Use new? Or strip an old?

[Karl]

Hello all,

This is my first post on this forum. I'm going to build a GTM, and one of the engineers at work is looking at a GTM as well. What we are wondering is, is it cheaper to buy a car and strip it, or just buy new parts and a crate engine. It goes without saying new parts would be easier, but what's cheaper is the issue.

Thanks,

Karl

[riptide motorsport]

buy a donor........HTH .Steven

[Jayman174]

If you want to get your parts cheap go the donor route. I took delivery of a donor in August, took about 3 weeks to take it apart and to date have sold enough parts to pay for the entire vehicle yet keep what I needed for the GTM (engine included)... and I am still selling parts. I will end up with free donor parts and some cash.

Jayman

[Karl]

If you want to get your parts cheap go the donor route. I took delivery of a donor in August, took about 3 weeks to take it apart and to date have sold enough parts to pay for the entire vehicle yet keep what I needed for the GTM (engine included)... and I am still selling parts. I will end up with free donor parts and some cash.

Jayman

I like this idea! Would you be willing to share the details? How much, for what kind of LS engine, how many miles on the donor and that type of thing.

Thanks,

Karl

[Jayman174]

I bought a 1999 convertible LS1 with 40K miles for $5600. After all fees from the Co-Part auction and transportation I ended up with $7500 in the car. I started selling parts on craigslist to get rid of the items I did not want to ship like the hood, doors, fenders and anything large and fragile. After selling a bunch of stuff there I listed and sold parts on the corvette forum. I can share more detail if you need to buy a salvage corvette at an auction.

Jason

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Donor is both easier AND cheaper. If you go with new parts, you will spend days and days of your time and lots of trips to the dealership and parts store getting all of the "little" things that don't come with new parts.......and tons of stuff you just plain WONT be able to get as the fine folks at GM continue to DISCONTINUE tons of C5 parts.

[Kalstar]

X4...... donor all the way.

[vtgtm]

Donor. I bought a 98 coupe with 27k miles that ran from CoPart for $5,200 delivered to my house. To date, I have sold about $8,400 in parts on Ebay and the Corvette Forums and expect to sell about $500 more before I call it quits.

[VD2021]

Donor 100%.

For me the Pros greatly out weighted the Cons.

[Karl]

So it sounds like a donor is what I'll be doing. I have been entertaining the idea of buying a used car I could drive for a little bit and then strip it for what I need. It seems to me “most” of the people building these cars have far more discretionary income than I do which is why I’m stretching this out longer than I would like time wise. This build has been a dream of mine since I saw the very first concept drawings posted on the website. I refuse to let this become just another pipe dream which never happens.

I want to thank everyone for putting in their opinions. I figured the donor was the way to go. What about the ball joints and other wear items? Are ya‘ll replacing things like that with new? What’s the best year vette to get for a donor, or does it matter? LS1 or LS3? I’m not up on my vette specs, is there an LS3 option between the years of 1997 and 2004? What other pitfalls should I look for in a donor?

We’re searching for a house at the moment and then it’s game on. At the moment it looks like I may get stuck back in a subdivision with a house with only a 2 car garage which means it’s going to be tight building this kit. The other issue I will likely face is an HOA sticking its nose in my business. That means I won’t be able to leave the carcass in the driveway overnight and no way to put much in the backyard. Glad we live in a free country…

I have a ton more questions about this build but I’ll need to make the time to search through the forum before posting new questions which have been answered.

Sorry it took so long to respond. I’m accustomed to another forum which emails me if someone responds to my thread. Guess I’ll need to check my settings.

Thanks,

[bil1024]

Where there is a will there is a way! You can always strip the donor first in the garage then order the kit, get your parts cleaned up

[Kalstar]

Here is my 2 cents.

FYI, C5 = 97-04, C6 = 05+

Donor all the way, replace wear items while apart like bushings, CV, clutches, brakes, ect.

Go with a 1999 or newer C5, much or the C6 like tanks and such will need to be swapped out. The kit was designed for the C5 so don't re-invent the wheel. 1997-1998 can be used but makes the build slightly more difficult and the parts are now 15 years old. Regardless of miles, electrical parts will be getting tired. Look for black interior, manual shift, good bags and good headlights. These cars will cost more but the parts are worth much more and easier to sell.

2 car garage is plenty, strip the donor first and sell the parts you do not need, I kept all my parts on two large shelves in the side of the garage, I used up about 3x10 of floor space. Get the kit after the donor is gone.

It seems to me “most” of the people building these cars have far more discretionary income than I do which is why I’m stretching this out longer than I would like time wise. I have streched my build out over about two years. This car is designed as a working mans supercar, what you want to do it how it was intended to be built.

Good luck with this endevor and one more thing, the people of this community are the nicest bunch of folks you will meet. Don't be afraid to ask even if you think it is silly.

[Rick Williams]

You can do it in a two car garage as long as you're willing to park your daily driver outside. Before you order your kit get the donor, strip it of parts, save everything you think you might even remotely need, sell the rest, and have the carcass hauled off.

The HOA might be an issue. Back in '01 when I built my roadster I lived in a subdivision (have since moved to the sticks) and took some heat. I tried to do everything in the garage but even so, with the garage doors open while working I offended some busybodies. One time I was grinding something out in the driveway to avoid grinding dust flying all over the garage and a women stormed up my driveway and started screaming at me. I was just too "redneck" for her prized neighborhood. The funny thing is, if I was in my yard with a two stroke weed whacker I probably would have been praised for keeping my yard looking good even though I would make a whole lot more noise than I did with a grinder. Good thing a friend was president of the HOA. He pretty much told the woman to get lost.