1971 Chevy Corvette Stingray - Project C3 Triple-EX UpdateWhere We've Been- And Where We're Headed From the April, 2010 issue of Vette By Dave Young Photography by Amy Coleman, Dave Young, Kevin DiOssi
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Our '71 Stingray has come... Our '71 Stingray has come a long way since we began this project. This month we'll recap our progress while looking forward to continuing the modifications to our Vette. RESTORING and modifying a performance car-be it a Corvette or other some brand-involves many complex processes and decisions. From the inception of the project, the end result must be envisioned by the builder in order for the car to meet the desired goals of the build. Being VETTE magazine, our vision for our C3 project car was not foreseen as a run-of-the-mill restoration, but rather as a highly modified, fun-to-drive automobile. With this in mind, we decided to build the car for all-around performance, starting with the basics of safety, and then upgrading the car's systems for an eventual engine swap to a more powerful mill. It's been almost a year since... It's been almost a year since we picked up our C3 project vehicle, and we've made a lot of gains in a short time. Going forward, we'll perform additional upgrades to ready the car for a more powerful engine. If you've been following our project, we think you'll agree that we've accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time. After picking up our 1971 Chevy Corvette Stingray, we gave it a quick safety check, repairing any substandard items that existed and giving the car a good detailing. Since then, we've gathered baseline dragstrip and braking data, and begun modifying the car with a new fuel system from Holley and Summit Racing Equipment, fresh ignition parts from MSD, and an upgraded cooling system from Zip Products. We've also treated the Vette to a fresh paintjob, thanks to JD's Paint and Body Shop in Mulberry, Florida, and BASF, who supplied the Diamont paint supplies. Finishing out the exterior, we installed all new door seals, door handles, emblems, mirrors, rocker moldings, and lenses from Corvette Central, along with a pair of new rear bumpers from Year One. Thanks to the foregoing mods, our Stingray is fast becoming a solid foundation in which we can install a more powerful engine and aftermarket transmission for even better performance. And we have plenty more upgrades we'll be covering in the months ahead, from SLP ZR-1-style wheels and Nitto Invo performance tires to Stainless Steel Brakes braking hardware and a Steeroids rack-and-pinion conversion kit from Speed Direct. Our first priority was to... Our first priority was to get the car running properly, which included replacing the cooling system with new items from Zip. Our warmed-over small-block runs consistently cooler with Zip's aluminum radiator and dual electric fans. We're also planning an interior makeover for our Stingray, which will include a rollbar, better seats, five-point safety harnesses, and Auto Meter gauges from Summit Racing. The balance of the interior will be restored with new carpeting, door, and dash panels, as well as fresh T-top seals, finish panels, and a rear window. Additionally, we plan to add modern sound deadening material, a quality aftermarket sound system, and to repair our car's air conditioning, ensuring a more pleasurable experience as we cruise our Corvette to car shows and various testing venues. We replaced our antiquated... We replaced our antiquated ignition components with an MSD 6AL-2 controller, Pro-Billet distributor, HVAC coil, new plug wires, and a super-cool digital shift light and tachometer. In addition to providing more ignition power, the MSD system offers the safety of a two-step rev limiter. Even at this early point, we're enjoying a sports car with V-8 muscle, good balance, nimble handling, and great braking-the hallmarks of any well-tuned Corvette. Our car has been transformed from a fairly used and neglected Stingray into a reliable, attractive performance vehicle, one that receives positive responses from the general public and enthusiasts alike whenever it's driven. We have some ideas in mind for the future of this project, including a possible stroker small-block with aluminum cylinder heads, or perhaps an LS engine swap. We won't rule out supercharging or turbocharging for some really sick power, and we'll almost certainly discard the Borg-Warner T10 transmission for a five- or six-speed conversion. We'd love to know what you think of our project so far, and we look forward to hearing your ideas for future upgrades as well. It's easy to contact us by email, so be sure to visit www.vetteweb.com and tell us your thoughts concerning project C3 Triple-Ex.  To improve our Vette's fuel...  To improve our Vette's fuel delivery, we installed a Holley "red" electric fuel pump and high-volume mechanical pump for system redundancy, then re-plumbed the car with new 3/8-inch aluminum fuel line from Summit Racing Equipment.  A Holley 750 carburetor was...  A Holley 750 carburetor was installed to provide our small-block with plenty of fuel and air; it runs better out of the box than the older-model carburetor we replaced. Look for a future article on carburetion as we track test several intake-and-carburetor combos.  For now, we've cleaned up...  For now, we've cleaned up our car's interior and repaired the various gauges and lights in the cockpit so that they work properly. Future interior upgrades will include a rollbar, new seats, five-point harnesses, and Auto Meter gauges.  With our car running and driving...  With our car running and driving properly, we decided it was time to make it more aesthetically appealing. JD's Paint and Body Shop applied multiple coats of BASF Diamont in GM's 2009 Cyber Gray color, then added multiple layers of Diamont clearcoat and a subtle Baldwin Motion-inspired stripe in black.  Before any car leaves JD's...  Before any car leaves JD's Paint and Body, the clearcoat is buffed to a mirror finish. Any car that attracts attention like a Corvette deserves a nice paintjob, so we were happy to get this phase of the project accomplished early in the build.  After painting, we installed...  After painting, we installed new emblems, lenses, door seals, sill plates, rocker moldings, mirrors, door handles, and all the adjacent hardware with new pieces from Corvette Central. Replacing these parts really sets off our new paintjob, and these pieces should be considered mandatory when repainting your car.  Prior to paint, we performed...  Prior to paint, we performed some brake and dragstrip testing to establish a performance baseline for our Stingray. As we upgrade the engine, brakes, and suspension of this vehicle, we'll perform further testing to gauge our progress.  We chose a set of SLP Performance...  We chose a set of SLP Performance Parts' 17-inch ZR-1-inspired aluminum wheels and mounted Nitto Z-rated Invo performance tires on them. In addition to complementing our new paint, these wheels and tires will reduce unsprung weight and offer far better traction than the factory 15-inch Rally wheels and radials.  You haven't read about it...  You haven't read about it yet, but we've installed a new Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation kit on our car, along with SSBC's big-bite rotors. Be sure to follow future issues to see how easy this installation is-and for the impressive results!  Before we pull the 350 from...  Before we pull the 350 from our car, we'll test some different induction and exhaust systems and let you know what combinations give us the best performance.  Also in our car's future is...  Also in our car's future is an upgrade to a Speed Direct Steeroids rack-and-pinion conversion. We look forward to responsive, modern-car handling after we perform this simple installation.  We're enjoying driving our...  We're enjoying driving our Stingray so far, and have even had some fun racing Editor Heath at the local dragstrip. As our C3 progresses, we hope to give his more-modern Corvette a run for its money on the track.  As you can see, we've transformed...  As you can see, we've transformed the look of our C3 with new paint and wheels, and we've also upgraded it into a reliable, fun sports car. Be sure to log onto www.vetteweb.com to let us know your thoughts about project C3 Triple Ex.
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