1965 Chevrolet Corvette - Down Under Thunder

For some added custom detail, Rick fashioned dash knobs, window handles, a horn button, doorsill plates, and a full complement of underhood caps from billet aluminum, then had Chevy bow-ties engraved into most of them. Along with these pieces, Rick fabricated the radiator overflow tank, window-washer reservoir, alternator bracket, oil catch can, battery cover, and radiator cover from stainless steel.

Three years ago, Rick installed a Weiand 6-71 blower for some extra oomph, but after two years of heavily boosted driving, the local transport authority politely "advised" him to remove it. Earlier this year, he purchased a Garlits air-cleaner assembly for another project he was working on, and that's what now resides atop the Vette's Quadrajet-fed small-block. Rick reused the lift-off hood he'd made when the blower was installed, so everything except the Garlits system's faux injector stacks is covered up nicely.

Total time spent on the project was 10 months, a spectacular feat considering the amount of custom fabrication involved and the fact that Rick did much of the work himself.

Built for show and go, the '65 is driven as much as possible, and it has garnered many local and national accolades along the way. Most recently, Rick piloted the car from his home in Queensland to the Australian Corvette Nationals in Sydney, a round trip of more than 1,200 miles. He gives special thanks to Kit, from Kit's Crash Repairs; Bill Payne Motor Trimming; Daniel, at Performance Polishing; Barry Burton, at Wizart; Mark King, at King Springs; Steve, at Custom Chrome; and his wife, Julia, and daughter, Danielle, for all their help in building this sensational C2.