AC: As I drive the car, it seems so balanced. I have a hard time imagining what more a person could want in a Vette rod. It also seems to track right down the road in a straight line with no pull to the left or right. On hard acceleration, the car pulls very straight as well.BD: You are correct. If you just let loose of the wheel, it will track straight down the road. I like this car so well, I'm having a hard time delivering it to my customer.
AC: Well, you are in a great position to build another one just like it if you want, right?
BD: I guess you're right.
AC: Have you thought of adding a Corvette Correction logo to the interior on the turnkey cars you build?BD: I have thought about it lately. My gauge manufacturer will put anything I come up with on the gauges. In fact, I'm going to start doing that from now on. I have gone through five sets of gauges so I think its time to start badging my cars somehow.
AC: I think a logo on the speedo or tach would look great.
BD: Yes, I agree. I think that's a good idea.
AC: On a final note, what do you think would be the absolute cheapest amount of money a person could build one of these Vette rods for?BD: Do you mean if you built it yourself, or if I built it?
AC: Either way.
BD: I put $28,000 in my own personal car but I scrounged up a bunch of stuff and did all the work myself. I think you could easily build one of these cars for $35,000 and still buy the frame from me. It all depends on how good a scrounger you are. You could probably build one for less. I bought some new stuff I didn't need to buy, so it all depends on a lot of variables.
AC: Well, Billy, it looks like we've run out of time. I want to thank you for allowing me to take your latest Corvette for a spin. Hope to see you again soon.BD: Thanks for taking one of my cars out for your Dream Drive series. I look forward to seeing it in print.
About The Car
The car featured in this article is owned by Vickey Ormsby and Reed Wiegle of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. Vickey relates how they came to own the car and what led them to Billy Dawson:
In August 2002, Corvette Correction had a dark green, tan interior '58 convertible at the Corvettes at Carlisle event. I jokingly said to Reed that this was the car I wanted to take home. We started talking to Billy and Sherry (Billy's wife) about the car and the frame. Gathering information and spending the day together were our goals while at Carlisle that year.
Over the next year, we discussed building a Corvette and tried to decide if we were really serious about a car. We wanted a C1, but much preferred the way Reed's '93 handled. Reed investigated all the frame conversions that were available and decided he liked Billy's design the best.
By August 2003, when Billy and Sherry were again at Carlisle, we decided to at least go to Texas to see their operation and drive one of their cars. My mom's surprise birthday party in Bartlett, Texas, gave us the perfect opportunity. Arrangements were made and in September, we drove Sherry's stock '60 Corvette and then Billy's '58 Vette rod. By then, it was an easy decision to look for a car and leap into the project.
The hunt was on and-surprisingly-by doing an Internet search on Corvettes, we found a car that we thought would work. In fact, we had two very good candidates: one out West and the other in North Carolina. North Carolina was an easier flight schedule so Reed flew to Raleigh for the weekend and looked at the car. With a deposit and arrangements made for completing the sale, we were the proud owners of a '62 silver Corvette, complete with both hard and convertible tops, and all its chrome.
It had been modified years ago with an early '70s LT1, an M22 four-speed, and 4.10 rear axle. It was in driving condition, and from what I could see in the pictures, only required getting it into better driving condition-new frame, transmission, engine, and so on.
We were going to drive the car to Texas, but I didn't want to be stranded on the side of the road with old equipment. So during Thanksgiving week the car was shipped to Billy, and when we went to Texas in mid-January 2004, I finally got the chance to see it in person; The camera certainly didn't show the droopy nose! A prior repair wasn't up to the Billy Dawson standard. My heart sank somewhat: What I had thought was something of a steal, really wasn't.
We drove the car to get a feel for what it was like prior to its restoration. Droopy nose and all, it was a thrill knowing we'd have something to enjoy and have fun with after all was said and done.
The decision was made that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. With little more than a handshake, we were on our way.
Over the next several months, I learned about gear ratios and a lot of other things required to improve the car. Reed researched and talked to Billy. I, on occasion, nodded at the appropriate moment.
Between January 2004 and April 2005, we were in Texas a couple of times to see the car. When I saw it with its new paint, it was chilling. I knew with Billy's guidance and vision, what we pictured in our minds had become a reality. We had a classy car and were really going to enjoy it.
At the end of June 2005, the car arrived in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, and it's been a real joy to drive. A lot of hard work and ingenuity by Corvette Correction went into making our car a reality: Many thanks for all the work and guidance.
In August of 2005, Billy invited us to bring the car to Carlisle so people could see a completed car of his, and we gladly accepted. Seeing the reaction of people who stopped at Billy's booth in Carlisle was a positive affirmation of our project.