NCC 55 Chevy Project Car
Well folks, as you can see we are having so much fun with Paul's "Wagoon" we have decided to build another car. This car will be set up as more of a "track" car than a daily driver. That is not to say that we are going to give away any of the drive ability that NCC chassis' are known for. The whole idea behind this car is to make the best handling car that we possibly can. To do this we started with the chassis. A main reason in having a vehicle handle well is to keep it light and let the suspension do the job of soaking up bumps. If you can take away as many of the other variables that flex and move, you will have a more refined and better driving car. On this frame and a few other customer frames, we went to the extreme and built a light weight sheet metal X-member. This will give the frame more rigidity and give the suspension a good solid platform to start with.
To keep with the theme of ultimate handling, we decided to move the motor back 5" into the fire wall making the '55 a "front mid engine" car. Moving the motor back also allowed us to drop the front of the motor down. Doing this helps the car achieve a 50% front/rear weight balance. It brings the center of gravity lower and in the middle of the car. The motor we decided on is a LS-3 376ci/480hp with a 6 speed Tremec transmission. With this upgrade in power and torque we thought it would be best if we gave the car some more rubber in the rear. To do this meant that we would need to tub the rear inner fender wells. This will allow us to run a 315 rear tire.
Because the primary use will be on the track, we are going to run stiffer springs and larger sway-bars than we would typically recommend on most customers street cars. This doesn't mean we want to get beat up when we do drive it on the street. To help with this, we installed our "Free Action Link Kit" in the rear of the car. This kit replaces all the stock Corvette links with our Billet aluminum links and spherical bearing ends. We have found that with the new links the ride is dramatically improved over the standard urethane bushings. The front of the car also received our "Free Action Bearing Kit" to help give us a tot firm ride without it being harsh. Our main goal with this car is to be fast on the track, but because of the independent rear suspension and superior Corvette geometry we don't have to give up comfort on the street.
While deciding what to do with the car to set it apart from some of the other cars out there and keeping in the mindset of ultimate performance, James came up with the idea to put the mufflers in the front fenders. The thinking behind this is to cut down on the amount of tubing used and therefore reduce weight. This is also something that we have never seen done before and thought it would be a neat idea. At this point the mufflers are in place in the fenders, and we are working on the outlet and ducting to get cool air to them.
As for now we have decided to not worry about the outer appearance of the car, but instead focus all our energy into getting the car mechanically sound and ready to hit the road. The interior is another area we are not too concerned about. Because the car is going to spend most of its time on the track, we are opting to save weight and go without A/C or a heater. The creature comforts will be at a minimum but it's going to be FAST! We will keep you updated as we move along so please check back.
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Finished Frame |
X Member |
| Fire Wall Modification |
Tunnel Modification |
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Motor Set Down and Back |
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Free Action Link Kit |
Rear Tub to Allow 315 Rear Tire |
Muffler Placement |
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Exhaust Outlet |
