Tracy’s 1969 Corvette

Tracy’s 1969 Corvette

Once upon a time, there was a 1969 Corvette owned by Peter’s father. It was his daily driver and had an original silver paint job. In the early 80s, he changed the color to burnt copper, and then again to its current color after it suffered minor damage when a guy ran into the rear in 1984. Jesse, known as the candy man for his beautiful paint jobs on low riders, was the one who painted it.

The car had chrome wheels with gold centers, a roll bar, and was bone stock except for the paint. It had the original 350 engine with a turbo 400 transmission. When Peter’s father passed away, Peter decided to turn it into a street freak.

Peter went through the whole car and replaced just about everything. He changed the engine to a worked over 327 engine that included serious head work, MSD digital ignition control with MSD Tack drive distributor, Mutha Thumper cam, topped off with a Weland tunnel Ram, dual carburetors with velocity stacks, original old-school aluminum valve covers with moon equipped breathers, and Hooker headers with side pipes for that street freak flare. The engine was built at the last PAW Performance Automotive Warehouse before closing its doors for good. To keep it running cool, Peter went with a B-Cool big block aluminum radiator. He also changed out the transmission to a manual Tremec five-speed, which made for a much more thrilling car to drive. Guldsrand Motorsports went through the entire suspension, replacing wheel bearings, ARP extended wheel studs, bushings, etc. Peter changed the gears from 3.08 to 3.50 with positraction. He went with Real Rodder Wheels with Pro track N-50s in the rear for that 70s look.

Peter’s near future plan is to replace the 327 engine with a 383 and replace the 3.08 gears for 4.11. The orange exhaust by Hokker and 400hp engine made this car truly unique. The orange paint was done by Jesse the candy man, which was the perfect canvas for this street freak project.

Peter was excited to see his story published, and he would like to get some copies of the article once it’s out. The 1969 Corvette was a classic beauty that turned into a street freak with some serious engine work, a manual transmission, and upgraded suspension. It was a tribute to Peter’s father and a true masterpiece of car customization.