1967 Chevrolet Corvette - A More-Perfect '67

A further search led him up to Maine, where the Corvette that he found that far away from home was far away from perfect-or intact. "It was just a cowl-back kind of derelict car," says Jeff. "The bonus of this thing was that the 'birdcage' was very good. It had actually been stored inside a garage, so that the birdcage was in excellent condition." Instead of going the restoration route, Jeff decided early on that he would Vette Rod it, taking advantage of later-generation Corvette chassis technology. As Jeff puts it, "I wanted to use the new suspension-I wanted a higher-performing suspension and a much better ride, as well."

And what engine did Jeff choose? How about a very-early-production LS7, one of the early ones out of The General's Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan. "I managed to get that through Davidson Chevrolet, up in Canton, Connecticut," Jeff says. "I know the owner there, and he managed to use a little persuasion to get one of the early-release engines." Jeff had a few upgrades in mind for the LS7-namely custom MSD ignition wires, a Katech "Torquer" hydraulic camshaft, and relocated coil packs.

To some observers, that upgraded LS7, and the custom three-inch, Flowmaster-muffled exhaust system it breathes through, make up the only sound system in the car. Not so, says Jeff. "We hid the system in the rear compartment behind the convertible top and fabricated a cover for it which houses the subwoofer and the two rear channels-there are two front channels, the two rear channels and the subwoofer. The entire system is driven from a 40-gig iPod and an Alpine 5 channel amp."

Are you planning on building a fine ride like Jeff's Midyear? "I'd hate to think that someone would start with something worse than I did," Jeff says. "I'm echoing a lot of the same things that Rich Lagasse said and preached with his Split Personality C2. That is, try to find the most complete car you can, one with no more parts on it than what you want, but no less than what you should get, including all the trim and the hard-to-find parts. You can really get into trouble quick, in terms of cash, to try to obtain all those things."

And, as Jeff shows us, staying out of that trouble while building a Vette Rod like this is one way to make the '67 Sting Ray "more perfect."

Data File: '67 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible
Owners: Jeff and Diane Cleary, Chesapeake, Virginia

Chassis
Frame: SRIII Motorsports round-tube frame
Suspension: (Front) C5 Corvette with QA1 coilovers (Rear) C4 Corvette with QA1 coilovers. All aluminum parts smoothed and clear epoxy coated.
Steering: C4 Corvette rack-and-pinion with Flaming River tilt column
Brakes: Baer "Extreme 6" disc brakes with 6-piston calipers and 14-inch rotors all around, Hydraboost power assist unit and Hurst Line-Loc
Wheels: Production C6 Z06, 18 x 9.5 inches all around
Tires: Nitto NT 555 275-35/ZR18 front, 295-35/ZR18 rear

Transmission
Modified Tremec T-56 six-speed manual
Built By: Rockland Standard Gear, Sloatsburg, New York
Shifter: Hurst with C6 Z06 knob and boot
Rear End: Narrowed Dana 44 with 3.90:1 gears, and rear axles/Positraction by Tom's Differential, Ponderay, Idaho