Man Widens 1966 Corvette to Fit C7 Interior

Hot Rod Evolution

Dennis Johnson lives in South Hero, Vermont but he grew up in the suburbs of 1960's Detroit. Coming of age around Detroit's muscle car-era street races helped nurture his development as a hot-rodder, and he's owned his share of hot cars, including a V8 Falcon Sprint, a Plymouth Sport Fury, a Ford Galaxie 500, and a Chevy Camaro—all '60s models. But the cars from that era that really got him going were Corvettes, a passion he found out he shared with his future wife Charlene.

When the dreams of their youth finally became the cars in their garage, it was a '59 Corvette for Charlene and a '62 for Dennis. The hot-rodders in both of them took over and one day they found themselves at The Auto Shoppe in nearby South Burlington, talking to co-owner Scott Roth. Soon the '59, a non-numbers matching car, found itself outfitted with a Fast Track chassis from Mundelein, Illinois’ Roadster Shop, uprated brakes, and an LS 376 crate motor from Chevrolet Performance. When it was Dennis' turn to build his Corvette he decided to put the '62 up for sale and get the C2 Coupe he'd always wanted.

First C2

Charlene's heated-up C1 convinced Dennis his new C2 would be a restomod too, and he put Roth on the job of finding the right donor. The '66 coupe Roth came up with consisted of a body that was cracked in half, some boxes of parts, and the all-important valid vehicle identification number. Once they got the pieces back to The Auto Shoppe, the time came to decide upon a plan. It was Dennis that mentioned a C7 interior might be a nice touch, and just a few days later Roth informed him that he was in possession of a full interior from a wrecked 2015 Z06. Just like that the die was cast.

>>What do you think about this 1966 Split Ray right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

The First Cut is the Deepest

After taking some measurements, Roth calculated that the C7 interior was 6 3/8-inches wider than space inside the C2 permitted. Decision time. Cut the C7 parts or cut the C2 shell. There's a saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. We'd be willing to bet there are a lot more wrenches and body tools at The Auto Shoppe than there are sewing machines.  

>>What do you think about this 1966 Split Ray right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Frame Job

That being that, they called the Roadster Shop to order up a Fast Track C2 chassis. Fast Track frame utilizes 10-gauge rectangular and square steel tubing and is designed to work with all the factory body mounts. The chassis Roth selected features the Roadster Shop’s IRS, an Eaton Detroit 3.73:1 Truetrac locker diff in the rear, and remote reservoir Penske triple-adjustable coilovers at all four corners.  

>>What do you think about this 1966 Split Ray right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Adaptation

Once Roth began adapting the chassis, the SplitRay started to take shape. He moved the body mounts outboard to align with the widened body and triangulated the main frame rails to support a larger cabin. The body was then channeled 3 inches to lower it, and dropped floors were added. After smoothing the frame welds, both the frame and suspension components, following current practices, were treated to body-grade custom paint. 

>>What do you think about this 1966 Split Ray right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Extra Width

To retain as much of the C2's classic proportions as possible, the rear window opening as made two inches longer to balance out its newfound width. With that done, a buck was shipped to Bent Glass Design of Hatboro, Pennsylvania so that they could make new glass. New aluminum window moldings were also made, and Evod Industries of Escondido, California fabricated custom emblems, sill plates, a billet aluminum grille, and (19x11 front and 20x13 rear) wheels with knock-off style caps. An extra set of taillights was added, also to disguise the 'Vette's new width, and when the body was done it was finished in PPG Waterborne Sharkskin Grey metallic paint. 

>>What do you think about this 1966 Split Ray right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

LS Time

The task of providing power to match the impressive chassis went to Chevrolet Performance, as a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V8 went into the engine bay. Roth integrated the 638-horsepower engine into the C2 by modifying the supercharger lid to interface with the hood's functional scoop. Always an issue in achieving LS-engine cleanliness, the coils were relocated under the dash so that the old-school ribbed valve covers could shine. The engine compartment is also home to a custom fan shroud, custom inner fender wells, and all-metal lines in place of the plastic factory items. The flex-pipe looking headers are actually made of over 100 individually welded sections. 

>>What do you think about this 1966 Split Ray right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

Inside Again

Finally, we come to the project's prime mover—the interior. With all that attention lavished on the Corvette's chassis, body and engine, it was only natural not to leave the C7 interior well enough alone. The Auto Shoppe modified the factory console and built a new dash, then loaded them with custom-designed gauges built by Classic Instruments. Richmond Upholstery used soft antique walnut, black leather, and wool carpeting to trim out the Splitray's new insides. The vibe is so current-day that we wonder if Dennis ever forgets he's driving a '66. Nothing that stepping out of the car won't cure, as long as he remembers to step a few inches further outboard than he would have had to in the '60s.

>>What do you think about this 1966 Split Ray right here in the LS1Tech Forum.

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