1967 Corvette
Bud's First 'Vette
Bud Delgado of Rancho Santa Fe, California, has been hooked on Chevys since high school. In those days, he owned a handful of them, including a '69 Chevelle, a '65 El Camino, and a '69 Nova. At the time, funds were low, so the cars remained stock for the most part. Over the last several years, Bud had been searching for a project he could work on now that he's out of high school and can finally afford it. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California ,where cruising was the thing to do. His dad always had a Chevy, and whenever possible he ordered it with the high-performance SS package. It was a natural for Bud to be a Chevy guy, and he always will be.
Bud had been looking at his neighbor's C1 Corvette, and bugged him constantly about selling it. Unfortunately, he wouldn't budge, so Bud looked elsewhere. Then he came across this '67 Corvette covered in the factory LeMans blue. His neighbor did offer him some help, and referred him to Best of Show Coachworks to rebuild the car to his liking. He brought the car in to get a suspension and drivetrain overhaul, just to pack a little more punch into its driving style. After seeing some of the other projects in the shop, he was inspired to do a complete build, and repaint the car to match a Camaro they had in the shop. Bud also decided on an all-new charcoal upholstered interior. He didn't go crazy changing the car's appearance; he wanted it to have a really clean, era-correct look. He won't be switching to 19-inch wheels; instead, he's sticking with a set of classic 15-inch five-spoke mags.
Best of Show Coachworks traded the factory small-block for a GM crate ZZ383 with aluminum heads. To make it more fun to drive and effortless on the freeway, they chose a Tremec five-speed manual. The car has only been in the shop since October 2008, but it already has a new paintjob, new drivetrain, and it still awaits the custom upholstery. Bud plans to drive it quite a bit, take it to some shows, then hand it down to his daughter when he's ready to let go.