For those who would like to be able to enjoy the ride and handling of a new Vette with the bodystyling of an early model, Street Shop Inc of Athens, Alabama offers a solution that’s sure to make your ’53-82 car drive and corner far better than it did when it was new from the GM factory.
In fact, the very technique behind Street Shop’s suspension and chassis perfection lies in their in-house use of CAD (Computer-Aided Drafting) to design a Mandrel-formed, 4″ x 2″ x 0.12″ rectangular tube frame that far surpasses the construction of the original welded, thin-walled platform used in all C1, C2 and C3 Vettes.
A single-piece chassis, Street Shop’s frame also weighs less than a factory C1-3 frame while advanced CAD design allows the use of ’88 and later Vette suspension components. According to shop owner, Tray Walden, the combination makes for a fusion of old and new that is truly unique. “What we offer is a completely new chassis using C4 or C6 suspension – coilover shocks, bigger swaybars, better brakes [and] late-model drivetrains so we can basically create a new Corvette that looks and feels like an old Corvette.”
Street Shop’s use of CAD in ensuring frame geometry also allows for the construction of an all-new chassis that still maintains the factory locations for the Vette’s body, engine, and bumper mounting brackets, while the use of coilovers at all four corners allows for a ride dynamic that can be adjusted by swapping to springs with a different rate.
Also allowing for a more extensive array of brake and motor options, Street’s chassis can accommodate 4 or 6-piston Wilwood calipers, along with small and big-block mills or any motor from the entire Gen III LS lineup.
Street Shop of Athens currently holds three U. S. patents, a sign that they’re about innovation not imitation. Now anyone, for the right amount of money and imagination, can own a truly unique Vette that no one else has!