New Member Owner and Builder of this 1968 Vette

I have been following this site for a few years now and finally decided to join. I enjoy it all and want to share my creation with everyone here. The work, time and money that is spent to modify these cars is realized and is truly recognized and appreciated from my perspective. I built this car myself and build other hot rods and the such. BUT! I have owned this car for over 25 years and have made major changes and extensive modifications to it twice including frame, drivetrain, interior and body work all in my shop. I have a vast amount of photos showing all of the stages. I hope you all enjoy them as well.

Great looking car Mike, Welcome to the site.

Thanks. Glad to be part of it all!

WELCOME Mike, looks like she hooks up pretty hard. nice ride.

This is nice.Please post more pictures,when you get a chance.

Sometimes a little too hard but that's what it's all about!

Welcome to the group.... always good to hear from someone new that has a car like ours.
That is really a nice set up.
upload some more shots of the car!!!

Hi Randy. Thanks. I am now getting better at using the site. I had posted new threads or topics and added the photos to them but now I can see how I can add to the existing. Great site and looks like a great bunch of people. I am going to add the photos I have loaded on the other threads to this one. I will add more of the construction photos also. I do a lot of custom work on other vehicles too. I am an Engineer in mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems including Electrical Engineering and programming. I have a small shop and part time business in my back yard with a lift, Mig and Tig pulse welders, Lathe, Milling Machine and a CNC Plasma cutting table. I will post some metal art work of one of the Vettes that I have drawn and cut out of metal. I plan on visiting the technical forums also. There is a lot of creativity and talent on this site with some great ideas. The photos of everyones projects and progress is great! A lot of times you need to make what you want because it simply is just not available or doesn't meet expectations or it just can't be bought so you got to make it. That's what I love and what makes everyones project unique.

2Sharks wrote: Welcome to the group.... always good to hear from someone new that has a car like ours. That is really a nice set up. upload some more shots of the car!!!

Here are some of the Plasma Cut art work of cars I have cut out of .062 bare steel on my CNC Plasma Machine. They are about 28 inches long. Tough to get good pictures with flash so please excuse the brightness is area's. A little air brushing or a back light and picture type frame really looks cool with the white or colored light thru the lines.

MIKE427 wrote: Hi Randy. Thanks. I am now getting better at using the site. I had posted new threads or topics and added the photos to them but now I can see how I can add to the existing. Great site and looks like a great bunch of people. I am going to add the photos I have loaded on the other threads to this one …

Photos of the build.

MIKE427 wrote: Here are some of the Plasma Cut art work of cars I have cut out of .062 bare steel on my CNC Plasma Machine. They are about 28 inches long. Tough to get good pictures with flash so please excuse the brightness is area's. A little air brushing or a back light and picture type frame really looks cool …

Man, that stuff looks great!
You need to cut a plasma shark!

MIKE427 wrote: Photos of the build.

Mike!!! Simply AWESOME!!! Fantastic car...I like what you have done to it...and am glad you dare to be different...

Questions: Do you have a web-site to show your plasma art? Do you do "special request" art work? Tell us more...

Thanks and welcome aboard!!!

Marv

Last words in fatal accidents for 49 of 50 states are "Oh Sh*t!" Final words in Wisconsin are "Hold my beer, I'm gonna try somethin'..."

MIKE427 wrote: Photos of the build.

Soon as I get a little tinker time I plan on cutting out a few Mako Shark cars. I have been dying to get a few done but it takes some time from photo coversion to a cut path and perfect all the lines. Once I start I like to keep going. Details, Details. Machine is great for brackets custom shapes and custom parts also.

2Sharks wrote: Man, that stuff looks great! You need to cut a plasma shark!

If you want a set airbrushed or decide to let a set go let me know.You can -e- me at airbrushguy@myway.com. I'm also interested in the cnc thing.I can't find much info. on it.I was wondering how to transfer line drawings to the cnc, but I'm a computer doof,pretty much. Is this line conversion stuff something someone could do and put on a disc,or email to someone else,ordoes it have to be on the computer hooked to the cnc.It's a software thing isn't it?What kind of software is involved?

smrtmblues wrote: Mike!!! Simply AWESOME!!! Fantastic car...I like what you have done to it...and am glad you dare to be different...

Questions: Do you have a web-site to show your plasma art? Do you do "special request" art work? Tell us more...

Thanks and welcome aboard!!!

Marv

Last words in fatal accident …

Go to forums,Click on technical,then machine shop and start a new thread about this.

MIKE427 wrote: Soon as I get a little tinker time I plan on cutting out a few Mako Shark cars. I have been dying to get a few done but it takes some time from photo coversion to a cut path and perfect all the lines. Once I start I like to keep going. Details, Details. Machine is great for brackets custom shapes an …

Nice Work! please post more pictures!!

2Sharks wrote: Man, that stuff looks great! You need to cut a plasma shark!

Thanks Marv. Yes I do have a web page for our small shop. Go to http//www.creativemetalfabricators.com We do all kinds of stuff. All I need is a good digital photo of of what you want to cut out then it takes some time to convert through the software so you can get all the details just right. We have cut out photos of dogs etc. The larger the cutout the even better detail. Standard size is about 28 inches long. And yes we offer custom work that is what we like to do. Go to car shows and display the work and offer to cut out your car or what ever. Sorry I did not reply earlier I didn't realize there was a page 2. I'm still learnin'.

MIKE427 wrote: Thanks. Glad to be part of it all!

Great looking car Mike, Welcome to the site.

"Boy" Mike id love to see this car come off the line!!! Beautiful car! What kinda of the ET's is it pull'n?

rockcrusher67 wrote: WELCOME Mike, looks like she hooks up pretty hard. nice ride.

Thanks Rare1. The shot is from an actual movie that my wife recorded for me during a run so I can review later. This was the first pass with a new sintered iron clutch I had just installed. Smoked the B&M a few weeks earlier. This pass I left the line at 1600 Rpm then mashed the throttle on the go lite. Ran an 11.19 and caught my opponent sleeping at the light. He ran a 10.89 but I got the win light. Second pass I destroyed the driveshaft and it was time to winch up on the trailer and watch and record everybody else race the rest of the day. Now I have a Lenco 5 Speed and a 18" long 3" chrome moly driveshaft. Back to the track this summer with the newly added wheelie bars now. Plan on running in the low 10s hopefully mid 9s. Now that the Doug Nash is out and the new trans and shaft are in I will be able to hammer it good off the line. I have attached my time slip. Perfect .500 reaction time and I have a laminated copy.

dreamer wrote: This is nice.Please post more pictures,when you get a chance.

Excellent!