The13Bats

For 25 years I loved custom and one of my favorite off the shelf was the Mako Shark kit that John Silva designed and I have been planning my project for some time,

Thanks to a member desiring to return his numbers car to stock, I was able to get this kit at a fair price and made a Corvette friend,
Here are my transporters loading the kit, should be here tomorrow,





While the Mako is one of those kits that is loved or hated, and I know that most here dig stock looking this is my dream come true, I should have built this 25 years ago,
In the world of the Mako cult basically all the cars are coupes, the couple I have seen as verts didn't go far enough to refine the car into something of a high level or didn't do the rear end to suit my taste, IE they used stock or GT style rear bumper,

I plan to place my kit on a 68-72 convertible as I want a wiper door, I will use the Mako rear bumper on my car and I also have plans to use the louvers section of the mako rear clip as part of a custom removable hardtop, so in other words I will have the best of both world, I plan to do lots of one off stuff to it to in my mind better refine it and make it a one of a kind Mako,
Here are a couple Mako verts,





Now to get going I need to find that 68-72 donor vert...lol

vettebuyer6369

Keep the postings coming. Even though I'm "all grown up" and a numbers guy now, I grew up in the Maco by Silva era (not far from a Silva shop) and I absolutely love the cars.

Even though the roadster is a great idea.... ooooh that louvered rear clip is gorgeous.

Always wondered why many of the tilt nose Mako/Maco cars looked a bit unfinished around the cowl area. Do something about that, willya?

The13Bats

Vettebuyer,
If you say your digging numbers matching goes with being all grown up, rather than call my self immature and childish for digging customs, I will us the term eccentric....lol

You say you knew Silvas shop, here you might dig this,


Basically from what research I have done Silva must have been right on this kit when the 68 came out, it was a time people did like custom over stock, everyone wanted a "personalized" car as Barris put it,

So Silva makes the kit to fit the wiper door cars, hence the cut out at the back of the clip,
Some people just tacked a piece of hood there, other reformed the cowl sides and like you say they don't really look right,

I guess when the wiper doors proved to be cantankerous Silva made a cowl piece, normally people would glass over the seams but this builder had forethought he might need to get back in there for service at a later date,






Here is an example of the cowl finished far more refined with wiper door, to me this is sweet, almost looks factory, I love bells and whistles and the wiper door is perfect for me,

I too dig the louvers rear and that is why I plan to adapt that part to a removable hard top,
I also want to kill some of the space that the Mako kits allows over the tire tops, I have never come up with a good reason why Silva did it this way,

Dantana

Love the custom look and therefore the Mako! Would really like to go that direction one day- but I'm not all growed up yet!

Flying Low

Great idea!
Hope you have a good camera. Really looking forward to following your progress.
David

Xanthophyll

Never a big fan of customs, but I really do like the Mako. I'm looking forward to watching your progress...!

bernie payne

I love the Mako, it is a great looking car. If you need any help along the way let me know. I am probably only about 45 minutes away.

The13Bats

Thanks for all the kind replies,

My big hurdle now is the donor car, lots of pi$$ing and moaning on other threads about asking prices being too high and they are in many cases,
I know very well that what I desire the 68-72 is fairly pricey just because,
On the other side of that coin, I don't want to ruin a good restored car or a good candidate for a restro project,

So I am gathering up some parts and getting all ready to rock,

It might get slow til I find the donor hen will kick in fast, I got a good camera and will use it during the build,


Bernie, perhaps sometime we could meet out at the old town cruise

toolman1981

Looking forward to watching your build. I too like customs. Not much originality in "all original".

Alan 71

Hi Bat,
" Let the sacrilege begin"
As another 'stock guy', I'll be interested to see how well you can pull this off.
This should be fun....Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

wer2xu

Here is my unsolicited opinion.
this location has way too many gaps. I would enclude that entire bit of fender in the hood, so the only seam you have by the wiper door, and the front door. At the base of the fender I would use some slick zues fastners....and I assume the top is held in place by the stock hood latch???

Reminds me of those early custom slot cars that came out in the late 60's.

The13Bats

Admitted the dyed in the wool stock fan will never really like what I am going to do, and anyone who builds a modded or custom car does or should do it to please themselves first and foremost,
I have been doing customs over 30 years the first I did was a Camaro version of the Corvette summer car, wild and tacky,
I haven't "grown up" but have aged well, I believe I can do something in this build that almost anyone can at the very least get a smile from,

I have many hurdles to overcome, in most cases tilt front ends are cheap and poorly done and rattle and move around just really making the whole car appear cheap and Ahem...kit car-ish.

I plan to do little tricks like use C4 inner wheel wells so the clip has something to locate to and be more ridged,
I plan to use stock latches, with electric pops, and even electric lift for the entire front clip,

As far as gaps and such, I want the wiper door, I dig it and dig it even more for being pesty in function and so often removed and even with the extra gaps for the tilt clip this car looks sweet ( to me )

This is Waynes beautiful show car and the cowl has the same treatment as the Burgandy Moray above,

The idea of Zeus fasteners crossed my mind but it gives a car too much of a drag car/racer look for what I am doing with this build,

I have seen Mako's with the fender brought all the way to the door gap and replace the wiper door but I want to be different than the Ecklers style tilt front clips, as you see here,

wer2xu

I am saying keep the wiper door, but loose the big L shaped gap in the fender, and life the entire fender lift with the hood...

400hp427vette

I am a numbers guy here aswell. But I love the custom work others do to their cars. Do you plan on building the car to the specs of the older photos you have posted or are you going to put your own personal twist as you rebuild your car? Either way I bet in the end you will have one great looking custom.

vettesbydesign

Was the dono0r car originally transformed at Silva's shop in the east,or was it one of the mail order parts conversions?I met a guy who had 2 of the real ones from Silva's shop,and he said that the cars ALL had John's hand print in the rear inner tubs.
Cool score,and looking forward to seeing the pics.
To me....the guy is too proud of it,but there is a 70 convertible here w/all the running gear for 4500.00.It has sat outside for YEARS,and the windshield frame needs some attention,but the frame is okay.No hard top...just soft.

vettebuyer6369

I knew I'd do some tweaking with the "all grown up" remark, but I was poking fun at myself more than anything...

As for Silva...

The13Bats

wer2xu
A person can do the fender Ecklers style all the way to the door but it has to cut off at the style line, if you try to open the lower part of the fender it will catch as it curves under,
I suppose with some mods it would be possible just not what I want to do,

400hp427vette
I have to make it "mine" I don't care for all the air on top of the tires with the Mako parts, no matter how low the car it will have too much so I will rework that for a better look,
I want to go with lots of old school ideas, but with things like fuel injection and a few suspension mods, so in general my car will have the "look" of the ones in the pictures but will drive about like a c4,

vettesbydesign,
My parts are Motion, Motion farmed out their stuff so it's anyone's guess who actually made the parts, I wish for many reasons it had of been Silva stuff, Silva never got the credit he deserves,
I bought the last Mako front clip sold a few years ago, Rosen sold it to me himself, it was thin and poorly made, this clip I now have is from the 80's and thicker and twice the weight but I can tell came from the same mold, as my last one,
I couldn't find the 70 you mentioned, it's worth a look, you never know,

Vettebuyer5869
I enjoyed your "grown up" comment, in fact I hope to get poked at like friends would do at a cruise or show, I have to wonder about you being grown up, would that place you in the age group now to have owned a suit like the super fly fellow on your Mako flyer in that day?
Just kidding with you....

vettebuyer6369

It absolutely does! When I got that catalog I was dreaming of getting rid of my silly '65 396 convertible and getting one of those cool "late models" (that's what the shark/C3s were called in the late 70's) and taking out a loan for Silva!! Never made it past the '68 roadster with an Eckler hood and a custom paint job by my custom paint Bud.

Actually, I had a 3 piece white disco suit I had on layaway for 2 months, wore it once and then that stupid John Travolta movie came out and I couldn't wear it any more!!!!!

The13Bats

When the 68 came out did it blow minds and did like everyone want one?

Custom paint, about all I can get away with today is perhaps pearl and ghost stripes,
Remember all the coolness of lace painting, cobwebs and of course tackyass metal flake....I wouldnt own a metal flake car as it would drive me crazy but I still love it,

vettebuyer6369

It did, but I couldnt afford mine until 1978! (hey I was in college). I had the '65 big block because it was the cheapest Corvette available.

This was black over silver pearl, buried in clear flip-flop. Full 70's mural on the L88 hood scoop. Oh, those were the days...




... and my buddy did THIS on the ashtray, and I've kept it since 1978! Ive had it on 3 cars, and Im going to put it on my stock '69 31 years later just to freak people out!!