Like many of us, Barry had a dream car. Something he constantly thought about and was always building in his head. Something in his mind everyday. Something that he knew he had to have one day. After many years of dreaming about it, he decided to act on this and purchased a 1960 Corvette. Originally, though, he wanted to buy one from the same year he was born-1959, but you don’t always get what you want in life.

Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. These cars are not for sale and we have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. We are not paid, endorsed, or given discounts when we work with another company. We simply saw the photos and felt they should be shared with the world to inspire others on their build. Or, simply put, its great eye candy for those of us who can’t make it to car shows or meetups as often as we would like. This post was made with written consent from the owner.

The car you see today started off horribly when it came into Barry’s possession. Bad enough to make you wonder why he would ever start with it. The car was horribly crashed and had been cut in half only to have another car be grafted onto the back…using pallet wood. Making the doors fit horribly and the car unsafe to drive. But, there was something special about this car. It may have been a 1960 Corvette but it was finished in December of 1959. Not only that, many parts like the speedometer were dated to October 28, the day after he was born. Barry had a choice, he could do an easy build with another car, or this one in disarray that was worth doing and meant something to him. Without hesitation, Barry choose the latter.

Barry had always wanted better suspension, he always planned on installing C4 components. What he didn’t plan on though, was having to replace the horrible frame that was basically held together with bubblegum and paperclips. His buddy luckily had a spare frame lying around and began modifying it to accept the C4 parts.

Then Barry worked on splitting the frame apart again to re-index it and have it fitted correctly, not without reinforcing the rocker panels with steel though. Now it was time to paint, or almost ready. Barry always envisioned having widened rear quarter panels with fiberglass. He took meticulous care to do it properly and feather everything in so it looked as factory as this modification could. The body was soon painted, the chrome was replated and the body was reattached to the frame. Things were starting to come together-it was finally taking shape.

After redoing the electrical, interior and installing the engine there isn’t much else left to do but pop on a fresh set of wheels and go for a cruise. But this is where the real issue in the build surfaced. Barry needed new wheels to fit his wide tubs and he couldn’t find a set white walled tired on the market wide enough for his beauty. Nor could he find a set of wheels with a fake white wall in them to give him the modern tires he craved at an affordable price. There is a famous engineer by the name Heckendorn who used to say “Why buy it when you can build it for twice the price?” and that was the same method Barry took in his endeavor. Why buy an expensive set of white walled wheels when you can make you own company, design, mill, finish and then sell them yourself?

Thus enters the Deluxe Wheel Company. After designing his own wheels and having them manufactured, Barry could now have the wheels and drivability he wanted while keeping the look he desired. Having larger disc brakes with them were just an added bonus. Now the car looks stock, unless you know your Corvettes. You will notice leather on the dash and door panels instead of vinyl, new reclining seats, power windows, a modern radio hidden inside the shell of his old one and some modern gauges. Open the hood, and the cat is out of the bag. There is a modern 5.3L LS1 and T-56 six-speed from a Camaro SS. There are modern chrome polished intakes, new water pump, aluminum radiator, custom exhaust and new headers.

Barry’s favorite thing about this vehicle is that he is able to just jump in the car and go. Whether it is a long distance roadtrimp, going to the local car show, going for a cruise or driving like he stole it; he truly enjoys never having to worry if the car can keep pace with him.