C3 Corvette Packs Modern LS7 Powerplant Underhood

Standing Out

Restomod Corvettes are a dime a dozen these days, and a large number of them are high-quality and high-dollar builds. Thus, it takes a lot to stand out in this massive crowd, but Paul Buffoni's C3 Corvette, featured over at Hot Rod, caught our eye thanks to its cool story and meticulously planned modifications.

Photos: Hot Rod

Lifelong Fan

Buffoni was born in 1968 and grew up lusting after the C3 Corvette. Later on in life, he decided he wanted to give one the pro-touring treatment, but it had to be a chrome-laden pre-1973 model. Thus, he purchased this already modified car off eBay from a questionable seller, which obviously led to some interesting discoveries once the classic Corvette wound up in his driveway.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this LS7 swapped C3 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Death Trap

"I get the thing and immediately notice the paint is a horror show, but there's no rust so I can deal with it," Buffoni said. "I unload it from the truck, thinking, 'Man, this thing is rougher than he said,' but the engine sounded healthy, so I backed it out of the driveway and headed down the road only to find that the car won't turn left. I had maybe 10 degrees of steering angle. I looked under it and was blown away by what I saw - the car was a death trap!"

Photos: Hot Rod

 >>Join the conversation about this LS7 swapped C3 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Rolling Nightmare

Buffoni peeked underneath and saw a total botch job, one that included missing body mount fasteners, a C4 suspension swap with no geometry or engineering done to make it work properly, and even bare wires on the fuel cell. Regardless, he decided to press on and fix the car for good, and soon teamed up with Nick Gaylord from Top Line Design and Speed to make that happen.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this LS7 swapped C3 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Interesting Choice

That process began with an LS7 swap, which sends power to a Detroit Speed DECALink IRS rear differential loaded with 3.42 gears via, interestingly enough, a 4L70e automatic gearbox with paddle shifters, because the footwell was too small for Buffoni to work a clutch. Underneath, the car is fitted with a Detroit Speed Speedray front suspension kit, DSE springs, JRi shocks, 14-inch disc brakes with six-piston Brembo calipers in the front, and 13.5-inch units with four-piston calipers in the rear.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this LS7 swapped C3 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Leaving an Impression

On the outside, this super-wide C3 certainly looks the part thanks to wide fenders and Grand Sport-like paint. The car rolls on massive 18x11-inch front and 18x12-inch rear ET Wheels wrapped with  315/30 and 335/30-series tires. Throw in those glorious side pipes, and you've got a car that'll make an impression anywhere it goes.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this LS7 swapped C3 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Fun Driver

But perhaps the coolest thing about this C3 is the fact that it wasn't built to be some show pony, but rather a car that can be driven every single day. "When we built this car, it was difficult to keep the brakes on because we kept coming up with ideas," Buffoni said. "It was so inviting just to take that extra step. I kept telling myself 'no". The mission of this car is to be a streetable, fun driver. And I think that's exactly what we've accomplished."

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this LS7 swapped C3 right here in the Corvette Forum!

For repair and maintenance advice about your Corvette, check the how-to section of CorvetteForum.com.