Making the
A completely customizable build with over 36 inches of modifications!
This is the Corvette for big and tall men and women!
How It Was Made.
Wooden wheel well template in the driver side wheel well.
Wheel well template made from the passenger side and moved to the driver side to duplicate.
Wooden reinforcement in firewall.
Interior of the vehicle was completely reinforced from the backside to keep the body from moving during body work and mold making phases.
Sweep gauges attached to measuring gauge – Back-filled every 1 1/2 inch going up with Duraglas in blue.
After back filled – Build template for rear wheel well.
Back-filled wheel wells.
Moved to the left side and did the same every 1 1/2 inch up and used template.
Wheel well template back filled on the driver side.
Fill in between 1 1/2 inch blue Duraglas with red Duraglas and shape to body lines.
After Duraglas is roughed in, used light weight body filler to finish off.
Custom templates made to duplicate other side – Attached to measuring gauge.
Checking right to left side with gauges.
Applied a coat of Duratec primer.
Wet sanding, buffing and polishing the primer coat.
Adding more wooden reinforcement before going into mold making process.
All openings have been blocked off and a dam has been build around the perimeter of vehicle so the top mold may be created. Body will have an eleven piece mold.
Top mold is sprayed with red tooling gel and the first lay out of fiberglass mat is applied with vinyl ester resin.
LEFT – Original body plug to be stored at warehouse
RIGHT – Eleven piece mold completed and assembled.
Start building first body from mold by using hand laid technique. All others will be made using the vacuum infusing method.
Body built and mold coming apart and body can be removed.
Body is completely removed from the mold.
Approximately 2500 hours involved in project to this point.
The start of mocking up and building the floor.
Floor taking good shape.
Floor was completely block sanded and resprayed.
Floor was block sanded a second time followed by wet sanding, buffing and polishing.
Gel coat was applied to floor and fiberglass mat is begun to be hand laid.
First mold is completed – This is what we want to see from the bottom. Next step is to make a mold of this mold.
RIGHT – The first mold / LEFT – Finished mold with over 400 hrs involved to create.
Building of the first floor.
Floor sitting on frame, front to rear.
Left and Right rear wheel tubs – Plugs ready to start molds.
Where The Modifications Were Made.
- Floor Dropped – 2″
- Seat Moved Back – 4″
- Decklid Shortened – 4″
- Body Moved Forward – 1″
- Wheel Base Stretched – 1″
- Rear Quarter Panels – 2″ wider each
- Rocker Panels Lowered at Rear – 0.5″ each
- Rear Valance Lowered – 0.5″
- Left / Right Outer Door Panel Moved Out – 1.5″ each
- Moved Rocker & Rear Quarter Wheel Well Back – 2″
- Convertible rear bow narrowed – 1″
- Front Valance Lowered – 2″
- Front Valance Rolled Under – 3″
- Rear Wheel Wells Tubbed – 6″ wider