Invention is known to sprout from necessity, but innovation isn't so laissez-faire. While pioneering this '66 into a Vette-rod is Brent Jarvis' cup of tea, this ride is not only worthy of being featured in the pages of Corvette Fever but actually alters the landscape of the Vette-rod category altogether. Not to be mistaken for the usual flavor-of-the-month concours-restored showpieces, modified drivers, and street machines that commonly grace CF's pages, this Candy Orange coupe is so wrought with novel customization and masterful fabrication trickery that it quite possibly could be the new watermark for future one-of-a-kind Corvettes.
Resurrected from a once-totaled '66 big-block coupe that was literally severed in two longitudinally, this Corvette underwent a four-year revitalization process that would make the likes of Dr. Frankenstein envious. Not a single inch has gone untouched, most of which either has been smoothed, reshaped, filled, or simply replaced. We poured over Brent's Corvette for most of the day, going so far as to hoist this menacing machine up on a chassis lift to permit our camera-for-hire, Jerry Heasley, to crawl underneath and snap some shots of its pristine undercarriage and running gear. What we came away with was a mere glimpse of the talent and capabilities of Brent's Performance Restorations out of Mundelein, Illinois.
Brent's love affair with Chevrolets is what fueled his interest in opening Performance Restorations, and it was in 1999 that Brent took possession of the original big-block from a friend. The Corvette was quickly taken back to his shop and treated with a coat of Pearl White paint and a set of 17-inch five-spoke wheels. The 427-powered machine served its duty as a driver for Brent until the early morning of September 11, 2001. Before the first passenger jet hit the North tower, Brent lost control of the speeding Corvette and plowed it into a guardrail. Thankfully, Brent left the accident largely unscathed, but the Corvette fared far worse. The impact was so severe that the stamped sheetmetal guardrail sliced into the passenger side of the '66, deep into the interior and out through the tail, literally splitting the coupe in two.
Initially, Brent figured on merely restoring the big-block coupe due to its rarity. Since the original block was long gone, a suitable replacement would have to be located in addition to the insurmountable task of reassembling the eviscerated Corvette. The tally of the work necessary to restore the car turned out to be disadvantageous to building a completely unique, modified Corvette. Acknowledging the potency of this Corvette, Brent opted to pour all of the shop's resources into constructing a perfect Vette-rod. Every aspect of the machine would exceed the factory engineers' wildest imaginations. Suspension, handling, acceleration, chassis stiffness, body roll, weight distribution; everything would be equal or better to the General's own skunkworks-built race cars. That was the plan, now to put it into effect.
Brent had the crippled Corvette wheeled into his shop and unleashed his best fabricators on it. The original chassis was the first part of the car to go under the knife. The fore section of the original frame was torched off and refitted with a new front stub capable of housing the new fifth-generation Corvette suspension components, rack-and-pinion steering, as well as surviving the astronomical torque produced by the projected powerplant. The aft rails were narrowed an astounding 10 inches, 5 on each side, to accommodate the future giant rolling rubber. The chassis was shaped and reshaped several times; its final manifestation was welded and sealed shut. All evidence of previous welding vanished under the fury of grinding wheels, thick filler, and layers of paint.
All late-model C5 suspension equipment was configured to the custom front clip with both control arms brought in 2 inches on each side and connected via a custom fabricated 131/48-inch chrome-moly tubular, adjustable sway bar. With the overall dimensions of the rear narrowed nearly a foot, a C4 rear axle was cut to fit. Heim-built jointed chrome-moly tie and camber rods were installed alongside a 31/44-inch tubular, adjustable chrome-moly sway bar. The Dana 44 in question was fitted with a stout Posi mated to 3.07 gears that spin the stock C4 axles and customized 4-inch aluminum halfshafts. The super-high gears were intended for more than just "freeway flying," rather, Brent has joked with us about seeing how close to 220 mph he can get his machine. Nevertheless, the intimidating 17x911/42 and 18x12-inch Colorado Custom rims wrapped in 265/40ZR17 and 345/35ZR18 Michelin Pilots are all stopped by only the best in Corvette-brand braking equipment; C5 spindles and calipers with Baer 13-inch slotted rotors and Performance Friction Racing pads up front and back (PFR #99 pads in back; #01 in front), all cooled by specially made air ducting that run to the rear of each caliper's hat. All of this is cushioned by QA1 adjustable coilovers at each of the four corners.
Technology has its place, but sometimes the most tried-and-true methods of attack take precedence over excessive electronic tinkering and over-zealous engineering. Nothing is truer than with Brent's choice of power. This motor can be more aptly referred to as a nuclear facility than a mere powerplant. Measuring in at a whopping 555 ci, the Donovan block was stroked 4.250 inches and bored 4.560 inches, the same bore dimensions as the GMPP ZZ572/720R block. AES of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, was enlisted to build the fearsome motor. A custom-ordered Callies crank was lightened, internally balanced, and knife-edged. While billet-steel connecting rods push and pull anemic CP 11.1:1 compression pistons, fearsome Dart 320 square-port aluminum cylinder heads top the lung after being fully ported, CC-machine cut, and chamber-polished. Large valves with Manley springs and Jesel aluminum shaft-mounted full-roller rocker arms comprise the rest of the top end's breathing prowess, while an overactive Erson solid 0.762-lift roller cam commands the internal fireworks. A Hillborn EFI looks old school but runs like a '68 Super Stocker with eight individual air horns gulping down gallons of fresh air with the flash of the accelerator. Giant fuel rails feed the thirsty machine, all controlled by an underdash engine-control module. The big-block Chevrolet was married to a Richmond manual six-speed with a 0.82 overdrive built by Crash Enterprises of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Brent says his future ambition is to see just how fast the final machine can perform at either a track course or on a dry lake bed.
As the Corvette was coming together, the body needed the greatest amount of intensive care. Having been shattered by the collision with the guardrail, most of the fiberglass skin was beyond mending. The splintered '66 grille was disposed of and replaced with one from a '63. The front bumpers were also put aside, while the front marker lights were relocated behind the grille's barred grin. The fender bulges for said marker lights were shaved and smoothed, tidying up the front fascia. Interestingly, Brent had the characteristic side gills filled and smoothed for a continuous look. The cowl vents were smoothed as well, incorporating a unique hidden-vent system fabricated specially for the '66 and mounted under the fenders. The factory-style big-block bulge was sectioned and raised over an inch in overall height, while the underside of the hood was smoothed.
The engine compartment got the lion's share of the tailored treatment. The firewall and inner fenderwells were smoothed and all looming was tucked underneath and out of sight. The rear valance was handmade as well as the rear bumpers, while the bumper bulges were shaved off the sides and tail.
The most significant of all the changes was a lateral lift of the entire tail of the body, raising the rear deck 2 inches, while flowing all of the body lines to match. The result is subtle, so much so that if it went untold, many would never notice, though their eyes would notice that something was definitely different. The floors received the same treatment, smoothing the fiberglass as well as the undercarriage, all painted in several layers of the signature paint. The hue in question is a special (and mostly secret) combination of Hugger Orange covered with three different layers of varying pearl coats, topped with a mist of Candy Orange.
Unless previously specified, everything was done in-house at Performance Restorations and engineered and fabricated by Brent Jarvis and his crew. While not at the track or peeling the asphalt from the streets, Brent's machine is intimidating even standing still (which it rarely does). Obviously, the '66 is driven to shows, primarily as a chief example of Brent's facility. What classic cues the modified C2 coupe's design holds is quickly coupled with the vehicle's overall staggering state of being. This Corvette is simply gorgeous. With all that being said, we want one.