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Home-Built Hero: Paul Wrighton’s ’73 Corvette Is A Gorgeous Cruiser

Corvette [1]

The wheels are from American Racing [2], and the tires BFGoodrich TA’s. One of the first upgrades Paul did, was to install the side pipes.

When it comes to owning a classic car, there are two distinct avenues that dictate what is parked in the garage. One has the owner preferring cars that retain a factory look and feel, while the other camp prefer cars that have an upgraded pedigree. It’s a personal preference, and no choice is a bad one. Paul Wrighton is a member of the second group, as evidenced by his ’73 Corvette.

Even when an enthusiast prefers to have a modified mode of enjoyable transportation, the finished project usually starts out closer to stock. “It is an L-82-powered car with a four-speed. I bought the Corvette in 1976, and at the time, it was all original. Since then, I have done a lot of modifications,” he stated. Adding to the appearance is the addition of an L-88 hood and a fiberglass front bumper that replaces the rubber one. “I replaced the hood, because I like the style and it helps the engine breathe better. I put the fiberglass bumper on the car, because the rubber ones never stay straight.”

Corvette [3]

Paul says he wanted the L82 small-block, because of the better cylinder heads that have 202 and 194-inch valves, and because of the stronger bottom end’s four bolt mains. He also feels the small-block-powered cars handle better than those with the big-block.

Adding to the already-respectable performance, the engine received a set of Hooker headers [4], an Edelbrock [5] intake with a Holley [6] carburetor, and an MSD [7] ignition system. Paul also told us that there are some internal upgrades as well, but didn’t elaborate. The transmission is an M21 Muncie four-speed [8], and the rearend gear ratio is 3.55.

Corvette [9]

The interior is leather, and features an aftermarket steering wheel, sound system, and a Hurst Super Shifter.

Like many people, Paul finding the car was not filled with an exciting tale of pursuit and mayhem. In actuality, it was uneventful and easy – which isn’t always a bad thing. He found the Corvette for sale while relaxing and reading the local newspaper, and he believes he is the second owner. “I chose this car because I like the body style. When the C3 Corvette came out in 1968, I just always wanted to have one,” said Paul. He also said that he always wanted his car to be a small-block example, so mission accomplished.

Corvette [10]

Do you want to read about more Home-Built Heroes? All you need to do is click here [11]. If you own a Home-Built Hero, we want to hear about it. Since we’ve started the series, we have received more than a few candidates, but we still want to see more – we can never get enough. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, send us a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and we’ll make you Internet famous. You can send your submissions to [email protected] [12].