FrankenSport - Body and Paint

All bodywork and paint by The Corvette Shop

What do you do with old Corvettes that have been left for dead, you give them life! That new life can take on many different forms though. In this case, classic Corvette styling meets modern technology. 

Corvette Tech, Inc. builds and sells custom Corvette Resto-Rods and The Corvette Shop does all the bodywork and paint for them. Any Corvette body from 1953 to 1982 can be used along with many different drivetrain and suspension configurations. If you want to "OverHaul" your own Corvette or help with finding a donor car and modernizing it, give them a call. 

During this phase we will be doing the bodywork and paint on this 81. Sitting under it will be an SRIII Motorsports Tube-frame chassis, C4 Suspension, and a Blown Z06 engine. 

This one is going to be painted C6 Lemans Blue with a Galaxy Metallic Strip. Every inch of the body will be worked and when done it will look better than any Corvette that left the factory.  

It started as this:

After stripping:

And when done, it's going to sit on this:

You can see more of the build-up of FrankenSport at www.vettetech.com. 

First step after tearing it all down is a lot of sanding and smoothing:

Some parts may be high quality aftermarket reproductions, but that doesn't mean they just bolt on and fit. This is why it sometimes costs more than expected to paint and install an aftermarket hood. If you want it to look good, it takes considerable massaging to get it right.

Every seam on the car is worked until we feel it is where it should be. This car will be doing some show time so it needs to be right. Most Corvettes when they left he factory, particularly early ones, had many poor fitting seams and panels. If the car was being restored with plans to be judged (NCRS or Bloomington) we would be leaving many of the imperfections and not over-restoring it. In this case, the details will matter so every effort is made and a lot of time put into getting it right!

Into the booth for sealer/primer followed up with a guide coat for lots of sanding to come:

First coat blocked. Time to pull the doors. The jambs have to look as good as the outside

Color Primer/ sealer applied . Blue undercoat tinted in prep for blue topcoat

its Showtime!

Another marathon paint job. Always look forward to a  very full day when painting a multi colored show piece for Corvette Tech, Inc.

Putting the big parts  back on and, Hmmmmm, they still fit!

Trying a new Idea for an underhood color. Jury's out and waiting for feedback.

Bringing it all together. The body is carefully lowered onto the chassis. The amazing thing was that all we used was new rubber body cushions and the body landed perfectly the first time. No shims were used or needed. Doors open and close "like butta".  Seams are all right on the money.

And it's time to go back to Corvette Tech, Inc. to put humpty dumpty together again.