1977 Corvette - 377 CID Stroker - TH-350 Automatic - Nearly Every Part New

1977 Chevrolet Corvette Deluxe Interior Additional Info:

Nearly completed project vehicle is being listed with NO RESERVE. Body-off resto-mod. Frame was taken down to bare metal and repainted with etching primer and multiple finish coats of black paint.
Many (most?) remaining parts to finish the car are in the seller's possession and will be offered to the buyer in a separate transaction, if desired. These parts include interior panels, pillar plates, gauges, etc.etc.etc.
This project car is NOT finished. It is not currently able to be driven! It will be the buyer's responsibility to finish it as desired.
Seller will offer the buyer vehicle transportation within 1000 miles radius at the rate of $2/mile each way. The trailer is an open car hauler not an enclosed trailer.
This car was built to be a hot rod and a driver not a show car. There are some blemishes in the paint. The most notable of them are a few dings on the passenger side door and the passenger side head lamp cover.
Nearly every single part was replaced brand new. New engine block. New stroker rotating assembly. New intake manifold, headers, full length exhaust and much, much more.
The highest quality Spicer universal joints were installed and the entire rear end was rebuild using all new parts except the original housing and gear carrier. New rear gears, axles, suspension components (front and rear) were purchased for this car.
Well over $50K spent on parts. A lot more spent on labor, paint, assembly.
The engine is a standard bore, high performance GM 350 4-bolt main block with ARP main studs added. New, heavy duty, forged I-Beam connecting rods from SCAT along with dished, forged aluminum pistons and a 3.750" stroker crank from SCAT were added for 377 cubic inches of displacement. A Competition Cams 12-422-8 hydraulic roller camshaft, roller lifters and steel roller rocker arms were also used. To top off the engine, Dart SHP 180 64 CC aluminum cylinder heads were selected for maximum port velocity and low-end torque production with 2.02" intake and 1.60" stainless steel exhaust valves.
The goal for this engine was to be incredibly responsive in a fairly heavy, all power accessories late-model C3 Corvette. Conservative "Desktop Dyno" calculated power is 437 HP at 5500 RPM and a whopping 475 foot pounds of torque at 4000 RPM. In fact, the dyno software reports over 450 foot pounds of torque throughout the entire effect RPM range making this power plant an excellent way to move the (factory original) curb weight of 3868 pounds! (C3 Corvettes are not particularly light.)
From a factory rated stock 180 HP to more than 430 should seriously wake up what was--in 1977--a fairly sluggish "performance" car.
Many of the design goals for this combination are perhaps not overtly apparent. The original paint color was red as was the original leather, deluxe interior with burly wood treatment. It came equipped with a base engine and a luggage rack. It was meant to be someone's driver. The original odometer has something like (I don't recall for sure) 78,000 miles on it. There's no telling if it rolled over or not, but my guess is that it did not.
When I got the car, someone had started taking it apart and gave up on it. It has all new suspension components to include polyethylene body, frame and suspension bushings.
Some of the photos show an aluminum water pump pulley, but it is are NOT on the engine and NOT included in this auction. It was initially used to run-in the engine on a run-in stand. Likewise, there is a single groove aluminum crankshaft pulley shown in the photos, which is also NOT on the engine and NOT included in this auction. Today, there is a factory stamped steel water pump pulley (with grooves necessary for power steering, brakes, A/C) and an aftermarket aluminum multi-groove crankshaft pulley.
Some highlights include a high performance Edlebrock aluminum (Corvette-specific) water pump, factory original type (new) clutch fan (belt driven), high performance mechanical fuel pump, MSD electronic HEI ignition.
All new wiring harnesses are installed throughout the car. All new A/C components.
New polished aluminum air-gap dual plane intake manifold (again, think low RPM torque monster). One should be able to ARP 12-point studs used throughout the engine assembly.
New heater core, box, just about anything and everything available from Eckler's Corvette was purchased new for this resto-mod, which also features an Eckler's PN: 25-100717-1 LT-1 style hood (over $750 by itself). The hood (and the entire body) was expertly attended to by a first-class fiberglass expert and fastened with all new hardware including hood hinges, etc. To give the car a bit more pizzazz, a 1980 style rear bumper cover with 1980 taillights was used, which I think make the car really stand out as not your average late, plastic bumper C3.
The factory rally wheels are fitted with BF Goodrich T/A Radial tires to include a matching spare. The original chrome trim rings and center caps are available, but new (no Corvette logo/lettering) replacements are available separately.
New door locks, door handles, new power window switches, new master brake cylinder, hoses, hood release cable...the list of all new parts goes on and on and on. All new transmission cooler lines, brake lines, all new four wheel disc brakes, backing plates, more..more..more...
I have no expectation of getting out of it anywhere close to what I put into it and I should have stopped a very long time ago. So, I am parting ways with both the costs of it and the space needed to keep/store it in my garage. The car has always been garage kept as long as I've owned it. I have never driven the car. It has a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel that is original equipment. I have a new lock set for the steering column that will go with the car as part of this auction.
Did I say new wiper motor? New blower fan and motor? New alternator, A/C compressor. The TH-350 was purchased "new" from Jegs as a street-strip part. I'm sure that it was a rebuilt transmission by someone like TCI for Jegs. It has a Chrome oil pan and a new Jegs, large volume (kick-out sump design) engine oil pan.
The exhaust system is all new and made by Hooker as a "kit" from the headers to the tailpipe extensions and specifically designed for C3 small block Corvettes. It features 2.25" dual exhaust pipes into two "turbo" style mufflers and, as such, the car should ride relatively quiet for a hot rod. One of the design goals was to be a bit of a sleeper and not wake the neighborhood or rattle the glass by being loud. It should have a very healthy exhaust note, but there isn't much duration/overlap to the cam that would make it seem like a dead give away as to the performance that it packs.
All new T-top hardware was used.
The winning bidder will be required to sign a very simple agreement that dissolves the seller from any liability associated with purchasing this vehicle. That includes a statement of no warranty and that the car is being sold AS IS. It should be obvious, but it is NOT ready to drive and the buyer will be responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is properly transferred from the seller's name in a timely manner.
If you do not agree DO NOT BID. You will also be responsible for ensuring any regulatory compliance necessitated by your intended usage of the vehicle. For example NO original SMOG equipment exists on this vehicle. I do NOT have any of the original smog equipment with the auction or separately.
The majority of the work remaining is to complete the interior. I do have 90% (or more) of the parts (available separately) to complete the interior. My intention was to do all of the interior myself except for reupholstering the front seats, so I do have (available separately) most of the interior parts needed to complete the interior EXCEPT for the seats themselves. Only the driver seat is currently in the vehicle the passenger seat is included but both are NOT reupholstered and show typical/average wear.
Note that one of the photos shows a Holley 750 DP carburetor, which is NOT included in the auction but is available separately.
ASK ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE BIDDING
I will endeavor to answer promptly and completely. This is a 100% NO RESERVE auction. Bid to win and check back frequently because you know that there will be those who are waiting until the end trying to snipe it.
If you live in the Huntsville, AL area, I will deliver it at no charge with the same caveat that applies, once you have won the auction the vehicle is yours and I will not be liable for any damages that occur in transportation or storage of the vehicle.
100% full payment of the winning bid amount must be paid by way of bank cashier's check within 7 days after closing. The car must be picked up by the winning bidder within 14 days after the auction closes.
I've already said it, but I'll say it again. The car DOES NOT DRIVE at this time. The brakes work and it can be pushed but it is not able to be driven onto or off of a trailer. It must be pushed/rolled on/off.
Nearly every part is brand new. I'm fairly certain that just the cost of parts that I've spent on it will be less than the final auction value, but, if the auction does go to a specific number that I am keeping to myself, I will include ALL of the remaining parts that I have with it that are available separately should the auction close below my magic number. This is to encourage bidders to bid to win but, also, so that I don't have to mess around with all of the remaining parts in separate deals/auctions. To give you an idea, each deluxe interior door panel costs $379.99 from Eckler's and I have the carpet, etc. The sound deadener is already installed in most places in the interior.
All new body bolts were used. The access 'doors' to the body bolts are new. Imagine just about every single part on this car is brand new. Some obvious parts that are NOT NEW but have been reconditioned include the steel wheels, the rear end housing itself, the frontstabilizer, the t-tops.
This car is not a particularly collectible Corvette. It has the Stingray body style and the flat rear window, but it was also the first year that the Stingray name was not applied to the badging. GM must have been embarrassed to field a Corvette with only 180 HP. Fear not, this machine makes serious power and will be a dream to drive when completed.
The engine was designed around using high octane, pump unleaded premium fuel ONLY. These are pre ECU, which means that there is no engine computer to control predetonation, retard engine timing or anything common today. This is an old school, classic design with a carburetor and an HEI ignition system with some added updates such as hydraulic roller camshaft, high velocity small port aluminum cylinder heads and a factory-style belt driven cooling system, which works at the expense of some power loss due to the drag. However, it does have a brand new clutch fan so, at some reasonable speeds the fan should not be driven. I would strongly encourage you to use high quality fuel and perhaps even octane booster during hot summer months. At a bare minimum, you should be prepared to monitor it and/or retune it to meet the needs of your area.
I want you to be able to enjoy your purchase and to get the most benefit out of it. To that end, I will endeavor to work with you to make your experience as smooth as possible. I've accepted that I am losing money on this deal no matter what price it sells at. My guess is that I have roughly $54K into it not counting my time and I probably don't want to really know how much I've spent in total on it, which is another reason that this is a NO RESERVE auction. No second thoughts. Whatever losses I have are on it are on me so bid like you want to buy and finish a fantastic project car. The starting price is less than what I have in the engine alone.
Again, this is NOT a show car. It is not a multi-point accurate restoration. It is a "resto-mod." Meaning, that I picked some non-factory parts to make it a hot rod, but also a bit nice looking (in my opinion) than the factory original car as produced.
NO FLAKES - DO NOT BID IF YOU ARE NOT READY TO PAY WITHIN 7 DAYSNO EXCEPTIONS 100% POSITIVE EBAY FEEDBACK SELLER