69 N.O.X. RATT

For those of you who do not know Rod Saboury is a pioneer in the Fastest Street car racing. In the eary 90's he took a real 53 Vette #283 out of only 300 made, and chopped it up into a prostreet car. He raced it for several years. His latest Chop Job is on a 63 split window coupe that he tubbed and turned inot a street cruiser.

I like Corvette race cars, and have no problem with guys chopping them up into drag cars etc, but not a 53 or 63 SWC. There are plenty of vettes that would make a cool race car without destroying one so important to Corvette history. Saboury has plenty of money to have the body fabbed up or buy one of the aftermarket bodies for racing.

I was wondering what others might think about this.

FeedVaal

I also hate it when Hollywood takes a perfectly good Corvette of any year and blows it up for effect. :mad

Brutus

Unfortunately along with ownership comes a few inalienable rights such as being able to do with them as he pleases. :rolleyes:

Jman

Although racecars are cool, chopping up a valuable classic such as the 63 SRW or a 53 is just insane, and should be against the law. Why didn't he just chop up something they made half a million of, like a later C3 or early/mid C4? I realize with this guy money is no object, but I have to think that it would be more likely to hate this guy for what he destroyed rather than appreciate the speed of the car.

Chuck Gongloff

Whoa, there. I know Rod personally. He lives here in Maryland, about 20 miles from me. Have known him for years. He's had a number of custom built/pro street type cars. He built "pro street" cars before people knew what "pro street" was. :) His first "muscle car shootout" car was a 57 Corvette that he ran in the "muscle car shootout" series. That car had a Maryland Vanity Tag "INTHE8S", because he actually ran in the 8 second bracket. Brought that car to Vintage Thunder several times. Got rid of that car and then he had a custom fabbed 53 "like" car that had an extended nose, etc. That car had the Maryland tag "INTHE7S". He ran that car for awhile in the shootout series. He didn't cut up a real 53. He's gotten out of the muscle shootout scene. He now is touring with a 63 Z-06 coupe....that's a real 63 coupe with a new Z-06 motor and running gear. Rod's a super guy...a real gentleman. He owns a roofing company in his real life. He's not a mega-bucks guy. Turns his own wrenches, and is a master craftsman. Chuck

67HEAVEN

Good info Chuck. :seeya

Monty

There's an article on Rod in this month's issue of Fastest Street Car. According to the article, the '53 was already a racecar when Rod got it, and as Chuck mentioned, he's not a money bags guy. He runs his own one-man handyman/painting/roofing business. He just happens to be very talented and detail-oriented.

69 N.O.X. RATT

Chuck, I do not know Rod personally but July 2002 issue of Fastest Street Car magizine had an extensive interview with Rod where he stated on page 56.

" That was a real 53, it was number 283 off the assembly line. I had the original title and everything to it."

The article then goes on to say that he bought the bare body from somebody else after it had been hit.

In the same article it quotes him regarding the 63 SWC "Of course it's a real car with no aftrmarket parts on the body what so ever" He tubbed it and put a 427 LS1 with a Richmond 5 speed. Very neat car I agree, but did it have to be a SWC, especially a real one?

I know Saboury is a great racer and a master mechanic, but couldn't he choose different models of Corvettes to race or pro street. Even if the 53 was a car that had been bought from somebody else that raced it, I think subjecting that 1 in 300 body to 200 mph drag racing is a bit selfish, same as choping up a 63 SWC.

Jman

That, I can appreciate! From the original post I pictured some rich guy who just cut up super rare cars and made them fast. I'd kick someone square in the nuts if I saw them mangling a 53. :lol:

427Hotrod

Rod has always built some wild stuff. I saw his first major '63 deal several times at the old Car Craft Street Machine Nationals in DuQuoin Ill. It was a real SWC that was supposedly a concours deal that he Pro-Streeted.

I also saw the '57 several times. I loved it at Memphis when he would run 8's at the track with no bottle and then be out cruising all evening up and down the street and then back at the track on Sunday running again. I thought it was cool.

My understanding is that the '53 was barely a shell of a body that he bought. Like from the doors back at best. No one wanted to restore it and had already cannibalized everything that could be had. In that respect, I think he did "save" a car that no one else was going to mess with and put it in the lime light for everyone to see it. Otherwise it would be just a pile of fiberglas matting somewhere.

I've seen pictures of the newest one. It looks gorgeous in typical Saboury fashion. It is tubbed with a new style LS-6 in it. Built as a driver. I have no idea what condition it was in when he got it, but I suspect it was pretty nice.

I gotta agree... he can do what he wants with them. They are classics, but they aren't priceless. Cars worth much more are sitting in every airport parking lot or grocery store.

And who knows.... they just might be the "find" that the next guy gets his hands on and brings home to "restore"... whatever his definition of that is.


Jim

Robert N

I agree that the cars should be perserved and/or restored to stock, but it does INCREASE the value of the ones remaining (good for the owners - bad for the potential buyers).

Chuck Harmon

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Unfortunately along with ownership comes a few inalienable rights such as being able to do with them as he pleases.
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Comrade,

I thought we did lose that right. I can't legally lay a wrench on my new ZO6 engine without the feds or the state getting upset! Even the darned CAGS is a no no to touch :mad


Chuck

p.s. I can't lay my 9/16ths on it anyway since it walked away from me at a dyno day a short time ago, but you know how you are! :D

Mack

I guess it kinda depends on your frame of reference. Having been around when these cars were new, I don't look at them with the same awe and reverence that I reserve for automobiles such as the Cord or Pierce Arrow or even a Model A. I don't see old Vettes as "Classic" or "Antique". I see a contemporary car. I see a potential hot rod... A fun car. After all, it was built in my lifetime. I'm not old. Therefore the car is not old. If the car is not old, then it's not a candidate for restoration. It is, however, a candidate for a few performance modifications.

Soooo, if you follow that logic, it's my opinion that this guy can do whatever he wants to with a Vette. :p: :D

Fevre

Face it, if you where old enough to remember them when they where new, then you are old! :p:

Mack

Nah... It's the frame of reference thing again. :jester

Alwyn678

Thanks for letting us know :cheers:

Brutus

We should all be so terribly disadvantaged. :rolleyes:

Is there anywhere on a new Corvette where a 9/16" will fit these days? :confused:

74L82AirRoadster

If I was in his position, I probably would take the worst car I could find and cut it up to make a race car. Only problem with that is, if you're a perfectionist, it's hard to come up with that perfect car.

I can say Rod is a very nice guy. I've had the pleasure of meeting him at Cecil a couple of times on a Friday night when he had the 57. It was neat to see a muffled street car outrunning all the open headered cars. He was a normal guy just hanging out with the locals and the car went 8.73 that night.

A friend and I met up with him again at a Super Chevy Show. He asked us to help him push the 57 in front of his trailer. We jumped at the chance and after that talked to him and his wife for a good 15-20 minutes. He also gave us some signed pictures without us even asking. An all around great guy who really works hard and enjoys himself in the process.

68shark

While it does seem a shame to chop up a rare Vette like a '63 SWC, that is only my opinion and something I wouldn't do myself. However, as it's his car, his right to do what he chooses to do with his car is paramount. He sounds like an interesting guy and my hats off to him!!

73-454

I am all for it, Like to see more of the Rotten Vettes off the road, they are very unsafe, if one wants to convert to a race car or a couch Why Not! :cheers: