Grown Up Together ::: Modified,...
Grown Up Together ::: Modified, restored, Vette Rodded...Jeff says his '63's been through every phase and craze of Corvette-building through the years.
Clint also went the overdrive route with his gearbox, putting in a Tremec five-speed and-like his Dad-modifying the shifter to stir the new transmission while fitting through the stock console. He says the gearbox swap was the most difficult part of the build. "The thing about my projects is, I get to sit back and watch Dad struggle with about three different things, and I get to pick what works!"
Underneath, Clint also kept the stock frame and upgraded the chassis in much the same way Jeff did on his '63. A spreader bar went in up front, and a fiberglass rear spring replaced the stock steel leaf bundle. The '73 also got an aftermarket Jeep steering box, all the better to maneuver with the big slabs of rubber (BFGoodrich Comp T/As on 17x9.5-inch ZR1 rims all around) in each fenderwell. Like Jeff's Vette, Clint's also got an upgraded steering box-one that utilizes a late-model Jeep Grand Cherokee pitman arm swapped in. "It's a ton better, and the drivability of it is much more directionally stable," he says of the steering upgrade. "It made it to where I wasn't afraid to go with those big, heavy ZR1 wheels."
Going the Distance ::: The...
Going the Distance ::: The '90-vintage TPI 350 wears Street & Performance "block hugger" headers, a Vintage Air A/C system, cooled by an aluminum BeCool radiator.
By watching his father work on his '63 and other Corvettes over the years, the younger Montgomery has almost a university level education on the Science and Art of the Corvette. He's also taught his dad a thing or two. "I taught him how to browse the Internet, and he's now like the Pied Piper on the online Corvette forums," he says. "He is a wealth of knowledge. I take credit for watching him and learning from his mistakes."
Do the Montgomerys have any advice for anyone planning to buy or build a Corvette? "Fix the steering. The whole steering system is terrible from 1963-1982," says Clint, noting the effects of fatigue and corrosion, as well as the ancient design of the original C2 and C3 steering boxes. Jeff's advice: "Buy one that's done, and buy the best you can afford. I always advise friends who don't have a lot of mechanical skills or experience to buy something that's already working, and get in it and enjoy it. To do what we've done with this car, most of the enjoyment has to be from the building of it." Jeff adds that too many Corvettes sit in the shop or garage. "You get your money's worth when you go out and play with them. Get out and drive them!"