Pro Touring 1971 Corvette Has Raw American Power and Beauty

A marriage made in heaven

Eric Flemming owns his own 1970 Chevelle which he drag races. When the car isn't racing, it can often be found at shows around the country. Flemming's wife, Lindsay, is usually by his side because she has a genuine interest in the automotive scene: this is a marriage made in heaven. The couple eventually decided that Lindsey should get her own car to have some fun in. It didn't take them long to find a 1971 Corvette that was just right. 

Photo courtesy of Super Chevy.

Getting on the road

The Flemmings took ownership of the Corvette in 2013, but it had been in and out of storage for the previous 10 years. While it wasn't a total write off, it did need some work before it was ready to hit the road. Eric needed to replace the fuel tank as it had become rusty, and the brakes needed to be rebuilt. After this minor work, it was ready to hit the road. Flemming steadily replaced parts throughout his first year of ownership as time allowed. But, in his second year of ownership, he decided to overhaul the car; he upgraded its brakes, suspension, and even dropped in a new LS3 engine.

Photo courtesy of Super Chevy.  

>>Join the conversation about this C3 with an LS3 engine swap right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Putting down the power

Flemming installed a crate LS3 engine and took the car to Road Atlanta to test it at a track event. Overall Flemming was really impressed by how the car handled itself on the circuit. But he thought the new 525 horsepower powerplant put the original automatic transmission under too much stress. This would be an easy fix, however, as Flemming contacted Silver Sport Transmissions and ordered a TKO-600.

Photo courtesy of Super Chevy.

>>Join the conversation about this C3 with an LS3 engine swap right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Altering the chassis

The thrill of having this 1971 Corvette out on the track along with the knowledge that its new transmission would further improve the experience changed things for Flemming. Instead of being something fun for his wife, this would now be his track car. To take the Corvette to the next level on the track, Flemming needed to upgrade it's mostly stock chassis. Over the next few years, he worked with RideTech to continually upgrade the car's chassis as parts become available. It now has Track 1 suspension components and instinct electronic shocks.

Photo courtesy of Super Chevy.

>>Join the conversation about this C3 with an LS3 engine swap right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Complete rebuild

Flemming took the car to Custom Image Corvettes (CIC) in Watertown, South Dakota. It was here that the decision was made to go from a mild overhaul to a full-on rebuild. Flemming explained, "It was at CIC where the build-creep really set in... It started as a re-spray of the original color, then developed into adding CIC flares and changing the color, and ultimately evolved into a full-on rebuild.". The car looked like a different machine entirely when it left thanks to its widened body, fresh paint, and show-quality finish.

Photo courtesy of Super Chevy. 

>>Join the conversation about this C3 with an LS3 engine swap right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Project complete

When the Corvette eventually left CIC it had a brand new LT4 engine from Karl Performance Parts and a T-56 Magnum from Silver Sport Transmissions. This meant the car was now pumping out an eye-watering 640 horsepower and 630 lb.-ft of torque. Some parts needed to be specially made according to Flemming, "Side pipes had to be custom fabricated because they did not exist for a c3 LT4 swap. Countless other parts had to be modified or fabricated.". It can't have been an easy build, but the finished product is simply breath-taking.

Photo courtesy of Super Chevy.

>>Join the conversation about this C3 with an LS3 engine swap right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

For help with service and maintenance of your car check out the how to section of LS1Tech.com