Why I'm not working on my hearse

[Dickey]

This is a fiberglass body sitting on some manner of bar stock frame that simply has four trailer spindles welded at each corner for wheels. Some time later, I picked up an S10 with a 350/th350 already swapped into it for the project.






The truck frame was about 6" too long, so I trimmed it down:






Once that was done, it was time to lift the body up off the junk frame and get it ready for a world of test fitting.






Getting closer but I still need to move the engine back about 8 inches as well as clip the very ends of the frame off so the body can fit over it.


I call it the pink turd.

[hotroddwayne]

I've seen a few of these over the years, they were built and sold for display. There's an ice cream shop not far from here with one on the roof... but it's a '68 - '69 Stingray. Yours is going to be alot of fun as long as you don't mind climbing in it since the doors aren't hinged & there's no interstructure to it. You'll have to tell us about reactions you get when it gets looked over good! I saw it in the background in a few pix of your coach & figured you'd share some info about it eventually... neat project. Who else can have a 1956 Corvette without spending 40K!!!

[LMS]

That's pretty cool, will be a fun toy. Keep this thread updated please.

[Dickey]

I've seen a few of these over the years, they were built and sold for display. There's an ice cream shop not far from here with one on the roof... but it's a '68 - '69 Stingray. Yours is going to be alot of fun as long as you don't mind climbing in it since the doors aren't hinged & there's no interstructure to it. You'll have to tell us about reactions you get when it gets looked over good! I saw it in the background in a few pix of your coach & figured you'd share some info about it eventually... neat project. Who else can have a 1956 Corvette without spending 40K!!!

Yep, those are the ones. They are peculiar. If I keep this for any amount of time, I'll be fabbing an internal cage to reside under the fiberglass around the passenger compartment and cut the doors out so they can function as they should. As it is i'm probably going to let it go after I get the body mounted and have it able to drive onto a trailer. It is a neat looking car but it is still a corvette and I can't quite get past the marquee being something a man buys for his wife.

[pyro]

It is a neat looking car but it is still a corvette and I can't quite get past the marquee being something a man buys for his wife.

No way man, its something you trade in your high mileage wife for, so you can get one twice as young to ride with you. Granted, I never met the little lady, and am sure she is a charming young lady.

[Dickey]

She's alright though I do fault her on her taste in men.

[Dickey]

Crappy cell phone pics but I made some progress that is actually noticeable:






I ended up using a driveshaft out of a C4 vette, and that put the engine well behind the front axle as you can see. I'm hoping to keep it at the height pictured or lower as well to add as much as I can in the handling department. Once I get it as low as I can, I'll weld in the new motor mounts and start work on the steering column and pedal assembly.

[Dickey]

Tacked in the motor mount pads last night. I was able to keep the engine a touch lower than pictured above:







When I get another day without rain, I'll back the hearse out, pull the drivetrain, and weld them properly. I'm pretty stoked about the project at this point.

[LMS]

Looking good.
If you do keep it how will you register it? as an S-10, or a Vette, or some type of kit car?

[Dickey]

Initially, just as a Nissan 720 pickup as that is what the VIN and title are. South Carolina has a provision for registering kit cars and there is always the Georgia route by way of titling it as an actual 57 corvette and then "selling" it to me to title in South Carolina.

[chestypuller]

heck of a gocart you got there. man id sell it too if it was gonna stay that color! hehehe

[Dickey]

Funny you mention that; The color was the only thing swaying me to keep it before I started making some measurable progress.

I'll probably keep the pink/turquoise theme for a while if I start driving it regularly.

[SmoothNlow]

Obviously an older thread, forgive me I've been absent for a bit, but man I'd love to see the body on the frame. Any updates?

[Dickey]

Yeah, I've got the body mounted but I've been dealing with a divorce lately and it turned sour because the greedy bitch I'm married to got her green card and now she would like to own all of my assets too. This is after I bought her her own house free and clear so she would quit trashing mine. As it is, my hearse, blazer, vitara and motorcycle are up for grabs but so is the house I bought her so I'm not sure how things will shake out. I'm still kind of hopeful that she'll get caught outside during the day and simply burst into flames from the sun.

[SmoothNlow]

Yeah, I've got the body mounted but I've been dealing with a divorce lately and it turned sour because the greedy bitch I'm married to got her green card and now she would like to own all of my assets too. This is after I bought her her own house free and clear so she would quit trashing mine. As it is, my hearse, blazer, vitara and motorcycle are up for grabs but so is the house I bought her so I'm not sure how things will shake out. I'm still kind of hopeful that she'll get caught outside during the day and simply burst into flames from the sun.

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