Faria got the idea for his...
Faria got the idea for his "Z062" Vetterod at the Corvettes at Carlisle show, where we photographed it last year.
The interior got the full-on Al Knoch custom treatment, with red and black Italian leather going on the door panels, dashpad, steering wheel, as well as on a pair of Wise Guys bucket seats Knoch modified with extra padding and bolsters. A repro Wonderbar radio with iPod and MP3 plug-ins went in the dash (under the dashpad, which hides the speakers), Classic Instruments gauges went in the stock gauge pods, and a custom clear shifter knob was made with a C6 Corvette logo embedded inside.
In all, after Dawson hauled the '62 from Rhode Island to Texas, it took only eight more months to create this "Z062." Faria made four trips to Texas from Rhode Island while the build was in progress, to see how his Vette was coming together. In late May 2008, the '62 was finally finished.
Since then, Faria has enjoyed it immensely. "It drives beautifully," he says of his 430-plus-hp Vetterod. "It handles great, and it's fast as hell. It's the fastest thing that I've ever owned!" That enjoyment is shared by everyone who sees it, per Faria. "Wherever I go, it's always a major conversation piece. It gets a lot of attention"
Maybe you've thought of building a Vetterod of your own, from seeing the ones like Faria's featured in the pages of VETTE, or at events like Corvettes at Carlisle. If you've had that idea, Faria has this advice: "You need to plan this thing out ahead of time," he says. "You need to be very well organized and have a good idea of what you're going to do. Even then, you will come up with all kinds of problems, changes, and this and that. I had plenty of time to make my changes, because I had four years.
"There were so many decisions to make, like what kind of interior you want to put into it, what kind of wheels, and what kind of brakes. It's like building a house-there are so many options you have, and decisions you have to make."
Behind the Boyd Coddington...
Behind the Boyd Coddington wheels and big Riken tires is a C4 Corvette front suspension, which bolted right up to the Corvette Correction frame.
The '62's rear deck medallion...
The '62's rear deck medallion was replaced by this LED middle brake light.
Custom touches extend to the...
Custom touches extend to the fully carpeted trunk.
Third time's the charm. Faria...
Third time's the charm. Faria originally chose a used LS1, then a new-in-the-crate LS2, before finally settling on this LS3 for power. The engine bay was smoothed, much as the body was.
Al Knoch Interiors stitched...
Al Knoch Interiors stitched up the '62's dashpad, door panels, and steering wheel. Knoch also added extra bolsters and padding to the Wise Guys buckets before treating them to two-tone Italian leather.
Looks stock, doesn't it? Look...
Looks stock, doesn't it? Look again-Classic Instruments gauges fill the original gauge pods.