Car Feature: Dan Livezey's 1964 Custom Corvette

Dan Livezey made the best use of his “spare-time” over a three-year period to custom-build an amazing autocross racecar in his garage. Not only is the car fast on the autocross course, the ’64 Vette brings a very retro appearance to the sport.

Livezey’s C2 was hand-built to take on the toughest autocrossing courses, and succeed in being a leader of the pack. If initial indications are correct, Livezey has accomplished his goal.

It’s that timeless classic look that initially caught our attention. Then we saw the performance, and the hook was set.

Most feature cars of this caliber are built with sponsor support, with most of the parts given to the car builder, who then coordinates with various shops to perform the assembly. Not in this case. “It is not a sponsored build,” says Livezey.

Livezey covered the entire cost of the build and then performed almost all of the work by himself. “The only thing farmed out has been the final paint by Frank’s Auto Body, the carpeting, door panel and dash pad recover,” he stated. “I do have a good friend, Gery Zimmerman, who enjoys the challenge of machining the numerous aluminum parts needed to complete the build.”

The Body

I learned not to rush when building this vehicle. – Dan Livezey

Don’t get the idea that this was a simple “bolt-together” project car either. “The only body parts that have not been modified are the deck lid and hard top,” he clarified. The body was widened over eight-inches on each side to fit over the 2010 Corvette ZR1 suspension and cover the tires. “The fenders were blended to fit and still follow the stock lines of the C2 Corvette,” Livezey added. “The bumpers were set into the rear quarter panels for the right look.”

The exterior lighting is stock Corvette lights with the exception of the headlights which are Buell high and low beam lights set into the Corvette buckets. This unique custom design keeps the original look yet adds modern lighting to the front end.

Livezey bought a flared out body kit for the Corvette, then he flared it some more. He flared the fenders out to cover the tires but maintained the C2 body lines.

In addition to completely doing the custom work on the entire body, Livezey made substantial changes to the suspension and frame. Working with Full Street Shop, the frame was customized to accept stock C6 Corvette front and rear suspension support cradles. Stock 2010 Corvette cradles with Corvette A-arms were used with ZR1 spindles.

Adding a stylish touch to the otherwise stock lighting, Buell headlamps were installed into the stock buckets.

Considering all aspects of the build, Livezey wanted the weight balance that the magnesium front and aluminum rear offered. “The frame was also modified to accept a series three, Viper Dana 44HD center section,” he explained. The chassis dimensions are the same as a 2010 ZR1 Corvette.

The frame was modified in the rear to house a Viper Dana 44 heavy duty center section.

When it came to finishing the suspension, Livezey said, “Vansteel has helped on acquiring suspension pieces for the build in conjunction with Strange Engineering and I am working with H&R who is supplying numerous spring combinations to help sort out the handling.”

What It Cost and What He Learned

Livezey has owned over 30 high performance muscle cars over the years, including several Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers, GTXs, and Road Runners to name a few. All of them have a place in his heart but this Vette has a place in his wallet. He currently figures that the cost to build this car is over $150,000.

A Lingenfelter prepared 427ci LS7 hides under the hood. with a FAST fuel system.

He told us that the part of the car that he spent much of his time on, the body – with all of the customization – is his favorite part of the car. “I learned not to rush when building this vehicle,” he said. “Every time I rushed, it bit me, and I had to do it over.”

Powering this customized classic is a Lingenfelter 427ci LS7. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering worked their magic with a full port and CC on the cylinder heads. The compression ratio with stock GM LS7 rods and Mahle pistons came in at 11.5 to 1.

The Engine

Livezey’s engine combination is a Lingenfelter Performance Engineering LS7 package that features full custom head porting and machining by Lingenfelter. The head is fitted with Lingenfelter branded intake and exhaust valves, and COMP Cams valve springs and retainers. The engine block is also custom machined by Lingenfelter and equipped with ARP head studs.

Stock cylinder sleeves with stock GM engine bearings are fitted in the block. A dynamically balanced GM crankshaft with GM LS7 connecting rods with ARP bolts and MAHLE pistons are used for durability and power.

A Petersen oil system hides under the hood.

A Lingenfelter grind on a COMP Cams camshaft with stock GM push rods, GM lifters and COMP Cams cam gears and timing belt complete the short block. A set of Holley valve covers with coil brackets top the heads.

A stock GM headgasket is sandwiched between the cylinder heads and engine block with stock GM pulleys and custom engine mounts bolted on the outside of the engine. A FAST intake manifold with Lingenfelter throttle body are port matched to the block and capped off with a custom K&N filter.

The fuel system consists of a stock GM ZL1 fuel pump regulated with a stock GM fuel pressure regulator. Fuel distribution goes through FAST fuel rails to FAST 70 lbs./hr fuel injectors. The engine’s oil system is built around a stock GM oil pan, GM LS9 oil cooler with Mobil 1 oil providing the lubrication. A Dewitts ’67 Corvette radiator with a Derale electric fan shore up the engine’s cooling system.

Ignition

Ignition happens by virtue of stock GM LS7 ignition coils, Taylor 10mm spark plug wires and engine controls are handled by GM E38 ECU with a Lingenfelter tune. EFI Live data logging tracks the engine’s runs.

It’s all in the details for this car project. While the fuel cell is a top notch piece from Rick’s Tanks, the exterior look of the car, including fuel filler cap, looks very stock and original.

Other electronics include a Summit Racing battery cutoff/kill switch, a heavily modified 2010 Corvette wiring harness, Auto Meter dash display with Auto Meter 5-inch tachometer.

Driveline

Bolted behind the Lingenfelter LS7 bullet is a 2005 Pontiac GTO T56 with gears from D&D Performance. The transmission is support with a McLeod RSD twin disc, a Fidenza flywheel and a custom built shift lever. Power is transferred through a Driveline Specialties carbon fiber driveshaft to the rearend. A Viper Dana 44H with Gilken clutch differential and Strange final drive gears transfers power through Driveline Shop’s heavy duty axles.

Suspension

The front and rear shock absorbers are custom-built 4-way shocks from Strange Engineering. H&R Springs, 60-60-200 in the front and 50-50-200 in the rear help with the chassis handling duties. The front and rear adjustable links are stock 2010 Corvette with Van Steel bushings and bearings throughout the suspension. Stock 2010 Corvette steering rack with front and rear sway bars supported by Summit Racing end links round out the suspension. Livezey tells us that his alignment settings are getting close to where he wants to be on the track but some fine tuning is still needed. Currently his alignment settings are:

Front Camber: 2.3 degrees
Rear Camber: 1.5 degrees
Front Caster: .7 degrees
Ride Height: “As low as I can get it.”

The wider, lower stance is created by a great blend of stock modern corvette parts and a custom shock and spring combination.

Brakes and Wheels

Stock 2010 Corvette ZR1 front and rear calipers with stock GM brake pads and a stock ZR1 master cylinder provide the braking duties. ZR1 15-inch carbon front rotors with ZR1 13-inch carbon rotors in the rear round out the full carbon ZR1 brake setup. Livezey added a BMW ABS system to the mix, while the pedal box from the ’64 Corvette was retained. He custom made all of the brake lines used in the system.

The front and rear wheels off of the 2010 Corvette were reused with ARP wheel studs. Livezey mounted massive Michelin PS2RF tires to the wheels, sticky rubber to get him around the cones in record time.

ZR1 Corvette full carbon brake set with Corvette wheels and Michelin tires.

Cabin

Livezey selected Corbeau A4 seating for the driver and passenger seats with custom built seat rails made from the Summit Racing rail set. The harness bar is also from Corbeau. He selected Ididit steering wheel and steering wheel hub with Sparco pedal covers to complete the interior look.

The cockpit has a distinctive “racer” look but modern updates, like data logging, are obvious.

Some of the other details that highlight the project build’s cockpit are the custom console, electric windows and door locks and the 2010 Corvette delay wiper system and motor. Livezey also added a Vintage Air A/C system and an Auto Sound remote radio head unit.

Livezey has been a steady competitor in many racing events with a focus on the Goodguys autocrossing events. His Corvettes have him on everyone’s radar, but this electric blue ’64 C2 has put him squarely in the spotlight having almost single-handedly sweeping the Ultimate Street Car Association Portland event.

Competing in the “Under 3,000 Pound class, he placed first in the BF Goodrich Hot Lap Challenge, first in the Ridetech Autocross and first in the Wilwood Speed-Stop Challenge with a solid second place in the Lingenfelter Performance Design & Engineering part of the competition.

Corbeau seats for the driver and passenger, along with Corbeau racing harnesses, add to the safety and functional design of the cabin area.

“This has been an evolving build as I am now replacing the fuel tank with a new system to prevent fuel starvation in hard cornering and have changed the front spoiler for more down force,” said Livezey. We expect that he will iron out the details and set some records with this modern day classic car mashup. Watch for Dan Livezey’s electric blue ’64 Corvette at a Goodguy’s autocross event near you.