New 66 owner in Georgia

[65Ch3v3LL3]

Hey guys,

I've posted a little here but I thought I would formally introduce myself. I've really loved the lines on these cars for years and years and I finally got around to picking one up. Being from GA there aren't too many solid cars around. Most everything is in pretty bad shape. Oddly enough one came available only 5 miles from my home but it was a basket case. However at $400 for complete 66 I figured I could at least get that much out of it parts wise.









After purchasing it then I really got motivated to find a car. I searched and searched and finally found an original California black plate 66 Roadster which was currently residing in Colorado. The owner had purchased the car in California from her landlord who apparently had just gone through the carbs, put new plugs and wires on it, installed new rear wheel cylinders, and upgraded the front brakes to Volvo calipers. He never even put brake fluid in the car before she bought it. Shortly afterwards she moved to Colorado and the car just sat in her garage. She is now moving again and realize she wouldn't get around to working on the car so she put it up for sale and I picked it up for $4000. The car is really solid, has lots of spare parts, and came with a good hard top, the soft top, and a brand new soft top in a box. Once it arrived I swapped the stock brake master for a Wilwood 1 1/8" single master to work with the larger front calipers and also installed a proportioning valve for the rear to set the brake bias. The clutch hydraulics were toast and of course my car has the early slave cylinder. It can never be the cheaper part for me. Anyhow with a new tank installed (original was leaking) and a fresh battery she fired up and moved under her own power. That is pretty much where I am right now.













I work as an IT contractor in Afghanistan so I'm only home a few weeks a year but I've been working and fabricating on cars and bikes all my life. The previous work was done by a mechanic friend of mine so that I could at least drive it when I get home and not waste time sorting it all out.

Plans for the car will be the following:

• LNF turbo Ecotec engine with upgraded intercooler and turbo for 455hp
  Custom built chassis using Pontiac Solstice independent rear differential, cast aluminum control arms, hubs, and brakes
  Re-chrome everything that needs it
  New paint (color undecided as of yet, possibly White Diamond from the new Cadillac CTS-V)
  New interior
  All new wiring and LED lighting
  16" Image wheels staggered

[spl310]

Welcome!

[notoptoy]

Heck of a project, I look forward to seeing your build thread and watching this come together. You started with a nice solid example - good bones should make for a good result in the end.

[65Ch3v3LL3]

Thanks guys. Right now I'm basically in the planning and parts gathering stage. I have 90% of the Solstice suspension parts. I still need the hubs though and knuckles. I also got the rear differential in the engine trans deal which is all sitting at home waiting on me. So in my spare time in Afghanistan I'm learning to use some new CAD software so that I can design the frame. Unfortunately there won't be much forward progress on the car until I get home at the end of next year but by then I should have a room full of parts ready to go. I'm hoping that the parts cars bright work is good enough to get re-plated. That way I can send it off and get it all re-chromed while still driving and enjoying the good car.

[notoptoy]

Sounds like a well thought out plan. Good luck with all the pieces coming together!

[65Ch3v3LL3]

Thanks. I know from the long racing heritage that the stock frame and suspension can be made to handle really well. The new frame I'm building is really for me to push my fabrication skills to the next level. I have a 65 Chevelle that I'm thinking about doing a frame for so this will be a good practice run. I'm using the Solstice parts because it is essentially a mini Corvette. The suspension set ups on those two cars are quite similar. I figure cast aluminum control arms are light weight and if they were built for a 3000lb car they should be more than strong enough for a 2000lb car. My goal is to make the car essentially drive like a new car but still retain all the great looks of the original car. Aside from the wheels and brakes the exterior will remain totally stock with the exception of a 2000 badge under the Fairlady emblem on the rear. The interior will pretty much be stock with better seats and probably leather versus the vinyl.

I've been itching to get into another project. My last hot rod was a 97 Nissan 240SX with a LS3 under the hood. Sadly it was stolen and found burned to the ground. Here's a couple of pics of that build.

Started with this piece of junk:








Turned it into this:









Ended up with this

[sleepyzzz]

welcome to the site. you have me hooked on what your plans are for the car. just wondering if the thugs that stole your last ride were ever caught. and hung for burning such a beautiful ride.

[65Ch3v3LL3]

There was one person that was charged but never admitted to doing the crime. As far as I know he has not seen a court date as of yet and its been about a year and a half since it was stolen. I'm sure there were accomplices but they have not been found. I had one hell of a time getting the insurance company to pay up but in the end I sent them a file about an inch thick with $50,000 in receipts and about 600 photos of the build so I did get the parts value back out of it.

As for the chassis and the build as a whole it will be a very slow process since I only get a few weeks a year to work on it until I get out from over here. If what I build works and performs well I plan on offering the CAD dimensions and parts listings to anyone that might want to replicate it. The Solstice control arms are easy to come by. Currently eBay has a ton of brand news ones at around $50 a piece or less. Also the stock braking while being mediocre for a 3000lb car should perform quite well with 1000 less pounds. And of course building everything from scratch makes swapping in a non-standard engine that much easier.