Vehicle Description
1968 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1 Reproduction For Sale in Yukon,
Oklahoma< /br>< /br>Look out sports car enthusiasts!
This 1968 Chevy Corvette ZL-1 Reproduction is a dream come true for
any true appreciator or collector of pure American made muscle.
This two-door convertible has been fully restored from the ground
up and no expense has been spared in regards to it's parts and the
time that has been invested into this quality representation. In
fact, the total cost far exceeds the asking price! This is an award
winning vehicle and truly an amazing work of art. Powered by a
Chevrolet reissued ZL-1 all aluminum, true 427 that is mated with a
Holley 850 cfm, 4-barrel. The original 390 horsepower, 427 engine
block is included so that you can have proper matching numbers. It
also comes with 4-speed manual M22 Rock Crusher Transmission. Both
hard and soft tops are in pristine condition and go with the
car.< /br>< /br>This Corvette ZL-1 Reproduction was
built by Gary Cluck. The details of his successful quest in
building this beautiful beast, are as follows....< /br><
/br>Our trip to the 1997 Funfest event at Mike Yager's Mid
America Design facility pretty much started it all. On the return
trip we decided to stop by at the National Corvette Museum and tour
the assembly plant at Bowling Green. While there, we saw the
original 1969 ZL-1 owned (amongst others) by Wayne Walker and now
by Roger Judski, of Maitland, FL.< /br>I was impressed. But
since there were only one (or two) ZL-1 cars ever built for sale to
the public, it was clear that I couldn't buy one. So I decided I
would build one. I had originally thought that I would have to find
a 1969 car but, after researching the matter, I found it didn't
really matter. In 1969 Zori Duntov built his ZL-I mule using a
leftover 1968 (according to GM records) so I figured this would be
good enough for me. too. The first car I found, whether a 1968
or'69, would be the car that I would rebuild. I planned to do a car
that would look as close to original as possible but with current
parts and technology.< /br>The car I eventually found, on
March 30, 1998, came from St. Louis with a 390hp big block, M-2O,
HD positraction, radio and full wheel covers. Corvette Bronze in
color with Tobacco interior. The car also happened to have a low
serial number (19467854AA274). As we were doing our work we found
that a lot of the pieces had been stamped as "Sample OK" or
"PilotJob"< /br>The car was a total wreck. There was no
fiberglass in front of the doors. The rear end was intact but with
a rather high lip on the spoiler. I thought I could repair this,
but as it turned out the whole rear section had been hit and
repaired too many times. It would all have to be replaced. At some
point in time the drive shaft had blown, taking the battery box
with it. It had been cobbled together with matte and resin, but
this was going to have to be replaced too.< /br>The work on
the body started around July 15,1998. Front fenders, hood surround,
and lower valances were replaced with NOS GM parts. The rear deck,
fenders, tail lamp and filler panels are GM reproduction pieces.
All bonding strips were bonded-in and the seams were then ground
down and reinforced with matte and resin, then finished. All door
seams, top deck lid, hood and headlight openings were aligned to
the width of a paint stick. As you can see from the photos they're
pretty close.< /br>The underbody was also a mess. The
footwells were literally hanging in place. And the floor of the
body was covered with small quarter-inch holes...to drain water is
my guess. Thankfully, there was enough of the original material
left to re-glass these pieces back to standard form. Once we had
all of this back together, all panels were DA-ed down with 80 grit
paper. This was the last time a power tool would be used. From here
on it was hand sanding to smooth out the high spots and fill the
low spots.< /br> From here to paint was just as intensive. It
took four months, after starting on the body, seven days a week,
eight hours a day to prime and sand in successive stages. After
that we laid down three coats of Daytona Yellow, three coats of
black for the stripe and three coats of clear. Now it's ready to
color sand and polish, It was a lot of work but I think that the
results speak for themselves.< /br>None of this could have
been done without the help of Mike Estlack. Mike has worked on
Corvettes dating from the late '50s, having built several radical
customs. This is where we acquired our experience; I provided the
common labor.< /br>Naturally, while the body was on its dolly
for painting, there was other work to be done on the chassis. The
frame and assorted parts were bead blasted by J-S Stripping in OKC.
The same day Frank Pendleton, a good friend, spent eight hours
rewelding seams and welding 1969 kick-up brackets onto the frame.
The next day it was primed and painted with Chevy Chassis
Black.< /br>Vette Brakes worked with me on a lot of the
chassis specifications. I selected the 468 pound front springs and
360 pound composite mono rear leaf spring. Selecting the lighter
front springs to reflect the 250 pound lighter aluminum engine was
an important step in maintaining good handling on the finished
product. Sway bars are 1-1/8 inch front and 3/4 inch on the rear.
Vette Brakes also provided the brakes, power booster/master
cylinder, rotors, stainless steel lines and braided hoses. The
front end also used the VB "super" kit with poly bushings.<
/br>The steering box and trailing arms were sent to Van Steel in
Clearwater, FL. Their rebuild included making sure the arms were
true. They were then rebuilt using a stainless steel parking brake
kit and finished off with Smart Struts from VB. Koni shocks were
used on all four corners.< /br>Blumenthal Transmission of OKC
built the M-22 from NOS parts. Like GM said years ago, "It's a
little noisy". Rut with no radio. it sounds like music to my ears.
Blumenthal also rebuilt the differential with a new set of Saginaw
3.55s, as opposed to the original 3.08 gears.< /br><
/br>The interior was a big success in my mind. The interior of
the body was completely lined with 27 ounce double foil insulation.
All the seams were sealed with foil tape. This resulted in a
cooler-than-expected ride in the Oklahoma summer, since very little
of the heat from the engine or exhaust penetrates through the body.
The foil insulation was then covered with Al Knoch carpet, shift
boot and console.< /br> The top is also an Al Knoch product,
constructed from Stayfast fabric, which is currently used on the
new Corvette.< /br>The seats were torn down, frames restored
and sent to Corvette America to be recovered with basketweave
leather. They also supplied the door panels and dash pads.<
/br>< /br>The car was built to be driven on a daily basis.
Therefore the engine was built for the street. My first priority
was reliability and the second was that it must run on pump gas.
Marty Morris of Scoggin-Dickey in Lubbock, TX, said "No problem,
all I need is money."< /br>< /br>The engine was built
using as many GM Performance Parts as possible. The block is a 1996
re-issue of the original 1969 ZL-1. It is, in fact, a hybrid of the
Mark 4, 5 and 6 engines using what I think are the best features of
the three. The heads came complete from GMPP, oval ports with 2.25
intake valves and 1.88 exhaust valves. These were ported before
installation. The cam comes from a 502/502 HP GMPP crate engine.
There are several reasons I chose this cam. It's hydraulic. it uses
roller lifters. and it supplies enough va...for more information
please contact the seller.