Text and photos
by Paul Sontrop

 That would allow him 21 months to complete the ambitious project.

 Cole and a talented friend set up shop in a local garage and they began working nights and weekends. They had access to the best technology and no budget restrictions. What they could not fabricate themselves, they found in nearby Detroit or various shops and retailers in California familiar with the quirks of Corvettes, 502 crate motors, 6 speed trannys, trick shifters and rear ends. Cole first striped the ‘Vette down to the frame. The undercarriage was completely striped, reinforced and refinished in a body matching Emron red for durability.

 Then came all the custom fabrications to make the power train fit and function. The 502 Chevy engine came with shorty headers. These were replaced with very trick custom fabricated units that produced a whopping 65 additional ponies bringing out the full potential of the potent 502. Custom-fabbed collectors redirect the flow to outboard side pipes with custom exhaust insides that resemble augers. That makes for a unique sound while maintaining relatively low noise levels at cruising speed. The sound changes dramatically when hitting the throttle but still sounds highly tuned.

Cole also acquired a six-speed tranny out of a friend’s late model Camaro but just could not get it to perform properly. He replaced it with a brand new Tremlec unit designed with a removable cross member for easy access of the tranny without having to remove the engine. It also has a very trick clutch set-up because Cole wanted to use the cross shaft off the original Corvette clutch. That necessitated fabricating a complex bracket to hook into the tranny. He also made a special electronic reverse lockout hooked up to a button on the shifter handle for worry free power shifts into fifth gear.  A balanced lightweight chrome moly drive shaft transfers power into a 12-bolt ring and pinion rear end from Tom’s rear ends in California. Chrome moly half shafts transfer power to the wheels. Cole wanted a really robust rear assembly because it’s the weakest part of Corvettes. The heavy-duty unit comes with 31 spline axles.

The radiator was original but they could not get it to work. It was replaced with an all aluminum unit with similar look and angle from Griffin Radiators out of South Carolina.

To maintain the stock look required a lot of maneuvering.  Oil coolers strategically placed also receive lots of airflow from the functional side vents. The rear suspension comes from Vette Brakes. A great deal of local modifications added significant stability and durability. It also features offset trailing arms for super rigidity and firm road grip without wheel hop under maximum strain.

All that giddy-up-‘n-go can be reeled in quick and straight with stainless steel SSB brakes out of Buffalo. They feature four piston calipers on both front and rears behind 17” custom five-spoke wheels. 17 x 7 fronts and 17 x 8 backs are wrapped in BF Goodrich 205/50ZR and 235/45-ZR’s respectively. The vintage spinners on the five spokes were likely the most frustrating engineering feat after the transmission issues. They were not designed to fit the five spokes but were made to fit. Swearing was liberally applied to aid in the process.