Sunset Pearl '56 Vette Rod Combines Best Of Old And New

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What generation of Corvette makes the best Vette Rod? Some say the C2, combining the classic Sting Ray styling with latter-day Vette power and handling. Some say the C4, as a well-used one can be turned into quite a performer and looker (like what we're doing with Project C4orce). Wayne Ausherman's '56 makes a strong case for treating first-generation Corvettes to Vette Rod-style powertrain and chassis updates, along with some custom touches all its own.

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Underdash lighting sets off the distinctively-painted dash, billet steering wheel, and the interior trim,
which includes repro carpeting and ultra-leather seat covers.
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If you're afraid that Wayne tore up an ultra-rare '56 to build his beauty, don't worry...Wayne says that the driver-quality C1 that he found in Connecticut was far from a Top Flight car. "It was not the original color, matching numbers, or anything like that, but it was a decent driver," he says from his Frederick, Maryland, home. "The owner was retiring and moving to Florida, and he couldn't find anyone up there to put air conditioning in the car. He said that he wasn't going to have it in Florida without A/C in it. I wanted the car, so I didn't tell him about Vintage Air-and it has Vintage Air A/C in it now!"

Wayne enjoyed his '56 in its as-purchased state for about a year, and then he decided to do something with it. That involved swapping the original front and rear suspension for Jim Meyer's high-performance hardware. "I like the Jim Meyer stuff, because I like to play with the car a little at the dragstrip-the 9-inch and four-link under the car, and coilovers-I like that idea," says Wayne. "Of course, having tubular A-arms and coilovers up front with rack-and-pinion steering-I like that too."

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A Billet Specialties steering wheel on an ididit column, ultra leather seat covers and Tangerine Metalflake
paint on the dash make this C1's cabin a distinctive one.
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He also liked not having to replace his C1's original frame, as the Jim Meyer Racing parts were bolt-in replacements for some OEM hardware whose designs dated back to the '40s. "You don't have to cut your original frame up," Wayne says. "You do have to make a couple little tack welds, like for the rear sway bar mounts, but nothing that can't be ground off and fixed (restored) later. It's not like you're cutting the frame up."

Even though Wayne did much of the work himself, he did get some help with the '56's frame." I took it up to my brother's house, in a three-car garage that he has, and re-did the whole suspension. That's where I POR-15'd the frame."

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Custom shifter ball tops a Hurst Competition Plus shifter that stirs the Muncie M-21's gears
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Another difference between Wayne's car and other Vette Rods: the powertrain. Instead of picking an LS-series engine or a later version of The General's venerable small-block, he stuck with the non-original engine that was in the car when he bought it. "It's a 283, whose block was bored out to four inches, giving 301 cubic inches," Wayne says. "It's got a good Comp Cams camshaft in it, and I put a quiet gear drive in it. It's got heads from a 365 horsepower 327, with 2.02-inch intake valves, and it's also got a 750 Holley on it." Backing the now-301 is a Muncie M-21 four-speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter, with a 3.55-geared nine-inch rear end putting the power on the pavement via the Goodyear-shod American Racing Torq-Thrusts.

Wayne definitely went the custom route when it came to the '56's body. Instead of major modifications that you'd see right away, Wayne added details and custom touches that you notice the second or third time you look at them. Those include: A NACA duct in the hood, filled-in stock exhaust holes, a '55 rear bumper, tan vinyl on the auxiliary hard top, and "Z56" emblems on the sides, which Wayne made with a CNC machine after he scanned in the "Z06" emblem.

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Wayne added these ducts forward of the rear wheels, along with a NACA duct in the hood.
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As for the body and interior color, Wayne says they're something that a lot of people ask him about. "Everywhere I go, the first thing that people want to know is, what color is it? It's House of Kolor's Sunset Pearl, and the dash is Tangerine Metalflake." Those colors were sprayed on by Wayne's buddy, Mickey Schultz, in Union Bridge, Maryland.

Instead of being a "perpetual project" that's never quite finished, Wayne got his '56 done to the condition you see it here in about two and a half years. What's this Z56 like to drive? "It's a ball, but it sure does draw attention," says Wayne. "The car is very adjustable in height, ride, and everything."

If you're considering a first-gen Vette Rod of your own, following Wayne's example is a good idea. "I'm not a purist, and the car was not numbers-matching when I bought it," he says. "This is what I wanted to do-I wanted the old look with later technology, that I could get in and drive to Ocean City, Maryland, or anywhere I want. It's got air conditioning, power windows, rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes-and you can do all that without ruining a good car."

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Data File: '56 Chevrolet Corvette coupe
Owner: Wayne Ausherman, Frederick, Maryland

Body
Modified production '56 Corvette

Body Modifications: Handmade Z06-style "NACA duct" hood scoop, Z06 rear brake scoops, '55 Corvette rear bumper, '59 Cadillac taillights, exhaust bezels capped/filled, lowered tag frame, '06 Corvette exhaust tips, vinyl-covered hardtop, one-off Z56 emblems, crossed-flags emblems replaced OEM nose/deck emblems

Bodywork: Mickey Schultz, Union Bridge, Maryland
Paint: House of Kolor's Sunset Pearl acrylic lacquer; paint preparation and applied by Mickey Schultz

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Look close, and you'll see plenty of custom touches like a '55 Corvette back bumper, '59 Cadillac taillights,
and filled-in exhaust openings at the aft end of the rear quarters.
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Chassis
Frame: Production '56 Corvette

Suspension: Jim Meyer Racing front/rear independent suspension with QA1 shocks all around

Steering: Rack and pinion with chrome ididit column
Brakes: Discs at each corner replaced the overmatched OEM drums

Wheels: American Racing Torq-Thrust, 15 x 6 inches front, 16 x 7 inches rear

Tires: Goodyear Integrity, 205-65R15 front, 235-60R16 rear

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Wayne substituted a one-piece '55 Vette rear bumper for the '56's two-piecer, and now the exhaust
exits below the car.
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Big disc brakes on each corner stop the '56 much better than its OEM drums did,
and look great behind the Goodyear-shod American Racing Torq-Thrusts.
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Engine
Modified chevrolet small block v8

Engine Built By: Owner

Displacement: 301 cubic inches

Modifications: Original 283 block bored out to 4 inches,
TRW pistons, steel connecting rods, forged steel crankshaft

Compression Ratio: 10.5:1

Cylinder Heads: Modified cast-iron production smallblock Chevrolet 327/365 heads (2.02-inch intake, 1.94-inch exhaust)

Ignition: AC/Delco dual-point distributor with Taylor wires and Billet Specialties wire looms

Induction: Weiand cast-aluminum intake manifold with a Holley 750 double-pumper carburetor

Camshaft: Comp Cams hydraulic

Exhaust: Hooker Headers with 1 5/8-inch tubes and 3-inch collectors, 2 ¼-inch stainless steel pipes and Flowmaster mufflers

Horsepower: 375 @ 6500 rpm (Estimated)

Torque: 420 ft. /lbs. @ 6500 rpm (Estimated)

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Wayne bought his '56 with a 283 under the hood. That engine now displaces 301 cubic inches,
and wears a set of 327/365 heads and a 750 Holley under all the brightwork.
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Transmission
Muncie m-21 close-ratio four-speed manual

Shifter: Hurst "Competition Plus" with custom shifter ball
Rear End: 9-inch rear end with Dutchman axles and Jasper 3.55:1 rear gears

Interior
Restored/modified '56 corvette

Interior: Restoration work by Classic Upholstery & Glass Company, Frederick, Maryland

Modifications: Billet Specialties steering wheel, '58 Corvette center console modified to fit power window and HVAC switches, '61 Corvette nose letters placed vertically on glove box, lower dash painted Tangerine Metalflake and pinstriped by Nelson Grimes

Seats: Restored production '56 buckets, upholstered in beige/tan ultra leather

Carpets: Auto Custom Carpet dark tan (loop-pile)
Instrumentation: Production '56 Corvette (0-140 mph speedometer plus fuel level, ammeter, coolant temperature and oil pressure gauges)

Sound System: JVC AM/FM/Cassette player with 12-disc CD changer, Pioneer speakers

HVAC: Vintage Air

www.corvettefever.com

[Bumblebee]

Drop dead gorgeous!