In 2010, whilst looking at Corvette C2’s on eBay, I came across a picture of a 1965 Convertible that looked like the best value for my limited budget. The exchange rate was approximately R7 to $1 at that stage, and I was shocked at how limited our currency made my seach! There were far better C2’s available however they were way out of my monetary capabilities.
I was looking for a near write-offproject, as I was never intending to try and find a matching numbers Corvette nor to try and restore the car with an old stock 327 engine and drivetrain. What I wanted to build was a classic looking C2 with a modern LS engine with a fresh gearbox . An uptodate resto-mod Corvette.
I also did NOT want any old suspension with outdated controls and an unstable steering box. I wanted an original looking car outside BUT with brand new components underneath for reliability and handling.
After lots of careful thought and doing some more homework, I decided to pull the trigger on eBay. It was not a cheap buy, but realized C2’s are getting quite scarce!! They seem to be the most sought after model other than the new C7.
When the car arrived in Florida, at Ash’s American Connection , he sent me some detailed pics. I was truly shocked at the appalling state the Vette was in. I then realized I was in for some extra hard work.
After an anxious wait of about 5 months the car arrived in Durban and my good friend Richard Irwin graciously helped me with the offloading and transport, whilst unfortunately encountering unexpected issues at the docks and other little snags.
On arrival in Midrand, the cars condition in real life was now even worse than what I saw from the pics 5 months earlier.
Not being scared of any challenge and fully stoked with the new baby, Gaye and I decided to start stripping and sorting the recoverable pieces out that same weekend.
This story is from the Edition 79 edition of SA Hot Rods.
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This story is from the Edition 79 edition of SA Hot Rods.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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