Blown C5 Corvette Built by the Son of Two Drag Racers
Slideshow: The son of two drag racing parents was bound to grow up with a need for speed, and this nicely built C5 Corvette is his outlet.
Big Influence
There's a pretty good chance that at least a few people reading this grew up with a parent that participated in some drag racing in their heyday. And that obviously tends to make you want to do the same. But the owner of this nicely done C5 Corvette grew up in a household where not just one parent, but both hit the quarter-mile on a regular basis.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
Bow Tie Fan
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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Love at First Sight
So in 2001, when Shemeley was looking for a new ride to add to his collection, he cruised on over to MKC. That's when he spotted this fixed-roof '99 and immediately fell in love with it.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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Modification Motivation
At first, the Arctic White Corvette served as a daily driver, even on the salty winter roads of New Jersey. But after a while, Shemeley became motivated to modify his stock 'Vette after spending some time here at Corvette Forum.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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Catching the bug
Shemeley started out with some basic bolt-ons, including things like a Vortex Ram Air kit, SLP 85mm mass air, and a MAFT translator. And then, he went to a place he was rather familiar with, Raceway Park, where he proceeded to rack up over 100 passes on the car.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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More Mods
Of course, that only led to more modifications. Soon, this C5 sported 4.10 gears, hardened shafts, Cartek racing clutch, and Corsa mufflers.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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Ending Obsession
But the obsession didn't stop there. Soon, the 'Vette was in the good hands of Anger Management Racing for a blower cam, C5-R timing chain, updated valve springs, a ported oil pump, and a rebuilt/upgraded transmission.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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Nice Trade
But those mods only set up what was to become the proverbial cherry on top - an ECS supercharger kit Shemeley bought with money he earned from selling his jet ski.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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Getting Serious
After installing the blower himself and getting ECS to tune the new setup, Shemeley also added a C5 Z06 titanium exhaust and meth injection. The new setup produced just under 600 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque on the dyno.
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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Track car turned show car
After that, Shemeley knew that his track days in this Corvette were over because he didn't want to install a roll cage in it. So he performed a host of exterior mods and transformed it into a show car. Needless to say, he's quite pleased with the result. “I think I built the perfect C5 Corvette … inside and out,” Shemeley told Super Chevy. And who are we to argue?
Photos Courtesy of Super Chevy.
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