|
|
Chevrolet Corvette C2 - The Timber Wolf C2 Gets SuspendedThe Chassis, Suspension, Brakes, And Rearend Get Installed From the December, 2007 issue of Corvette Fever By Breck Alvord Photography by David Dungey, Eric Martins, Nikki Miller
|
|
Welcome to the fifth of six total installments chronicling the transformation of our old "carny" Corvette into the ultimate C2 Vette Rod. Last month, the crew at Corvette Restoration AZ installed the 393 stroker motor, five-speed transmission, and HD radiator/fan assembly. In this issue, we will install our chassis, suspension, brakes, and rearend. The final element of our build will be covered next month, which will detail all other components of the interior and exterior, trim, stereo install, final wrapup, and test drive/shake down. Let's jump into the build.  Up & Under Here's a view...  Up & Under
Here's a view of the lefthand fender showing Vette Brakes & Products (VBP) awesome Performance Plus suspension, including their fiberglass, fully adjustable, transverse front spring. We also installed their front disc brake conversion kit with cross-drilled Sport front rotors and heavy-duty steering links. We used VBP stainless steel brake lines and tubular A-arms. Flaming River provided a brand-new steering box and Hedman Hedders provided us with their trick SBC side-dump ceramic headers (and A/C bracket), which exit directly into factory-type reproduction side pipes provided by Corvette Central.  Front & Center We also installed...  Front & Center
We also installed VBP's tubular upper control arms with aluminum cross-shafts that not only look great, but are also super strong and lightweight. Bilstein shocks, provided in the VBP kit, are mounted at all four corners. The left valve cover was removed from the engine to notch out clearance for the new VBP power brake booster, exposing our rolling rocker arms. The Vintage Air Frontrunner System is a compact serpentine belt system that really complements the front of our JD Machine stroker motor. Weiand provided a high-flow aluminum flow pump to circulate coolant. The new power steering pump with an integral reservoir was provided by Detroit Speed & Engineering and is a compact well-engineered unit. Flaming River also provided us with a Borgeson universal joint to connect their brand-new steering box to their killer polished tilt-steering column.  Crossmember Magic A slight...  Crossmember Magic
A slight modification to the front crossmember needed to be made to clear the lower pulley. We simply notched out adequate clearance for the pulley and belt, included a little wiggle room for the engine to move under extreme load, and welded a pocket in place of the notch.  Easy Does It Now we have...  Easy Does It
Now we have plenty of room for the pulley and belt to operate, and we can easily replace the belt when necessary. This was a very simple modification and only required several hours of fabrication.  Stop Me Now As part of the...  Stop Me Now
As part of the Performance Plus package, VBP provided four brake calipers and had them powdercoated red to complement our build theme. They will be clearly visible through the Boyd Coddington-supplied wheels mounted with Goodyear rubber.  Steer Me VBP provided us...  Steer Me
VBP provided us with their power-steering conversion kit that included the control valve, hoses, and powdercoated shielding. With a new Flaming River steering box, our new power steering is all plumbed up and connected. Our ceramic Hedman Hedders are perfectly engineered so as to not interfere with the steering.  All Set Up Front Front suspension...  All Set Up Front
Front suspension is now complete, and everything fits perfectly in place.  Upsy Daisy Front suspension...  Upsy Daisy
Front suspension is state-of-the-art and will allow the Timber Wolf C2 to handle as well as many race cars.  Start Me Safely MSD provided...  Start Me Safely
MSD provided us with one of their high-torque starters and was mounted in place. We decided to err on the side of safety with our clutch assembly. Classic Chevy 5-Speed provided us with a McLeod clutch and explosion-proof clutch housing (along with the Tremec 5-speed) so the car can be driven hard confidently. If the clutch should ever explode, any shrapnel will be contained.  Ratchet Down Eric torqued...  Ratchet Down
Eric torqued all front suspension and fasteners, and installed cotter pins for safety. Headers were connected to the sidepipes. the front end of the car is pretty complete with many race-bred, state-of-the-art components now in place.  Cross Me Up We checked our...  Cross Me Up
We checked our gear contact pattern using a special die. What we were looking for is exactly what you see here. The contact pattern is in the center of the ring gear.  Differentially Clean We have...  Differentially Clean
We have thoroughly cleaned and primed our rear differential housing. Then we mounted the new 3.55 ring-and-pinion gearset and Master Installation kit provided by Motive Gear to our heavy-duty Eaton posi-unit. Once our pinion depth was established, we mounted and installed the posi and gear unit into the housing.  Side Yokes Heavy-duty side...  Side Yokes
Heavy-duty side yokes and seals were also installed, courtesy of Mid America Motorworks. Kim installed the heavy-duty rearend cover and installation kit, courtesy of Muskegon Brake.  All Done Here Now we have...  All Done Here
Now we have a completed third member. the bolts and retainers for the rear axle shafts are not the standard low-performance u-bolts, but caps with grade-A bolts. This was an upgrade GM installed on all factory big-block Corvettes. We'll need these heavy-duty parts on the Timber Wolf C2.  Diff Install The rearend...  Diff Install
The rearend was installed in the Timber Wolf utilizing VBP crossmember mounts, which eliminates flexing for the rearend crossmember bushings. VBP also provided their awesome offset rear trailing arms so we could mount the massive Goodyear meats under the fenders.  Brake Me We mounted our rear...  Brake Me
We mounted our rear VBP calipers, plumbed them into the braking system, and bolted in the adjustable spring mounts.  Trace Me Eric cleaned out...  Trace Me
Eric cleaned out the threads on the third member in preparation for mounting the lower strut-rod assembly.  Badass Shafts A close up...  Badass Shafts
A close up of the 3-inch HD half-shaft from Denny's Driveshaft.  Strutting Our Tuff Stuff ...  Strutting Our Tuff Stuff
We installed the VBP rear strut-rod assembly, powdercoated in red. The heavy-duty sway bar is mounted in place. Denny's Driveshaft provided us with their 1350 Nitrous Series 3-inch heavy-duty rear half-shaft assemblies with HD U-joints, which looked so good in a natural finish we decided to clearcoat them. Lonestar Caliper provided us with new rear spindle flanges and a proportioning valve for the brake system.  Tired Out Goodyear Tire &...  Tired Out
Goodyear Tire & Rubber provided their latest (and greatest) Eagle F1 GS-D3 245/40ZR18 front/295/35ZR18 rear tires that were mounted on Boyd Coddington 18x8-inches front/18x10-inches rear. Junk Yard Dog aluminum wheels give the car a mean but nostalgic look. This wheel-and-tire combination really makes the car look dynamite. the spring height was set to proper level.  Tricky Nikki Nikki Miller...  Tricky Nikki
Nikki Miller models her new C2 taillight earrings provided by Corvette Central. While the guys were busy in the shop building the car, Nikki spent many hours on the phone with various parts suppliers, especially Corvette Central and Paragon Reproductions, sourcing out the hundreds of parts necessary for this high-octane build.  Rear End Me Rear suspension...  Rear End Me
Rear suspension was now complete and looking pretty tough out back. Automotive Racing Products (ARP) ::: Main Bearing & Cylinder Head Bolts
Be Cool ::: Radiator & Fan System
Billet Fabrication ::: Billet Valve Covers
Boyd Coddington Wheels ::: Custom Aluminum Wheels
BTM Cheetah Continuation Cars ::: Wide Body Panel Fabrication
Champ Pans ::: Oil pan & Pickup
Classic Chevy 5-speeds ::: TKO Tremec Transmission Elite Kit
Coffman Corvette ::: Radiator Core Support
Comp Cams ::: Camshaft kit, Pushrods, Timing Chain & Cover, Plugs, Rocker Arms
Corvette Central ::: Sidepipes, Exterior Lights, Battery Tray, Window Seals
Corvette Clocks by Roger ::: Gauge Cluster and Clock
Corvette Image ::: Corvette Front End Assembly & Hood
Corvette Restoration AZ ::: Paint, Bodywork & Assembly
Corvette Rubber ::: Weatherstripping and Window Seals
Custom Autosound ::: Stereo & Speaker System
Denny's Driveshafts ::: Rear Axle Halfshafts
Detroit Speed & Engineering ::: Power Steering Pump
Diamond Racing Products ::: Pistons
Eagle Specialty Products ::: Crankshaft & Connecting Rods
Eaton ::: Differential (Posi Unit)
Flaming River Industries ::: S/S Tilt Column, Steering Wheel & Adapter, Steering Box, Alternator Kill Switch
Goodyear Tire & Rubber ::: Tires
Hedman Hedders ::: Headers
Holley Performance Products ::: Carburetor, Intake Manifold & Water Pump (Weiand)
JD Machine ::: Engine Block, Assembly & Dyno
K & N Engineering ::: Billet Aluminum Air Cleaner
Keen Parts ::: Bumper Brackets, Braces & Rocker Moldings
Lonestar Caliper ::: Proportioning Valve & Rearend Spindle Flanges
MAHLE Clevite ::: Main & Rod Bearings
M & H Electric Fabricators ::: Wiring Harnesses
Melling Select Performance ::: Oil Pump & Intermediate Shaft
Mid America Motorworks ::: HD Side Yokes & Seals
Motive Gear ::: Ring-and-Pinion, Install Kit
MSD Ignition ::: Distributor, Starter, Coil, Plug Wires, MSD6AL Box
Muskegon Brake ::: HD Rearend Cover, Install Kit, Bolt Kit, Locks
Optima Batteries ::: Battery
Paragon Reproductions ::: Emblems, Underbody Components, Bumber Bracing, Trim & Fasteners
Penn-Ohio Corvette Specialties ::: Heat Barrier Kit
Phoenix Graphix ::: '67 Stinger Hood Stencil Kit
Pure Choice Motorsports ::: S/S Fuel Lines
Quanta Products ::: Gas tank & sender
Racing Head Service ::: Cylinder Head Assemblies
Right Stuff Detailing ::: Main Fuel Line and Clip Set
Scottsdale Paint & Supply ::: PPG Platinum basecoat/clearcoat paint
Trim Parts ::: Glovebox Door & Fuel Filler Door Assys.
Vette Brakes and Products ::: Brakes & Suspension Components
Vintage Air ::: A/C & Frontrunner Pulley System
Willy's Carburetor & Dyno Shop ::: Holley Carburetor (build)
|
|
|