Totaled cars beyond any hope of salvage and repair have little value, aside from the scrap metal and any functional parts that can be sold. Junk yards are full of such vehicles that you can purchase for just a bit more than the scrap value and they’re perfect for enterprising makers with a vision. Rob Gunter and his son have those traits and they turned a totaled C3 (Third Generation) Chevy Corvette into an indoor racing simulator.
Among enthusiasts, the C3 Corvette is a middling generation—particularly the later years just before the introduction of the C4, when emissions regulations were really hampering performance. As such, the crumpled remains of this 1980 C3 Corvette weren’t desirable enough to be worth much. But the styling is still iconic and there was enough of the body left intact for this purpose. Specifically, the area between the A and B pillars was still in decent shape and that was perfect for giving the driver a place to sit.
The vast majority of the work went into body repair, fabrication, and paint. Most of that portion of the Corvette was free from major damage, but it still wasn’t presentable and required a lot of body work to look nice. They also added a rear bumper onto the shortened body and cut a good chunk of the passenger side off to make the whole thing more compact. The father and son also fabricated a frame to support the body and driver. A coat of paint in a lovely shade of dark blue suits the Vette’s lines very well.
To enable the racing sim functionality, the Gunters installed a gaming PC behind the driver’s seat and a large 49” curved monitor in front of the windshield. But they took it much, much further than that by integrating many of the car’s features into the function of the simulator.
For example, the steering wheel, shifter, and pedals all work to control the in-game vehicle. Turning the key in the car’s ignition powers-on the whole system. Even the brake lights work, and speakers mounted around the driver provide an immersive experience. Other touches, such as a temp gauge on the dashboard linked to a sensor near the PC’s GPU, are fun easter eggs that further increase the charm.
The father and son posted an entire build log on Instructables to inspire others. But, of course, most of the specifics will depend on the donor car and how the builder wants to tackle the project. Even if you don’t intend to build something like this yourself, the build log is worth drooling over.
