit less complicated,, BUT!! what the hell!! you need to start somewhere, at least if and when you finish this,, You will be a full blown hotrodder for sure,
jsu be sure it is SAFE , and the idea of having a professional welder do the welding, is the best idea ,
the education you get from this will all be worth it,, ( I HOPE)

[Rymel]

i wish i'd come here first. the encouragement is great, but being realistically explained "why not" is even better. you're right though, martinsr. i did feel i was just getting pushed out the door most of the time. had i come in with a yugo and said the same, they might've been more accommodating...maybe. i think the ls1 will look about as claustrophobic in my car afterwards too

again i slept on it, and even with no fabbing experience, i think i'm still better off doing this myself. i'm not afraid to learn. i had a half hour debate with a coworker today about how i won't care about my rear power window working anymore if the torque tube is in the way, once i hear that motor roar. i was dumbfounded at how convicted he was in this feeling to the point he'd ignore the simple fact i'm making it a personal design requirement. i guess some people are more concerned with the power than anything else. it's just not a del sol without the targa top and rear power window, and it's not a (semi) sleeper if i'm running a shaker hood!

going to continue planning it out, hopefully it means less down time overall, and not a 2-year build. that's really what i'm saving for now, i guess. to be able to address any buyable problems quickly. i really don't care if it comes out covered in POR-15 anti-rust paint and cheap wheels, so long as it comes out drivable. it can be pretty later.

this is the first car that gave me real hope of fitting this beast. it's an ls1 stuffed into a 72 mgb gt:

one of the headers had to go through a wheel well, and the intake is behind a fender

oh and bad rat...i am not known for picking simple things to get started on when i get interested in something. a terrible habit i suppose

[chevelle_502]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder brother.........build and drive whats right for you or itll drive ya crazy later on. People jackin up the price are probably tryin to scare you out the door because they really dont want or cant take on the project. Start out by gettin a group of people who can see your vision and go from there.

[Bad Rat]

I kinda looked around for some chassis specs , but not much in the way of frame / suspension measurements, like you were looking for, but this site under suspensions it does have some frame /tread width measurements that might help you, in determining the overall comparison of the 2 cars

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...005/specs.html

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by chevelle_502

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder brother.........build and drive whats right for you or itll drive ya crazy later on. People jackin up the price are probably tryin to scare you out the door because they really dont want or cant take on the project. Start out by gettin a group of people who can see your vision and go from there.

But at the same time it is still just find to recommend not to do a project for a number of different reasons, resale value is one of them. This is one of those cases. A lot of money would be spent building it and it would be worth next to nothing when done.

This is always a factor to think about, and to warn about.

Brian

[boatbob2]

sorry,chassis has been sold

[1971BB427]

Originally Posted by boatbob2

sorry,chassis has been sold

??????????? What chassis? Guess I missed that.

Anyway. What is hotrodding about? In my opinion it's about making something faster or better engineered than what you can buy, or making something that you like, and no car maker builds. I also think it's about doing as much of the build as possible yourself. Anybody can write checks and tell a builder what they want, but that's not hotrodding in my opinion.
Even if it takes years to finish as you learn, I think it's still best to do as much as possible yourself if you want to call it "your" hotrod.
Six months is a crazy timetable for this large a project, especially if you want it done right for a reasonable amount of money. I think it can be done for the price you quoted, but probably not in that time frame when you're paying someone else.
When I started stuffing a 327 Chevy in place of the tiny 20 hp flathead 4 cyl. in my old '46 British Austin I got some friends who thought this particular car was not a good choice for what I planned. Would have been much easier to have chosen a later post '48 Austin with it's larger engine bay, longer wheelbase, and wider body. But what kinda fun is it to do a swap that almost anyone can do? Moving the firewall back 12" and setting the front seats back enough that you sit nearly in the back seat to steer is way more fun!

[chevynut]

Originally Posted by krooser

This is hot rodding to me.... as pure and simple as it can get.

I have to agree.Great pictures.

[Rymel]

see that's the thing, i don't ever plan on selling it, hard times or not. i'd sooner stuff it into a friend's garage before it had to come to that. i hope i'm not the only one that thinks that way

i don't have unlimited access to my garage for storing a car project, that's part of why i gave myself a tight deadline. it can go in there for a short time, but that's it. the fam isn't really keen on a dismantled car in the garage. i don't require it to do anything more than roll out of the garage under its own power. once it can be parked on the street, i can do further work from there. basically i just need it to turn over and stay running and driving(ish). oh, and the main bits mounted to the chassis. i also gave myself that timetable because my work slows down in the winter for a few months and project start should coincide with it slowing down. plenty of time to work on it then!

the street's close enough to run an extension cord out for tools, and safe enough to leave the project outside. so long as the hood's on nobody's the wiser.

i've been catching endless flak for choosing the del sol as a platform. personally, i take it as more reason to do it. 1971, i also have to set the firewall back, though probably less than your 12". i wish i had as much extra room as you to push the seats back, but if i run a rear mount trans axle, i'm almost 100% certain the tailshaft is gonna be by my elbow coming from the rear. that means i need to widen the rear part of my mini tunnel, which means less seat slide space . still think i can retain the power window though.

paid a visit to ye ol' S&S Speed Shop today, got a lead on a fabricator that works for moroso and is an nhra inspector of some sort. they swear he can beat the lowest shop's quoted price of 20k, and can do better work than that guy. we'll see when i call tomorrow, i guess.

on a side note, i've been reading that people have successfully mated an ls1 to the audi quattro system. i'd have to mount the trans in the traditional location, however. going to look into that further...

there is the audi r8 quattro system, but no way i can afford that