Buckets Custom upholstery...
Buckets
Custom upholstery by Charles Sanner livens up the '73's stock buckets. The rollbar is visible behind the seats.
But nice isn't one of the words you'll use to describe Bob's '73 "C3-HR" (named for the Corvette's third generation and HarborVette Restoration), once he turns the key. "This car sounds so mean!" says Bob, who also notes a key feature of the VBP-enriched undercarriage. "It's a very strong, adjustable chassis, where you can change the ride exactly as you want it. There are four different settings. I ride it pretty hard-I just like that feel." Though it's a car that can carve up the twisties on a road course like Mid-Ohio with no problem, Bob says it hasn't shaken itself apart when he's driven it hard. "We built it so it was tight," he says. "I've been driving it, and there are no rattles in the chassis-it's solid as a rock!"
Should you be considering building your own Vette-Rod, Bob advises, "Buy one with a complete body. Don't start from the ground up."
 Gauges Top shelf Auto Meter...  Gauges
Top shelf Auto Meter Maximum Performance speedo, tach, oil pressure, and fuel level gauges are directly in front of the driver. |  Where It All Started Bob...  Where It All Started
Bob says the rear body of the '73 was what he started the project with. Thanks to HarborVette Restoration, the one-time basket case is now a looker. Paint is PPG Silver/Grey two-stage. |  C3-Hr One of the finishing...  C3-Hr
One of the finishing touches to this custom Vette-Rod are the special one-off C3-HR emblems. |
| DATA FILE ::: '73 Corvette "c3-hr" coupe |
| Owned by Bob Lucas, Union City, Pennsylvania |
| BODY |
| Restored/modified production '73 Corvette Coupe |
| MODIFICATIONS | L88 hood and fender flares, custom tube grille, rocker moldings and front bum
per, smoothed firewall/engine bay, widened rear spoiler |
BODYWORK AND PAINT
PREPARATION | HarborVette Performance Restoration, Erie, Pennsylvania |
| PAINT | PPG Silver Grey (basecoat/clearcoat), applied by HarborVette Performance Res
toration, Erie, Pennsylvania |
| CHASSIS |
| FRAME | Original '73 Corvette, powdercoated silver |
| SUSPENSION | (Front) Vette Brake Products (VBP) Grand Touring Plus adjustable compo
site monoleaf with VBP upper/lower tubular, poly-bushed A-arms and Bilstein
shocks; (Rear) VBP Grand Touring Plus adjustable composite monoleaf with
VBP upper/lower tubular, poly-bushed trailing arms and Bilstein shocks |
| STEERING | Steeroids rack-and-pinion system, power assisted |
| BRAKES | VBP C5 four-wheel disc brake conversion with slotted rotors |
| WHEELS | Boze, 18x9-inch front, 18x10-inch rear |
| TIRES | Falken 265/45/ZR18 front, 295/45/ZR19 rear |
| ENGINE |
| Overhead-valve V-8, Chevrolet LS1 |
| BUILT BY | More Performance, Charlotte, North Carolina |
| DISPLACEMENT | 350 ci |
| IGNITION | Stock LS1 individual cylinder coils |
| INDUCTION | LS1-style electronic fuel injection with LS6 intake |
| WIRING HARNESS | EFI Connection custom harness |
| EXHAUST | Street & Performance headers, Flowmaster mufflers, mandrel-bent 23/4-inch
diameter stainless steel exhaust pipes with H-pipe |
| FUEL DELIVERY | Custom electric in-tank fuel pump and Rock Valley stainless fuel tank |
| HORSEPOWER | 485 at 6,700 rpm |
| TORQUE | 395 ft-lb at 5,400 rpm |