Eddie’s Rod & Customs takes a 1963 Corvette from Stock to Supercar
If there is one old car that many enthusiasts feel should not be sliced and diced, it might be the 1963 Corvette split window coupe. Surely an American automotive icon, the ’63 can be tweaked a bit, but many purists demand that if heavy customizing is in store, pick another year.
When Eddie Pettus of Eddie’s Rod & Custom found an original, low-mileage ’63 coupe in excellent condition, his customer Jorge wanted it massaged into a restomod. Once in the shop and under construction, however, Jorge decided to go full speed ahead and transform the ‘Vette into a wild modern street machine with supercar aspirations.
Starting with the body, the front fenders and rear quarters were widened, and the doors as well, which were widened 3.5-inches to maintain the original style lines. Other body mods included a custom hood with functioning scoops to feed fresh air into the engine. Side scoops were also made operational to help cool the oversize braking system. Carbon fiber front and rear bumpers from Brothers Composites, along with a custom front splitter and rear diffuser, add to the car’s modern feel, as does the satin-finish Glasurit Roque Green paint.
Following the supercar scope of the build, significant power and suspension upgrades move this 1963 Corvette decades forward from the original 327c.i. V8. A Chevrolet Performance LS3 from Steve Morris Racing Engines cranks out 1,000 or more horsepower, thanks in part to force-fed air and fuel from a Whipple supercharger. Custom headers and a custom titanium 3-inch exhaust system dissipate the exhaust waste.
Behind the engine, a Bowler-built T56 six-speed manual transmission directs the power to a Strange Dana 60 rearend housing with 3.73 gears. The Art Morrison chassis has 16-inch Brembo carbon ceramic rotors in the front and Brembo 15.5-inch rotors in the rear. HRE P200 wheels (20×10-inches in front, 21×12 in the rear) are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport 4S tires.
The modernized interior was a collaboration between Avant Garde Design and Eddie’s team. Avant Garde 3D modelled and printed the door panels, console, and dash. Custom seats were fabricated by Avant Garde and covered in black Nappa leather. A Ringbrothers steering wheel tops an Ididit tilt column. Holley Pro Digital gauges replace the original units, while Ron Francis wiring connects the electrical components and a Vintage Air system cools the passengers. The high-end sound system is managed by a LinkSwell head unit.
A peek at the dashboard shows 566 miles on the odometer, so this slick 1963 Corvette does get driven. If the 180mph speedometer has ever been pegged, though, no one seems to be talking.
Photos: John Jackson, Damon Lee
