I'd go auto, since both frames were autos to begin with. It keeps you from having to source/hang the pedal assembly for one, plus, the auto frames will not have the bracket for the clutch Z-bar to pivot on. Of course, you could go hydraulic, depending on what standard trans you opted for. The removable trans crossmember is a plus, tho.

______________

Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I'd do a newer auto with overdrive.  I have to wear ear plugs on the highway with my 4 spd. 

______________

Sounds like a great candidate for a kick azz restomod.

Will a '79 frame set up for rubber bumpers fit under a '71 chrome bumper car?


|UPDATED|12/4/2015 11:09:37 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


______________

   

Front bumper is all bolt on brackets from the frame horns. The rear bumper is a matter of cutting off the rear section and transplanting the approximately 18 or so inches from the rear of the original frame off the 71.  Exact measurements are a mystery until I actually do the cutting and welding..  Yes, it would be much easier and probably pleasurable to drive as an auto.  I restored a friends 70 Chevelle SS and we took it to the Woodward Dream Cruise 2015. It was awesome to feel that 4-speed wind out but on the freeway it was not too much fun between the engine revving and being passed by newer cars doing 75-80.  To do 80 in the 454 4-speed Chevelle would have been ear plug time!  My 71 Vette has a 3:36 axle which would make for decent freeway cruising. Sure it would cost me some stop light hole shots but overall it would be pretty nice I think.    Maybe a newer trans with overdrive would really be the best of both worlds.  Any suggestions from anyone out there of the least headache approach to fitting a 71 350 mild build to an updated O/D auto trans? 

Hey F4Gary   love that 72 LT-1   is that brands hatch green?  I am really considering restoring my 71 in that very same color. I have dark saddle interior so it appears your 72 does also.  How do people like that color?  Not that it matters, but I'm looking for some help in pushing me  over that line of decision.  My 71 is originally war bonnet yellow and I really don't care that much for the color. 

War bonnet Yellow was/is my favorite color! I sat at work in high school staring out the the window at a '72 roadster in that color. I ended up with a '70 roadster in a darker Elkhart Green respray but I lusted over the Warbonnet.

______________

Brands Hatch Green.  Does this help put you over the edge?




______________

   

Very cool!    I always think of the sales brochure picture of this color back in 1971..  I was 11 years old and my Dad took me to work with him on a Saturday. He worked at a Chevy dealer and I spent the morning checking out the cars in the showroom and of the cars in there I can't remember exactly their colors.   Grabbed a few brochures of everything and that 71 Vette sticks in my mind every time I see a chrome bumper Vette.  Front cover is Brands hatch green and inside a Sunflower yellow. One cool color also is Steel cities gray, or at least the name is way too cool sounding. Loved Corvettes ever since. What 9-11 year old doesn't??  But my wanting one never changed, this is the closest I'll probably ever get to a 70-72 with a tank sticker and super low miles.   Thanks for the pics and encouragement.. LOL  It may be all I needed..

The memory of being with your dad at work is very sentimental!! That's the color I would go with. Look at the last post of the car in front of cafe and imagine it in the yellow. It would really pop!! Steel city gray is an awesome color and gets plenty of attention at shows.

______________

Nice Pic!  Too bad the calendar is firmed up already.  Yes, I see the scrapes on the car, but still a good pic! IMHO

A.  That pic was the cover of the 2014 calender.

B.  No scrapes.  Light reflections.



______________